Titus (company)
| Titus GmbH
|
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|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Company with limited liability |
| founding | 1978 |
| Seat |
Munster , Germany
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| management | Julius Dittmann, Brigitta Dittmann |
| Website | www.titus.de |
The Titus GmbH is a German company with headquarters in Münster , which Skateboards sells accessories and clothing. The company is closely linked to the history of skateboarding in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and all of Europe.
Development of the company, business areas
The company goes back to the activities of Titus Dittmann , a pioneer of the German skateboard scene, at the end of the 1970s . Titus Dittmann moved to Münster to study in 1971. In 1978 he began his legal clerkship at the Wilhelm-Hittorf-Gymnasium . Fascinated by the new US trend sport of skateboarding , he started a skateboard club with his students. His thesis dealt with the topic “Skateboarding in school sports lessons?”.
Since it was difficult to get skateboards in Europe at that time - skateboarding was still quite unknown - Dittmann bought skateboards and skateboarding utensils for himself and his friends in California . So the basic idea of an import and mail order business was born. In 1978 Dittmann's wife Brigitta Dittmann applied for a travel trade license because Dittmann, as a teacher at the time, was not allowed to apply for a trade license. She was also the official operator of the Titus skateboard trade . Titus Rollsport was the first small shop in a Munster cellar, and at the same time one of the first skate shops in Europe.
After a while it became too expensive for Dittmann to get the skateboard material from the USA. He and his friends Claus Grabke and Florian Böhm built a board press for their own skateboard production. They tested different types of wood and model shapes until they achieved the first useful results. Dittmann was also a pioneer in the field of graphics. They gave the pro skaters and teams the opportunity to create their own designs for their boards. The efforts to produce skateboards in Germany, however, stopped the three later. In 1987 Titus Dittmann founded Titus Sport + Mode Handels GmbH together with his wife .
In the late 1980s , the skate boom subsided. Many companies that had established themselves in the skate scene went bankrupt and broke up. Dittmann managed to keep his skateboard company and pro team. In the early 1990s, the then editor-in-chief of Monster Skateboard Magazine , Jens Schnabel , joined the “Titus Skates Show Team” to design new boards with him. They wanted to be a counterpart to the big US skate companies. The boards sold well in Germany and Europe, and also in the USA. In 1992 Dittmann founded Titus GmbH .
In 1994, Dittmann decided to expand the wholesale business into a branched company network that focused more on retail, mail order and franchising . He also founded media and event agencies and built up joint ventures for logistics and IT systems. In 2002 Titus AG operated 30 stores nationwide, employed around 500 people and, according to its own statements, achieved an annual turnover of 75 million euros. In the same year the Titus AG got into an existential crisis.
In 2007 Dittmann managed to reorganize Titus AG. He bought back the company, which had meanwhile been under bank control, and took over the operational management again. It was renamed “Titus Dittmann GmbH” and later “Dittmann GmbH”. All other companies of the group of companies were merged into "Titus Mailorder GmbH", which was later renamed "titus GmbH". In 2008 the company consisted of 85 employees, two premium spaces, four outlets , 28 franchise stores and mail order in Germany and other German-speaking countries.
In the summer of 2009, Titus Dittmann and Julius Dittmann completed a generation change at titus GmbH. Since then, Julius Dittmann has been managing the company in partnership with Peter Vincent Schulz and Brigitta Dittmann.
Julius Dittmann brought a new focus on "skateboarding" into the company and was responsible for a relaunch of the Titus online shop in 2011. In addition to the introduction of new filter options, 360-degree views of shoes and axles and detailed article texts, the topic of "mobile" and "tablet" taken into account.
As of February 2017, the company consisted of 17 retail branches, four outlets and 15 franchise areas. The online shop has been available in French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian since the beginning of 2014.
Other corporate activities
Print media
Since titus GmbH was founded, print media such as the Titus Magalog have been produced in-house.
