For Tapestry, the US-based parent company of luxury brands Coach and Kate Spade, long-term collaboration has been the foundation of logistics resilience. Over nearly a decade, its partnership with Bleckmann has consistently combined operational excellence with strategic agility. In this episode of Beyond Threads, host Erik Janssen Steenberg is joined by Peter Schreuder, Senior Director for Fulfilment and Supply Chain at Tapestry, and Ruud Mars, Business Development at Bleckmann. They discuss why collaboration, adaptability and shared accountability are key to resilience in logistics.
Press play on the Beyond Threads podcast to hear how a decade-long collaboration between Bleckmann and Tapestry has turned logistics into a true platform for growth.
Building a European presence: From distribution to direct operations
Tapestry’s expansion into Europe offers a clear example of how strategic logistics partnerships enable sustainable international growth. Until 2013, the company relied on a distribution model to reach European markets. When the business decided to go direct – establishing its own inventory and fulfilment operations – it needed a logistics partner capable of supporting a multi-brand, omnichannel strategy at scale.
“We moved from a distributor model to building our own inventory and fulfilment organisation in Europe,” recalls Peter. “That decision required an agile partner who could support stores, wholesale and e-commerce seamlessly.” Following a competitive RFP process, Tapestry selected Bleckmann as its partner of choice. It was the beginning of a long and productive relationship, built on agility, close collaboration and innovation.
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Navigating disruption: Agile responses to challenging times
The past decade has tested even the most established supply chains, with events such as Brexit and COVID-19 putting cross-border logistics operations under significant pressure. For Tapestry, disruptions such as these have reinforced the importance of an agile, well-coordinated logistics partnership. “Brexit changed everything,” recalls Peter. “UK cross-border traffic suddenly required customs formalities, which slowed speed to market. Some third-party carriers even stopped UK work.”
In response, Bleckmann and Tapestry rapidly implemented a dual-warehouse model – one serving the UK, the other mainland Europe – reducing customs friction and improving local delivery performance. When COVID-19 later hit global transport networks, the two companies again acted quickly, rerouting shipments and adapting capacity to maintain customer service levels. What could have been a period of disruption instead became proof of the partnership’s robustness and responsiveness.
Future-proofing through technology, integration and communication
Looking ahead, both teams see data integration and communication as essential to long-term logistics resilience. The focus is on continually improving the integration of systems and tracking capabilities so that performance data feeds into a single, end-to-end view. “We’re working on improved integration and better tracking capabilities with platforms that feed into our end-to-end dashboards,” says Peter. “It’s about combining transport data with our own dashboards to measure and improve the customer journey.”
This shared focus on visibility and integration reflects the essence of the partnership itself: continuous improvement through collaboration. By combining advanced technology with open communication, we’re building the foundation for a supply chain that not only prioritises operational efficiency but can also adapt to whatever comes next. As the fashion industry faces ever greater complexity, our experience with Tapestry offers a clear lesson for all fashion and lifestyle brands: resilience begins with partnership.
Press play on the Beyond Threads podcast to hear the full discussion and learn about the importance of a robust and resilient logistics partnership in securing long-term growth.
