‘Multi-brand strategy will remain in place' - Safmarine

Safmarine has no intention of merging its identity any further with Maersk. According to Safmarine global head of customer experience & brand, Russell Gillespie, the multi-brand strategy remains firmly in place a year after certain Safmarine corporate functions merged with those of its sister brand. “There is no intent to merge any further with Maersk Line and that message is clear, both from our owner, the AP Moller-Maersk Group, and from our own perspective,” he recently told FTW. “We are successful at what we do, our brand is well-known and at the same time, business is growing.” He said differentiating between and maintaining two brands had been a decision taken in 1999 when APM acquired Safmarine. “And it has worked well. Part of the differentiation of the brands has come naturally due to Safmarine being a South African-originated company carrying the South African genes that make it unique and different from its sister brand. On the other hand we have also worked hard to ensure it remains a brand on its own.” He said this was why the corporate restructuring in October last year did not affect the brand as much as people had anticipated it would. “Customers have also continued to want an independent Safmarine brand and therefore we have maintained our independence.” “At the same time we are tapped into the best shipping infrastructure out there which is beneficial to our customers. There is no way we can ever take away the Safmarine brand, but this brand does benefit through its ties with Maersk Line.” Gillespie said it was imperative that a company such as Safmarine continued to expand and grow, as the world did not stand still. “We have to continuously increase our service offerings as competition catches up and the market develops. Best practices are being implemented all the time, so we cannot stand still.” He said this included listening to their customers and attending to the needs identified in that process. CAPTION South African genes make it unique and different from its sister brand.