Genesis of firm

The company Brzezicki & Siess – administrator of the trademark Five O'Clock – commenced business activities in 1994. The company was established by the following: Magdalena and Marek Brzezicki and Bartosz Siess, and was separated from a trading firm of the sector B2B–EIH Marek Brzezicki into one specializing in the importing and distribution of high quality tea and coffee. The experience gained beforehand led to the decision to develop activities in Lublin and Legnica where the first retail stores of the copyright trademark Five O'clock were opened. Since that time, the activity of the organization which is currently operating in the role of a coordinator in the supply chain has concentrated on the following: designing, marketing (including branding activities) and direct sales of products bearing the trademark Five O'Clock. As stated by one of the initiators of the trademark, Bartosz Siess,“Chcieliśmy stworzyć miejsce, gdzie z herbatą harmonizuje atmosfera. Znane do tej pory koncepty były, w moim odczuciu, niewystarczające. Brakowało w nich syntezy i prostoty (We wanted to create a place where the atmosphere is harmonized with tea. The well-known concepts up to that point had been, in my opinion, insufficient. There was no synthesis or simplicity in them).”

In designing the identity of the trademark Five O'Clock, it was decided to go with a minimalistic, yet elegant and rather nostalgic image by evoking the once cultivated custom of tea-time of Great Britain – afternoon meetings with a cup of good tea.

Domain, competition and market position

The development of the trademark based on the network of authorized sales and exclusive distribution accelerated following the signing of several longterm agreements for renting premises in shopping malls. The retail stores of Five O'Clock which were formed in chronological order are as follows: M1, Poznań (1998), Janki, Warszawa (1999), Galeria Dominikańska, Wrocław (2001), Galeria Łódzka (2003), M1, Kraków (2001), Blue City, Warszawa (2005), Galeria Krakowska (2006), Złote Tarasy, Warszawa (2007), Galeria Bałtycka, Gdańsk (2007), Port, Łódź (2010), Galeria, Rzeszów (2012), Galeria Katowicka (2013), Stary Browar, Poznań (2014).