New EVP in Purchasing wants to optimise what makes JYSK unique

A great offer, competent service and Scandinavian designs are among the things that according to the new EVP in JYSK’s purchasing department give JYSK a strong position in the market.

After five years as CEO of SENG, Martin Amstrup Bang returned to JYSK in February 2023 to officially take over the post as Executive Vice President (EVP) in Purchasing as of 1 September 2023.

"I have been part of JYSK half of my life, so when I returned after five years, it felt a bit like coming home," says 46-year-old Martin Amstrup Bang.

He first walked through the doors at JYSK’s Head Office in 2001, where he started as Assistant in Purchasing. Apart from a short stopover at the Danish DIY retailer Silvan, in 2006, his career has unfolded at JYSK until 2018, when he became CEO of SENG, which like JYSK is part of Lars Larsen Group.

Setting the direction

Martin Amstrup Bang looks forward to heading up the purchasing department and at the same time having an impact on JYSK's overall direction in his role as EVP.

"I am looking forward to creating results in collaboration with my colleagues and also to influencing the overall direction. It is a new and broader role for me at JYSK, but I can draw on my previous experience both from Purchasing at JYSK and CEO at SENG,” he says.

One of the first tasks is to establish a so-called new normal in the purchasing department.

"It has been turbulent years with the coronavirus, inflation and war making it more difficult to control the flow of goods and prices than what we have been used to. Now our focus must be on creating strong collaborations across the entire department based on a new baseline,” says Martin Amstrup Bang.

JYSK is the optimal combination

Low prices and great offers are fundamental in JYSK. On top of that, according to the new EVP, it is the combination of a great offer, advising customers and our Scandinavian-inspired products and culture that makes JYSK really strong and offers a unique position in the market.

“It is an optimal combination, and we must continue to optimise both quality and aesthetics and bring a premium context into JYSK – turn up the wauv effecta bit more. It is the combination that makes us unique and hard for competitors to disrupt. We offer an entire store experience, not just low-priced products,” says Martin Amstrup Bang.

He highlights the change that has taken place within JYSK’s Homeware product category as an example of the development he would like to support and improve further.

"There has been a movement at JYSK from mainly offering user-oriented products to representing Scandinavian design and decoration more. The exposure of products has also become different. We put focus on different themes, the products are unpacked and arranged neatly. The price of the items is the same, but we changed the focus to include more aesthetic aspects and not just practical. This we must cultivate," he says.

Sustainability must be embraced

Most sustainability initiatives in relation to JYSK’s products and supply chain are anchored in the purchasing department, and like in the rest of JYSK, there is a large focus on this area.

"I don't see sustainability or the related legislation as a burden. We must embrace it. JYSK is a large and responsible player – of course we deliver what is expected of us. At the same time, I also believe that it is the right thing to do ethically and commercially. We must be proactive, among other things, by building robust systems that can handle data from our supply chain. Data management is important, because we need to be able to document in every respect - and we have a lot of data in Purchasing," says Martin Amstrup Bang.

About Martin Amstrup Bang

• Born in Hjørring in Northern Jutland, Denmark, in 1977.
• Lives in the suburb of Aarhus, Skåde, with his wife, Anne Mette, who also works at JYSK, where the couple also met. Together they have two boys aged 10 and 12.
• Martin Amstrup Bang describes himself as a family person. As a professional, he highlights meticulous, ambitious, and commercial as characteristics.
  

Career

• 2023: Executive Vice President, Purchasing, JYSK
• 2018: CEO, SENG
• 2013: Purchasing Director, Indoor & Outdoor furniture and homeware, JYSK
• 2006: Regional Head of Sales, JYSK
• 2006: Category Manager, SILVAN
• 2003: Category Manager, JYSK
• 2001: Purchasing Assistant, JYSK
• 1998: Sales & Marketing Coordinator, AL-KE