Petite Amélie creates magical moments for parents and their children
What began for Patrick Miami as a weekend job at V&D turned into a retail career spanning more than thirty years. In 2022, he decided it was time for a change and temporarily moved to Kenya, his partner’s home country. So when a headhunter called him there about “something really exciting in baby and children’s products,” he wasn’t immediately sold. Yet he left Kenya for the opportunity to take Petite Amélie to the next level; the company that “creates timeless children’s rooms and classic toys that inspire.” Exactly two years after taking on the role of CEO at Petite Amélie, Patrick is set to sign a contract designed to help the brand take another major leap forward. "
Why did you decide to start a new adventure in the Netherlands after your time in Kenya?
"In the end, it really comes down to the retail bug I caught during my more than 23 years at V&D. I started there as a weekend assistant and left as Head of Marketing. I was already working there before online shopping even existed - I witnessed the entire rise of e-commerce and helped build the V&D web shop. That’s where my interest in e-commerce began. What I really enjoy is the game of persuading people to make a purchase from you rather than from a competitor. You use all sorts of tactics in that game. Of course, you need to offer good quality and service, but ultimately, you want to create a strong connection with your brand by striking the right chord in your communication. To do that, you need a deep understanding of why customers, often mothers or expectant mothers, in our case, choose you. What also appealed to me was the freedom to help build a company almost from the ground up, that's a unique opportunity. But what truly sealed the deal was my first meeting with Joanna, the founder of Petite Amélie. We immediately clicked and both saw just how much potential the company still has."
"During the pandemic, the company experienced a huge surge: everything was closed, but babies were still being born and nurseries still needed furnishing. They were overwhelmed by demand, which made them realise they needed help to take the company to the next level. That’s when they sold the business to private equity firm Mentha, who later brought me on board. Joanna remains closely involved with Petite Amélie and is still responsible for new product development. But together, we recognised the need for a new vision and a more professional approach to build the brand further."
How do you go about that in practice?
"Primarily by having a much stronger presence in the market. For a long time, Petite Amélie was quite a modest brand. Marketing was mainly conversion-driven, with ads targeting people already searching for baby room furniture. Nowadays, we’re doing much more to tell our brand story: Why do we do what we do? Why do we care about it? What ideas lie behind our design choices? Petite Amélie is “made by a mum” and “created for imagination” - that’s the message we want to share."
How do you ensure that expectant mothers turn to Petite Amélie for those answers?
"Among other things, through a number of partnerships, for example, with Philips. Their Pregnancy+ app is the most widely used app among expectant mothers. We share informative content through the app, such as: What do you actually need in a baby’s room, and how do you set it up? Why is it so important to stimulate children from a very young age through play? It’s about developing fine motor skills, emotional intelligence, and learning from experiences. That may sound a little lofty, and we don’t talk about all of this everywhere, but it is very much part of our philosophy. At the heart of our mission is the desire to help young parents create magical moments for their children, moments that last a lifetime. And, if I may say so modestly, that approach is working well. In a shrinking market, we’ve continued to grow and have doubled our turnover in the past two years."
Did you protect the Petite Amélie brand, given how important it is for the company’s continued growth?
"In the early years, Petite Amélie didn’t grow particularly fast, but at a certain point you realise that you have something unique and valuable. When you open a physical shop or launch a webshop, it becomes clear that you need to properly protect your wordmark and logo. From the very beginning of Petite Amélie, we’ve worked with NLO, who registered our trademarks. We also have a monitoring subscription in place to keep an eye on potentially conflicting trademark applications. It’s often not even a case of deliberate copying, but if we see other parties trying to register similar marks—such as using the name Amélie for furniture or toys—we take action, with support from NLO. Because our brand is what sets us apart."
What opportunities did you see to take Petite Amélie to the next level?
"Mentha has also acquired Jollein after Petite Amélie; a specialist in baby and toddler products. Over the past few years, we’ve invested a lot of energy in organising the collaboration between the two companies. We’re now ready to expand the portfolio with brands that each have their own place in the journey of parents and their growing children. We continuously review brands to assess whether they fit within our group, though I can’t share much more on that just yet. What I can reveal is that this afternoon we’ll be signing a contract with H&M Home. They have a so-called ‘curated marketplace’ where selected brands are invited to participate. Petite Amélie will soon be their exclusive partner for children's furniture on the H&M Home platform. This will significantly increase our visibility among new customers across Europe. We’re already fairly well-known in the Netherlands and France, but there’s still enormous potential in other countries. So this marks a truly important step forward in Petite Amélie’s journey."
Do you also protect the designs you bring to market?
"We include clauses in our contracts with suppliers stating that they are not allowed to use elements of our designs in products they supply to others, such as a specific colour used in one of our cots. If you’re successful with your designs in our world, people start to watch you and imitate you, that’s just how it goes. I always take it as a compliment. Then it’s up to us to stay one step ahead. This is a game of innovation. Every year, you have to introduce something new, a new style, new colours, new shapes, and think carefully about how to give it a distinctive identity. When it’s clear that another party is infringing, we’ve successfully relied on copyright and unregistered design rights so far. Beyond that, we place a strong emphasis on protecting our products by building a strong brand."
