In selecting our sales partners, we are guided by the following question: Which sales partners represent a sensible investment in the future for Sompex and its brands, measured by the degree of professionalism and performance in various areas?

Compliance with the following minimum criteria is essential for Sompex:

1. The business model of the distribution partner is focused on high-quality products. The distribution partner presents Sompex products and its brands in accordance with the brand's target image, i.e. it ensures a high-quality brand environment. The scope and quality of the presentation of the products must not fall short of the presentation of other brands.
2. The sales partner and his sales staff must be sufficiently qualified and trained in the area of lighting/accessories in order to be able to advise his customers professionally and competently.
   
   Sompex offers its sales partners qualified training in this regard, which the sales partner can take advantage of proactively. These are carried out by the respective sales force or the specialist department at Sompex, either on site or via video conferences.
   
   In addition, training courses in our showroom are also available. In future, explanatory videos will also be made available to the sales partner. This applies in particular to new products.
3. The sales partner must have a representative, stationary shop and/or a representative online shop that does justice to the sophisticated design of the respective product lines and the qualitative image of the Sompex products or brands. The shop must have an appropriate display window area or other appropriate presentation area in which the goods are presented in a high-quality manner.
4. The sales partner must ensure that it always stocks a representative range of Sompex products and its brands. In order to be able to react flexibly to customer demand throughout the respective season, the sales partner must have sufficient stock or an EDI connection to the Sompex systems (subject to a charge).
5. The sales partner will always handle product complaints and warranty cases towards the customer in a friendly and service-oriented manner.
6. In the event that products are taken back, the sales partner shall ensure through extensive inspection of the products concerned that no damaged or otherwise defective products are placed on the market again. Goods that show signs of use may be resold provided that they are labelled as "B" goods and the sale of such products does not constitute the core business of the Distributor.
7. The sales partner undertakes to refrain from making misleading statements as well as lurid and/or puffery-like statements in advertising materials or in sales. The sales partner also undertakes to ensure in its entire communication and external presentation (incl. domains, designations, logos, etc.) that nothing indicates inadequate advice or lack of quality (e.g. by using terms such as "leftover ramp" or "rummage table").
8. The sales partner undertakes to plan sufficient marketing activities. This may take place in the form of window displays, pages in a sales catalogue or flyer, etc. or, in the case of online trading, also via teasers, landing pages, magazines, newsletters or social media campaigns with corresponding links (defined Sompex hashtags).
9. The sales partner may not use any marks that can be confused with Sompex's protected marks and/or use marks that are suitable for disparaging or denigrating Sompex's protected marks and the contractual products. The sales partner may also not advertise and/or offer products of third parties which are marked with such marks and/or which in their design interfere with other property rights of Sompex (in particular: copyrights and design rights).
10. The sales partner must ensure that brands, in particular the licensed brands, are displayed in a certain breadth and brand competence. Sompex shall provide appropriate POS material.
11. If an online shop exists or is newly opened, the criteria for online retailers also apply.

Additional criteria for sales partners - online trade

For online trade with our products, the following additional minimum criteria apply:

1. The sales partner must be able to ensure fast delivery of ordered goods (usually within two to three working days).
2. Enquiries from end customers regarding the order, delivery and other contract processing (right of withdrawal, complaints, etc.) must be answered immediately (i.e. usually within a maximum of three hours during normal business hours, but no later than the following working day).
3. The sales partner shall ensure that the webshop is assigned to him as operator. The domain name under which the web shop/website is maintained may not contain the brand names of Sompex. This applies equally to so-called "landing pages" which are used by the sales partner for the purposes of online advertising, search engine optimisation, etc. The domain name under which the web shop/website is maintained must not contain the brand names of Sompex. The domain name used by the sales partner must be selected in such a way that there is no risk of disparaging or reducing the premium image of the products.
4. In addition, the websites used by the sales partner must contain, as a minimum standard, a clear navigation structure, a search function, a customer-friendly "help" function (with information, in particular, on personal consultation options, information on the return of defective products, shipping conditions and payment modalities), a common type of order processing (in particular, a "shopping cart" view with the possibility of checking and making changes) as well as SSL encryption or other security for order processing.
5. The web shop corresponds to a contemporary standard with regard to its visual perception as well as its technical design. This requires in particular an appealing and professional graphic design as well as a sufficiently clear presentation of the page contents, e.g. through a clearly visible web shop menu. Within the web shop menu, the sales partner will offer end consumers a categorisation of his range of products according to brands, area of use, etc. and price ranges.
6. For the brands from Sompex, the sales partner must create a corresponding brand appearance per brand after obtaining the approval of the brand owner or licensee. The brand presence must comply with the specifications of the brand owner as well as have a corresponding product range in depth and breadth.
7. The distributor must have a predominantly positive evaluation profile. Customer satisfaction can be proven either by independent rating portals (Trusted Shops, Trustami, etc.) or by Google reviews of actual transactions.
8. The sales partner is not permitted to sell products of Sompex incl. its licence partners via so-called third-party platforms (such as Amazon, Ebay, Kaufland, Otto in Germany and abroad and similar) in addition to its own online shop.

In addition, the following criteria are important for Sompex:

1. The sales partner must ensure easy accessibility for customers with questions about products, requests for advice, etc. and ensure a prompt response. This can be done via telephone, chat or WhatsApp. Outside regular business hours, it must be ensured that the enquiring end customers can leave a voice message and/or an e-mail with a support request or call-back request. The Distributor shall respond to such requests as soon as possible, at the latest by the end of the following business day.
2. The sales partner must offer its customers several secure payment options free of charge, such as PayPal, Amazon Pay, credit card payment, purchase on account and similar.
3. The sales partner should integrate the following components in the service area of its web shop: FAQ, information on availability of spare parts.
4. The sales partner also undertakes to provide a server for its web shop with sufficient storage capacity, broadband connection and adequate response time.
5. The sales partner shall ensure that the corresponding web pages are optimised for the use of standard screen resolutions and browsers. In addition, the web shop must be accessible in a resolution optimised for display on smartphones (responsive design).