Interview with Managing Director Guido Huber: The Skapetze goals & topics for 2023.

Skapetze Lichtmacher: Mr. Huber, the first quarter of 2023 is almost over. What is your first conclusion?

Guido Huber: Very positive. We have redesigned our showroom for our customers in a unique way and have really put our own brand, s.luce, in the spotlight as the central theme. The first winter in-house exhibition was also very successful, where we were able to celebrate s.luce's anniversary. But we are also on the right track in other areas...!

Skapetze: Which ones would these be?

Huber: Well, our focus is clearly on our s.luce brand. Multi-flame lighting combinations , uniquely configured for the customer. From the number of lights to the type of cable, the s.luce canopies designed by us or the individual lighting control.

We have added many new exciting series to our program and put ready-made sets online, making it even easier for our customers to choose the right one for themselves.

With configurators in the shop, which we are currently working on, it will be even more exciting to design your own dream lamp in the future.

Our managing director and owner Daniel Skapetze is an important pioneer for s.luce as a designer , strategist and source of ideas. It is up to me to successfully manage and coordinate the processes with the leadership (management team, note Skapetze Lichtmacher) and the eleven teams in the company.

"The goal is a self-selling showroom"

Our exhibition is also making great progress in terms of digitalization. Our goal is to make the showroom as self-selling as possible .

From digital price labels that are linked to the shop to operable customer workstations and digital information points, we are currently working on numerous implementations that will lead to maximum integration of online and offline.

"Introduction of new brand strategy since the end of 2022" Skapetze: You already said that s.luce is the focus. The brand is also celebrating a big 20th anniversary in 2023. How will this be celebrated?

Huber: Although you don't celebrate birthdays in advance, in this case we started some groundbreaking changes at the end of 2022. For example, the redesign of the logo and entire brand presence , the internally redefined brand strategy into a fresh and modern exterior that also fits exactly with the modern and forward-looking team, or the ongoing development of new series.

All of this is coming together this year and the great content in the form of photos, videos and animations that is currently being created will be the icing on the cake of the birthday package.

Skapetze: The theme “Become an e-commerce rockstar” was also part of the 2023 winter in-house exhibition. What was meant by this and why was the theme advertised in the first place?

"Employer Skapetze brings everything that comes with being an e-commerce rock star"

Huber: I am convinced that there are very few companies like ours in the region that allow such freedom, self-development and creativity in the job. This is due to the exciting topic of e-commerce, which basically knows no boundaries.

From online lighting planning, international sales via marketplaces, the internationalization of our shop to the creation of new, affordable designer lights. But also our unique togetherness as a team, where everyone pulls together.

To have the opportunity to be part of the whole within this value chain, including home office, a modern workspace and the feeling of a family business, where every opinion counts and every individual can be a spearhead , instead of just a number in the system:

This brings with it everything that comes with being an e-commerce rock star, and we want to appeal to talented young people in the region who are interested in e-commerce and become part of our family . We're not just doing this at the trade fair, but also in general.

Skapetze: What are the goals for the rest of 2023?

Huber: Many of the projects mentioned above have already been initiated, now it's a matter of completing them. We're all impatient because behind every new idea there's already a second or third. But changes also have to be evaluated and important KPIs [key performance indicators, note from Skapetze Lichtmacher] recorded - we need time for that.

We are continuing to expand the s.luce ring series , which continues to be an absolute success factor. We are also launching completely new series that are very easily compatible and usable with one another, based on the s.luce "mix & match" principle , where the "cook" can prepare a wide range of dishes with just a few ingredients. In this way, we use light in a completely creative, resource-saving , sustainable and yet diverse way.

And with a completely new division - I won't reveal the name yet - which at first glance appears to have absolutely nothing to do with light, we are creating an even deeper foundation for our brand s.luce , which not only stands for light, but above all for good taste, beauty and a relaxed feeling of living.

It will be a selection of top European products and something completely different to what we have done before. We are all very excited about it.

Skapetze: Thank you for the interesting conversation!