HELMOND, Holland—Raymakers Velvets President Richard Oussoren has fully absorbed the sales responsibilities of Bart van der Meissen in the wake of his departure as sales director last November after six years with the company.

Van der Meissen left Raymakers in order to start a new company called Creative Hobbies Group in Germany which he quickly sold. He is now looking for new opportunities, he says but would prefer an international sales job in the fabrics industry.

Oussoren says he is also handling all sales in Asia, “a growing market for the company.”

“Intertextile was a very busy exhibition for Raymakers. Of course, we have to double check the contacts we have made there which our agent is doing now in order to protect our Chinese customers who have already invested heavily in our velvets.” Raymakers was part of the Proposte exhibit at Intertextile. This is part of Oussoren’s “long term plan to build distribution in this huge market.”  Bart van der Meissen

Richard Oussoren

Aside from handling Asia, Oussoren says he has assumed the role of overall sales manager for Raymakers “together with the general management of the company.”  He says he is free to do this after some big operational projects in the last three years which included the integration of Raymakers’ acquisition of Pile Fabric Dyers in Helmond and the move of British Velvets into a new site in Burnley/UK.

“Regarding our sales organisation, apart from about 21 agents in various countries around the world, we have a sales office of 4 persons. In addition, Raymakers has four Area Sales Managers; Barend Verschuren (northwestern Europe, eastern Europe); Jan Joosten (southern Europe, Middle East, North Africa); Celine DeKort (USA/Canada) and Keith Prytharch. (UK, South America, Australia/New Zealand).