Cases

Succes case Frandsen & Made-Specific

How a premium Danish lighting brand turned a slow, scattered Benelux push into a structured market position and the confidence to appoint its own dedicated Export Manager.

Sector

Lighting

Market

Netherlands & Belgium

Duration

Nov 2024 till early 2026

Scope

2 business units

About the company

A premium Danish name in lighting

A well-established premium Danish brand in lighting, part of a larger Danish group. Strong product, strong reputation at home, and clear ambition to grow in the Benelux. What was missing was a local route to the people who actually decide.

Timing

Nov 2024

First contact. The Sales Director approached Go Grow Dutch via LinkedIn.

Late 2024

Several Teams meetings; a strategic business proposal is presented and the contract is signed.

1 March 2025

Contract start. A focused four-month project.

Mid 2025

Extended by another seven months, until early 2026.

During 2025

Scope expanded with a second business unit of the group.

The problem

Not one big problem but many smaller ones, stacking up. Each on its own felt manageable. Together they kept the brand on the outside of the Benelux market.

$No time or structure to focus on the Benelux market specifically.
$No local knowledge of who and what matters in the market and who and what does not.
$Noise and mismatches in the existing contact lists.
$No way to build a qualified shortlist of matching leads.
$No clarity on who the real decision-makers were behind each lead.
$No personal connection to those decision-makers.
$No way to approach the right people with dedication and conviction.
$No relevant face-to-face appointments getting booked.

The result

Trial-and-error and shooting from the hip. Slow traction in the European sales expansion. And the strongest retail chains and webshops in the Benelux still missing, not as warm connections, and not as customers.

The solution

Full focus on one market, one goal: turn cold lists into real conversations with the people who decide. Here is what Go Grow Dutch secured.

$Full focus and expertise on the Benelux market and nothing else.
$Cleared the noise and mismatches out of the existing contact list.
$Built a fresh longlist of pre-selected leads, brands and retailers.
$Qualified and narrowed it into a shortlist of matching leads.
$Identified the real decision-makers behind each lead.
$Approached each lead personally to make the connection.
$Introduced the company, the brand and its assortment.
$Got decision-makers to meet us at the fair.
$Ran frequent joint sales meetings and extensive store checks.
$Introduced sales management in person to the decision-makers of the largest chains and webshops.

The return

From shooting from the hip to a real market position. Within the project period, the scattered push became measurable traction with the names that matter in the Benelux.

10+ appointments

At the local HQs of leads across the Netherlands and Belgium.

New supplier

Signed as a new supplier to the largest Dutch chain of premium department stores.

From zero to sample

Moved into the sample stage with the leading Belgian furniture chain.

From zero to co-design

A co-design project with a leading premium interior brand 500+ dealers globally.

Campaign sales

Kick-started campaign sales including reducing overstock with a large Dutch cross-border e-commerce retailer.

Revitalised

Renewed collaboration with several existing Benelux customers that risked standstill or fading out.

The strategic outcome

Proven success and a strong pipeline led to one well-considered decision: a dedicated Export Manager, appointed in early 2026. Beyond the wins, the project gave the company a real, lasting understanding of the Benelux market, the foundation to take it forward in-house.