To the article “What are retailers worried about?”
In my opinion, your article is missing another important point. Years ago, and certainly still today, online shopping is a concern for retailers in city centers, but this has been mitigated and is stabilizing due to various factors.
I am much more concerned about the cooperation and reliability between suppliers and retailers. Last year, Giesswein took the Merino Runner away from retailers out of nowhere. Many retailers had relied on a long collaboration and invested a lot in advertising and warehousing.
This year it is the Birkenstock brand that is withdrawing its products from the majority of retailers out of nowhere and with incomprehensible reasons. Even retailers who meet all of the conditions listed by the brand as reasons for termination will be shown the door. In order to strengthen your own sales and make more profits through direct sales.
These uncertainties and the enormous loss of trust in suppliers for good, long, trusting and secure cooperation are a source of great concern to me, but certainly to many other retailers as well.
How do you want to plan with brands? If you align your business with the suppliers' specifications regarding presentation, training of staff, presentation of the entire collection and advertising, etc., and then suddenly after a few years you are no longer supplied. From now on, like in the Giesswein case or, with a little advance notice, now Birkenstock. Before that, however, there wasn't even a hint of improvements or changes.
Reliability and trust are valuable assets. Trustful cooperation is needed, but will probably be less common now and in the future.
And here, if I will be forgiven for the comparison, I would like to point out that Germany also relied on Putin's promises. Story.
It is therefore no longer possible for retailers to plan for years from this point of view. Makes you worried, makes you afraid!
Hartmut Kempmann
Mehralsschlappen – the other shoe store
Brilon
