Category Archives: Business

Gold ATM Machine

The title sounds a bit weird, but now you can get physical gold bars from an ATM machine instead of cash money. The first gold vending machine that actually spits out gold was presented in (where else) Dubai. But this week I ran in to one in Europe. Now where else than in London, United Kingdom. This is a picture I took of the machine at Westfield London White City Shopping Mall:

GOLD TO GO ATM Machine at Westfield London White City

This surprised me a bit and made me curious if there is a serious business (plan) behind this, or it's just a good marketing stunt?!

The company that created these gold vending machines is: Gold to Go. And, they seem very professional and serious...

This is what they write on their homepage:

"A simple and brilliant principle: put your money in and pick your gold!

The GOLD to go™ vending machine is an unmanned point of sale. It offers an extraordinary opportunity to purchase gold bars and coins of assured quality, backed by the security of a Swabian Fort Knox® and with the ease-of-use of a vending machine. Prices are updated in real-time. The GOLD to go™ gold vending machine is largely burglar-proof and tamper-resistant. It has an excellent user guidance, which makes it very easy to handle.

geschenkbox-krugerrandIn the standard version, our GOLD to go™ ATM’s are equipped with the following products (alternative product portfolio is possible, depending on the requirements of the respective location):

Gold Bars 1 gram, 5 gram, 10 gram and 1 ounce

Krugerrand 1/10 ounce, 1/4 ounce and 1 ounce

Kangaroo 1/10 ounce ($15) and 1 ounce ($100)

Maple Leaf 1/10 ounce ($5)

All these come in a precious gift box."

Today, there are already 27 ATM machines installed: 15 in Germany, 8 in The UAE, 2 in Italy and one each in The USA and The UK.

 

World's First Watch & Shoe Pop-Up Store

As you know I love retail, I love watches and I love fashion. One of my favorite shoe manufacturers is the Italian firm: Santoni. This year IWC and Santoni teamed up and the new IWC Portofino watch collection will be supplied with handmade Santoni watch straps. Great synergy and two brands adding value.

Since 2003 Ace Jewelers has an annual IWC Novelty Show in one of ours stores. We are always the first retailer in The Netherlands to present the new IWC show collections, as soon as it has been released by the headquarters in Schaffhausen. So, this year  I came up with the idea  to do really something new and innovative. A new retail concept: we transformed our store, Ace & Dik Jewelers, in to the first watch & shoe pop-up store in the world. For two days Ace & Dik became: The IWC & Santoni Pop-Up Store. See the video for the result:

For pictures, please visit Ace Jewelers Facebook Fan Page: www.ace.am/facebook

 

Alon the SpeedCoach

In case you are a (starting) entrepreneur or wish to become one, keep on reading...

On the 20th of October, 2010, the non-profit foundation Suikeroom, will organize the second event this year: DURFkapitaal. This event is meant for (starting) entrepreneurs that are seeking advice and/or funding. Not only can you do an elevator pitch to win a prize, but also have SpeedDates with investors or coaches... Like me 😉

For English readers, please call Suikeroom via: +31 (0)20-670 71 32 or visit: www.suikeroom.org

For alle Nederlandse ondernemers (in spe), investeerders en geintereseerden:

Wegens groot succes organiseert Stichting Suikeroom op woensdag 20 oktober 2010 voor de tweede keer dit jaar het DURFkapitaal evenement in de Garage Notweg te Amsterdam West. Het programma loopt van 15:30-20:00 uur en deelname is gratis.

Het doel van het evenement is om bezoekers te informeren over durfkapitaal en (startende) ondernemers en investeerders met elkaar in contact te brengen. Ondernemers kunnen ‘speeddaten' met specialisten op het gebied van durfkapitaal en investeerders. Er is een informatiemarkt, er komen interessante sprekers en tijdens de onderbrekingen en het heerlijke diner zijn er volop ‘netwerkmomenten' aanwezig.

Een aantal ondernemers krijgen tijdens het evenement de unieke kans om hun businessplan te presenteren tegenover een vakkundige jury en investeerders.

Ben jij die gedreven (startende) ondernemer naar wie Stichting Suikeroom op zoek is?

Wellicht wil je, net als ik, op andere manier een bijdrage leveren aan het succes van dit evenement? Zo ja, dan zijn Speedcoaches, investeerders, informatiestandhouders, sponsoren of andere geïnteresseerden uiteraard ook meer dan welkom en kunnen zich net als (startende) ondernemers via bovenstaande button aanmelden.

Hoop veel geintereerden te zien op woensdag 20 oktober 2010!

Voor additionele informatie: www.suikeroom.org

 

Ace Jewelers eCommerce Cross-Channel Strategy

As you might know I am a great fan of everything related to Internet, eCommerce, mCommerce and social media. For our family business, Ace Jewelers, I had the honour to set up our fourth store in 2008: Ace eBoutique. This was the first website in The Netherlands of a luxury jeweler that started selling online. Every since we had a lot of media coverage. Just want to share the newest pic and articles (in Dutch) with you:

Photo shoot by Suzanne Dorrestein of me at Ace & Dik Jewelers for trade magazine Edelmetaal.
Photo shoot by Suzanne Dorrestein of me at Ace & Dik Jewelers for trade magazine Edelmetaal.

Europa Star (Interview about Augmented Reality - PDF in English)

Edelmetaal (Interview about eCommerce - PDF in Dutch)

00/24 Horloges Magazine (Interview about eCommerce - PDF in Dutch)