Speaker Jan Bartkowski:

1. What are the company’s main areas of operation?

With pride and yet at the same time without exaggeration we can state that the MND Group – our business child – is maturing and today is among the leaders of the Polish e-commerce market. At the core of the company’s business operations are mail order sales of pharmaceuticals and drugstore products, which can be divided into three primary product categories: medications, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. The demands of the market mean that our product portfolio is regularly updated and expanded, with new categories being added to our assortment: household chemicals, books, and groceries. Our customer service team makes every effort to ensure that the products are always in the TOP 5 of the leading product-comparison shopping engines, such as Ceneo, Allegro, and Opineo.

 

2. How many people are currently employed in the company? How many were employed at the start?

The company has been growing dynamically and its primary resource has been growing just as dynamically – a well-coordinated team. Currently, the number of employees in the MND Group hovers around 50, which is possible thanks to the automation of processes, the optimization of human resources, and the outsourcing of some processes.

 

3. The history of both the company’s formation and growth (when it started, why it was formed, the directions it is developing in, in what locations – Poland/abroad, turning points in the company’s development)

The beginnings of the MND Group can be traced back to 1991, when FHU “MANADA” – a precursor of the brand that focused on the mobile sales of industrial goods – started operations.

The company experienced consistent, sustainable growth and broadened its range of products and sectors while investing in company infrastructure (commercial spaces, warehouses and office facilities). In 2010, we entered the pharmaceutical market after having obtained a concession for running a pharmacy. Currently, the company operates two stationary pharmacies in Działdowo and a pharmacy point.

2016 was a breakthrough year for us, as this is when we launched online sales for health-related products, medications, dietary supplements, cosmetics and medical equipment, dynamically entering the e-commerce market. This turned out to be a spectacular success, a “bullseye,” as it were. In 2017, FHU Manada transformed into the GRUPA MND LLC, thereby undergoing a change in its legal form in light of the expanded scale of both its operations and its portfolio of products and services. In 2018, we added drugstore goods to the mix, and since then our portfolio is constantly expanding. We pride ourselves on the many distinctions we’ve received; the market and customers see our efforts and the quality of the products we offer:

1. Ranked first in the region 3 years in a row by e-Gazele Biznesu (Gazelles of Business)
2. Ranked in the TOP10 of Poland 3 times by Gazele Biznesu (among all companies)
3. According to the largest opinion portal: the third most frequently rated e-store in Poland
4. International distinction by Gazele Biznesu (Lithuania)
5. Internet rankings: Store of the Year, Drugstore of the Year. E-Commerce Rising Star as well as many others … the list goes on. But we are ambitious and we want more more. 😊

 

 

 

 

 

4. How did the COVID-10 pandemic affect company growth?

The pandemic intensified the efforts already underway, both in terms of modernization plans and innovative projects. Health security and pandemic-related risks have made it necessary to accelerate the implementation of projects based on fully automating and roboticizing processes. We do not want to reveal our hand, but we are convinced that we will surprise the market with our bold developmental projects. Can you imagine a fully roboticized warehouse along with AI functionality? We can. 😊

And how exactly did the pandemic affect company growth? Threats always represent opportunities as well. Paradoxically, this terrible time confirms the validity of choosing e-commerce as the main development vector for the company. Business and trade are moving online. And we are already there.

And the risks – chaotic, uncontrolled growth, triggered by skyrocketing demand. Everyone wants to order; we are considering working on a three-shift system. Yet on the other hand, we are sensitive to pandemic-related risks, such as quarantines and lockdowns. An infected person cannot work, and an employee who conceals an active infection can freeze a large part of the team. Automation then becomes a necessity.

 

 

 

5. What are the plans for the company’s growth and operations? Particularly now, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The company is developing intensively, investing in ultra-modern IT, logistics and warehouse solutions in order to make the sales process perfectly customer-friendly. The company also offers fulfillment and other advanced services related to logistics and the e-warehouse process. Currently, we are undertaking foreign expansion projects, we are entering "Europe", ready for fierce competition on the German market. We automate and robotize the technological process. We plan to develop a nationwide network of collection points. Finally, we create a friendly ecosystem for innovation and start-up around the MND Group. The company will be able to provide new technologies with quick market implementation. We look to the future, our perspective is several years, not several months.

 

 

 

6. What growth strategies, management methods, and values are most important for you in running a business?

The measure of success is the joy of our satisfied customers - this is most important to us. There are already several hundred thousand of them, and their number is growing every day. Success can also be measured by the respect of the market - and we are happy about every distinction bestowed upon us. Finally, success can be measured in financial terms. Since its inception, the MND Group's e-commerce turnover has grown no less than 100%, year after year, every year!

 

The plans and ambitions of the MND Group go far beyond the borders of Poland and its own sector.

We think that our future is bright, smart and innovative, with fully automated and roboticized logistics processes, warehouses managed by AI, and neural networks in the service of our clients. The e-commerce market is changing dynamically and only companies that continuously innovate have a chance to develop and gain new customers.

 

However, we do not forget that behind every product, process or sale there is a person, a soul and emotions. Good emotions. After all, the MND Group is a Polish family-owned company, at present a two-generation business, but the third generation of the Bartkowskis is already growing – we hope they will continue the work of their grandparents. It is our great hope that our clients trust us and feel a fondness for us – just like in a family.

 

And our motto? Lately our joke has been: 25/7 – because if the day is too short, there is always the night...