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~ Ranpak ~

OMODA:

PASSION

FOR SHOES

Text: Jeroen Leenders, Nico Hoeijmans // Photos: Omoda

Back in 1875, the grandfather of the founders of Omoda worked in the shoe business. As a
shoemaker in Burgh, the Netherlands, he offered a home delivery service… by horse. His
passion for shoes was passed down through generations and, in 1961, Lourus Jan Verton and
his wife opened the first predecessor to Omoda. The popularity of the store rose due to the

large collection of branded shoes and excellent service. In the decades that followed, both
sons of the Verton family entered the business, opening up new shops and starting the family
business. In 2000, the brand was established and the Omoda concept was launched. By 2007,
Omoda entered the online market. It also crossed borders and began selling abroad for the
first time. Jan Baan, Chief Operating Officer at Omoda, talks to us about what it is like to
grow a family business and offers some interesting insights into their vision of e-commerce.

fresh perspective can look at all business processes with a fresh perspective. To
Baan, the son-in-law of one of the founders, started be a part of that is great. ‘Taking over the daily management
A at Omoda in 2017 with his wife. While it was gave our founders more time to do what they are good at:
unclear what his job exactly would involve at the beginning, focusing on creating a very strong and attractive Omoda-
he was enthusiastic to start in the family business. ‘I am a collection.
man who likes to look at things from a bird’s-eye perspective
and meddle with a lot of ongoing processes in a company. Omoda-collection
That is why I supported the founders of Omoda. From What does a typical Omoda-collection look like? ‘It means
the start, it was like jumping onto a highspeed train. The we do not offer just any shoe on our platform. We position
company was evolving at rapid speed and, despite being ourselves as a specialist in shoes. Compared to Zalando, for
only 26, I rapidly grew into my current position as COO.’ example, who offers any shoe they can, we say ‘no’ to a lot
It means Baan is responsible for daily management of the of shoes and brands that we feel do not fit our image and
company, whether it is in marketing, e-commerce, logistics, collection,’ says Baan.
HR, finance, customer service, or IT. ‘Having this job at my
age can be challenging, as you have to manage people who Baan explains the Omoda vision by making a comparison
have been working at the business for many more years, and between grocers and supermarkets. ‘When looking at the market
are specialised in what they do. However, it is extremely of shoes, there are basically two kinds of sellers. On the one hand
rewarding to see the opportunities that are available when you you have supermarkets - high-volume, fast selling companies

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