Kaufmann + .legal: A Case of Compliance Love

Background

Axel Kaufmann ApS is a well-established company specialising in men's fashion. With more than 100 years of experience, the company has navigated numerous changes in legislation and regulation.

With approximately 350 employees across administrative roles and retail positions, Kaufmann required an efficient solution to manage GDPR compliance and ensure a structured approach to data management. Since March 2024, they have been using the .legal platform to handle this effectively.

How did Kaufmann approach compliance before .legal?

Before partnering with .legal, Kaufmann explored various approaches to compliance. At the beginning of their compliance journey, they sought assistance from external partners. While this provided a solid understanding of GDPR requirements, they lacked a system to support the continuous process of maintaining GDPR compliance.

Seeking greater structure and oversight, Kaufmann attempted to develop an internal manual system to manage documentation and task management. However, this approach proved both time-consuming and complex, introducing unnecessary risks in their GDPR compliance efforts. You can read more here about how compliance in software differs from spreadsheet-based approaches.

Kaufmann explored the market for software platforms and was introduced to .legal, which was still in development at the time. Although they initially opted for another "plug and play" solution, they continued to follow .legal’s progress.

"However, .legal was always in the back of our minds, and we kept in touch them and followed their further development", says Julie Lundkvist Andreasen, Lawyer and Head of Customer Service at Axel Kaufmann ApS.

Their previously chosen solution, designed for multiple industries, lacked the flexibility and functionality needed to meet their specific requirements. Over time, it became clear that .legal could offer a solution better suited to both their industry and their unique needs.

Product Selection and Onboarding Process

Kaufmann has implemented .legal’s Data Protection Module, which serves as a tool for documenting and managing the company’s processing of personal data. The platform’s flexibility ensures that Kaufmann can handle compliance efficiently while continuously evolving to align with legislation and customer needs.

To gain a thorough understanding of the platform, Kaufmann chose to manage most of the onboarding process themselves. With support from .legal’s team, any challenges were quickly resolved, and the implementation was completed within a few months. This has made GDPR compliance a natural part of the company’s daily operations.

Read more about how the Data Protection Module can support your compliance efforts.

Collaboration with Colleagues

A key feature of the .legal platform is its ability to facilitate collaboration across teams, allowing colleagues to assign responsibilities and maintain an overview of tasks essential for ensuring GDPR compliance.

"This makes the distribution of responsibility and collaboration between colleagues transparent and efficient," says Julie Lundkvist Andreasen, Lawyer and Head of Customer Service at Axel Kaufmann ApS.

With clear responsibility allocations and individual task lists, team members can better plan their time and ensure deadlines are met without delays. Kaufmann has structured their GDPR work into four main areas, each with designated responsible persons. The platform’s flexibility allows each individual to access only the relevant material, creating a more organised and manageable working environment.

The Platform’s Impact on Work

The implementation of .legal has brought several significant improvements for Kaufmann. The platform keeps track of deadlines and sends reminders, saving time in planning. All GDPR-related work and documentation are centralised in one place, making it easy to find and update information. Additionally, the system highlights any gaps in compliance efforts, ensuring they can be addressed promptly.

A key strength of .legal is its intuitive design, which makes it easy to resume work, even for employees who do not deal with GDPR daily. Moreover, Kaufmann has experienced direct cost savings due to the platform’s efficiency—during the onboarding process, several unnecessary systems were identified and phased out, leading to financial savings.

All Roads Lead to Rome — Most of the Time...

The case of Axel Kaufmann ApS is a great example of how companies and corporations can approach GDPR compliance requirements. Testing solutions with partners or evaluating internal systems can provide valuable insights into which parameters are most important for the business. This approach helps ensure the right decision is made—and Julie from Kaufmann can elaborate on that:

“.legal has created a fantastic platform that makes GDPR work far more manageable ... They continuously update the platform to ensure their customers always remain compliant. In our view, any other choice would be a downgrade”