The Titus Magalog was published up to 9 times a year and was last published twice a year. It contained a shopping section, in which the latest skateboard products could be viewed and ordered, and an editorial section including a gossip section, in which the latest news from the skateboarding scene, reports, interviews and the like could be found. In addition, special magalogues, for example for the Christmas season, were produced.
Since spring 2013, Titus GmbH has been producing the print medium “Brettkollegen”, which appears four times a year. This further form of the magalog arose from the YouTube video format of the same name and contains tour reports, portraits, interviews and news on current events in the skateboarding world. In addition, current products from the skateboard hardware sector will be presented again. The magazine is sent free of charge to skateboard customers and distributed via the Titus shops, skate halls throughout Germany and various events.
In addition, Titus GmbH regularly produces professional information and entertainment print media such as the skateboard guide and the longboard guide.
Video productions
In addition to trading, the Titus company acts as a media house and develops skateboard videos - in earlier times on VHS, later online on the Titus YouTube channel. The known formats include B. Trick tips, fellow board members, skateboard guides and the Team Titus tour videos. When the team riders travel, they create tour clips in destinations such as Dubai, Bali, Vietnam, Israel or Istanbul.
Titus co-produced Sebastian Linda's skateboard documentary "The Journey Of The Beasts". The video, which documents the journey of the "Beasts" through Bali, was published in 2014 on Titus Youtube Channel and Vimeo and immediately became Vimeo's "Staff Pick." "The Journey Of The Beasts" is at the Web Awards 2015 in the category " Best Video Of The Year "and" Best Sports Video of the Year "nominated.
Titus TV
Titus TV was a television show that was all about skateboarding. In each episode, professional skateboarders were presented and events reported on which played typical skateboard music. The show was produced by the Titus Mailorder company, the producers Torsten Frank and Michael Rathgeb were responsible for the technical implementation of the first season, the second season was realized by the Piratelove and Tonix Pictures agency. The first season from June 15, 2005 was moderated by Claus Grabke . The long-time skateboard journalist and presenter David Luther has been moderating since 23 August 2006 . The format was broadcast on the music channel MTV.
Titus team driver
Titus supports skateboarders from Germany and Europe. The professional team riders of Team Titus include Jost Arens , Markus Blessing , Jeremy Reinhard , Patrick Rogalski , Yannick Schall , and Vladik Scholz .
In addition, Titus GmbH supports over 120 other team drivers through its Titus Shops. Once a year there is a big meeting of all team drivers at the “Battle Of The Shops”.
The Lites Trucks (Titus skateboard trucks) team currently includes Martin Huppertz , Justin Sommer , Giorgi Balkhamishvili , Konrad Waldmann and Wanja Bach . (As of May 2015) The Titus Tornados (Titus Ball Bearing) team includes other talented drivers from Germany and Europe.
Collaborations
Titus regularly develops joint products or collaborations with other labels from the skateboard industry. In addition to collaborations with adidas Skateboarding , Almost Skateboards , Antiz Skateboards , Bones Wheels , Cliché Skateboards , enjoi Skateboards , C1RCA Shoes , Ravenol , Theeve Trucks and Venture Trucks for joint collections or products, there were also exclusive collaborations with bands such as the Suicidal Tendencies .
Contests
Titus GmbH is also active in the area of skateboard contests. The Monster Mastership (world championship in skateboarding) was held in Münster for a long time and titus GmbH supports the COS Cup (official German skateboard championship). The Titus Locals Only Competition (official German amateur championship in skateboarding) is held at all Titus locations by the Titus Shops. Competitions such as the Mystic Cup and the Malmö Ultra Bowl are also supported on a European level.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Skateboarding becomes academic , zeit.de, accessed on October 16, 2012
- ↑ a b c d Titus Dittmann: Der Extreme ( Memento from April 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), career guide, Bettina Blaß, November 6, 2008
- ↑ Portraits - The Old Man and the Board , 2001
- ^ Team Titus. (undated). Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.titus.de/blog/teams/team-titus/
- ↑ TITUS Ravenol Bearing Fluid. Retrieved April 23, 2020 .