BDI, part of Hudson Group, extendes NIKE representation in Africa for an additional 5 years and strengthens Malta as international logistics hub

BDI, which is part of Hudson Group, has extended its contract to represent super brand NIKE in 30 African countries until 2023. Together with this, it will extend its current warehouse facilities as to continue developing its logistics hub in Malta, through which it serves Africa.

Through BDI, NIKE has a strong presence in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia and is also present in sub-Saharan countries including Nigeria, Angola, Ghana and Ivory Coast.

This extension was celebrated during a Press Conference as well as a ‘NIKE – Think Sport’ themed staff event at Hugo’s Infinity, St Julian’s, Malta. Present for the press conference were Sean Harris, NIKE General Manager for EMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) Distributors, Wouter Van Olm, NIKE Regional Sales Manager Africa, NIKE AMEA, Burak Dolanay, Sales Director for CEE NIKE distributors, BDI and Hudson Group CEO Alfie Borg, as well as the broader cross-functional NIKE team, BDI and Hudson Group Directors and Management.

Alfie Borg, CEO of Hudson Group explained how the first pair of Nikes sold in Malta was in 1987. “following this, in 2004, we opened our first NIKE store in Libya and since then the NIKE brand has slowly but surely, entrusted us to manage NIKE’s representation in more African countries”. Mr Borg added that today, through its head office in Malta as well as its subsidiary companies in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, BDI manages most of Africa as far as sales, marketing and distribution go.

A couple of years ago, BDI was entrusted to manage a NIKE distribution centre in Malta which services the African market. “Since then, as orders increased, we have outgrown the current space available. Therefore, in 2018/2019, with the help of Malta Enterprise, we will be building a state-of-the-art new NIKE distribution centre, that will enable us to cope with the African continent’s growing demand for at least the next decade” explained Mr Borg.

Talking about the every day operation, Mr Borg explain how the Group seeks to mirror NIKE’s values, in terms of performance, authenticity, innovation, and sustainability, “We embody these values in all aspects of our operations, and this includes selecting the right HR and cultivating a diverse and energetic global team” Mr Borg concluded.

Sean Harris, NIKE General Manager for EMEA Distributors spoke about the positive relations that exist between BDI as well as NIKE. “BDI professionalism as well as its ability to act with speed and efficiency have been instrumental in increasing the presence of NIKE in Africa”.

Wouter Van Olm, NIKE Regional Sales Manager Africa, NIKE EMEA, explained how Malta’s strategic geographic location as well as BDI’s strong reach have increased NIKE’s distribution within a challenging continent. “The comprehensive knowledge of operating within the African region, as well as the Group’s tenacity and ability to employ the right Marketing strategy, understand cultural sensitivities and select the right partners within the different territories, has helped NIKE to perform positively in the African region”

About Hudson Group

Hudson Group is an international retailer and distributor primarily involved in the sport and fashion wear sectors. The Group’s head office is located in Malta but is also present through offices in Italy, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Though Hudson Holdings was founded in 2006, the Group’s roots reach as far back as 1987 when the first pair of NIKE was sold in Malta.

Local Presence

In Malta, Hudson Group is the leading retailer and distributor of sportswear products. We represent numerous sport brands such as NIKE, Converse, Timberland, Crocs, Eastpak, New Era plus franchisees of GoSport from France. We also own our own franchise concepts, Urban Jungle and House of Sport, across the Maltese Islands. In the fashion world we serve the fast fashion market in Malta through New Look, River Island, United Colors of Benetton, 3INA and Kiabi, making us one of the leading fashion retailers locally. We use Malta as our training ground to launch brands and franchises, test them, get to know how they work and then take them internationally.

International Presence

Internationally, the Group currently has a direct retail presence in European and African countries as well as a distribution base covering over 30 territories. Urban Jungle, our own home grown sneaker store, has been taken internationally across European and North African cities. This sneaker store concept is present in top cities (www.urbanjunglestore.it) including Milan, Rome, Torino, Naples as well as in Madrid, Paris & Casablanca, amongst others. 29 open to date. In Africa within the retail sector, we are present in Morocco through NIKE stores and distribution, Urban Jungle stores and Tommy Hilfiger mono brand stores and are the distributors for NIKE in 28 Africa countries. These are served from our logistic hub in Malta and through our in country offices. We also undertake the distribution of other brands, mainly in the sportswear sector such Converse for parts of Africa with a current focus on the North African countries. Recently the Group has become the master franchisee of New Look for Tunisia and has opened a New Look store in Tunis through a local partner. This is the first step towards taking fashion franchises to Africa, outside Libya where the Group was previously significantly represented. The Group is in the process of establishing retail presence in Algeria and developing further its distribution in Sub Saharan Africa.

Brand & Franchise List

The Brands and Franchises handled by Hudson Group and its partners either internationally or locally or both include: NIKE, Converse, River Island, New Look, United Colors of Benetton, Timberland, 3INA, Crocs, Kiabi, Tommy Hilfiger, GoSport, Urban Jungle.