The promotional products importer and customising company, Premo, has made a name for itself within the Dutch branch with its comprehensive programme of give-aways. And the wide variety of cost-effective, high-quality products with short delivery times is attracting attention beyond the country’s borders.

Almelo lies around 40 km behind the German/Dutch border, a growing city with 70,000 inhabitants in the Twente Region. On its internet page, the community describes itself as being a “busy city with global business in innovative markets,“ that is working on the modernisation of the region with “much enthusiasm and verve“. Exactly the right home for a company like Premo. The company premises of the writing instrument and give-away specialist sized 15,000 m² are located in the “Twente” industry park. The company’s facilities there include two generously sized warehouses and a large customising park. Around 80 employees work there selling, marketing and customising promotional products. The company’s own foundation for disabled people employs a further 40 staff members, who are responsible for picking and packing the promotional products in the adjacent building at the same compound. The company additionally implements a further 140 home workers. A stately size for a company that Gert Santman founded in 1991 as a one-man business at the age of 25. The name Premo stands for Premiums Oldenzaal, where the company was initially based. After relocating the company was renamed Premiums & Promotions.

Harmonious dual leadership

“Originally I was primarily occupied as an agent for Senator writing instruments in BeNeLux, but from the very start I added give-aways predominantly made of plastic as well as cigarette lighters and carrier bags to the product line-up, so that I had a wider selection of items,“ is how Santman explained the company’s line of business in the early days. His business concept paid off. The company has grown continually and thanks to the philosophy of the company founder any profits incurred were immediately invested in the further expansion of the company. The import business became more and more important for Premo. Very early on, Santman got to know Aad Timmerman, a qualified expert of the Far East. “I have been working in the promotional products business for 35 years,“ reported Timmerman. “And I have been travelling to China several times a year for 34 years.“ The business relations between Santman and Timmerman got closer and closer until one day Santman asked Timmerman if he wanted to become a partner in the company. Timmerman accepted the offer and has been Santman‘s partner since 2004, responsible for purchasing and marketing. A dual leadership that obviously harmonises well and which has helped push the growth further.