Case Studies:
A Tale of Two Companies - Miele and Xisource

As the UK remains the number one destination for inward investment in Europe, we talk to two very different clients about their own particular experiences. Miele and Xisource take us through their businesses and offer some advice to 'would be' investors.

Miele, is a long-standing client of Blick Rothenberg with a relationship straddling the generations. Founded in 1899 in Germany it wasn't until 64 years later that they made the decision to come to the UK.

"It became apparent", says UK CEO Michael Jeanes, "that the UK offered Miele an opportunity equal to that of Germany; it was and still is one of the biggest markets for domestic appliances in the world".

Miele is one of the biggest names in the manufacture of domestic appliances, employing some 14,800 staff. The business has gone from strength to strength in recent years and since the appointment of Michael Jeanes as UK CEO, turnover has increased by 150%. Jeanes told us, "We have invested heavily in building a strong brand. We wanted people to know that if they buy a Miele product they can rely on a quality product, hence our motto 'Forever Better'".

One of the first steps Miele took when deciding to come to the UK was to seek the advice of Blick Rothenberg. Back in 1964, Mr Rudolph Miele met with Alfred Homburger and Helmut Rothenberg, (Senior Partner at the time), to discuss his strategy. Mr Homburger recalls, "We helped Miele with all aspects of their UK set up, advising on everything from corporate structure to fiscal requirements. To this day Blick Rothenberg still handles Miele's annual audit and accounts, as well as undertaking special projects as and when needed, allowing them to concentrate fully on their core competencies".

Jeanes is very happy with the relationship. "We have received a great service from Blick Rothenberg over the last 40 years and they continue to help move our business forward by allowing us to concentrate on what we do best."

We're glad to hear it and we're very proud to have been of assistance!

One hundred years on saw the formation of Xisource. Founded in the US in 1999, the desire to be global was inherent from day one and by February 2000, with the help of Blick Rothenberg and in particular BRAL, they had already set up a London office.

UK Director Jason Green recalls, 'We never wanted to be known as a US company. We wanted to be international right from the start and the best way to do this was to establish a presence in Europe as soon as possible. The UK was the obvious choice for us. We had some knowledge and experience of the market and the common language made it an ideal first port of call"

Xisource's range of software solutions is intended to simplify very complex procurement processes for leading companies. Jason Green explains "Today's' leading companies increasingly require specialized services from a growing base of external suppliers in order to focus on core competencies. The Xisource application suite allows these companies to streamline their procurement practices for complex purchases, which strengthens relationships with service providers, turning supplier networks and sourcing into a competitive advantage. Xisource found their 'expansion' to the UK to be a relatively pain free and Green strongly believes that outsourcing their accounting function to BRAL was a major factor in this. "I can honestly say BRAL made the whole operation, from registering the company to handling our entire monthly payroll, easy and stress free".

Xisource admit that they still have a long journey ahead of them, but they are off to a flying start. Business performance is on target and Jason tells me it looks like they will have great news to report soon! We at Blick Rothenberg have every confidence Xisource and Miele will continue to achieve their goals and are looking forward to the next 40 years!