sportFACHHANDEL 03_2017 Leseprobe

48 | RETAIL | Stores 03.2017
„I do a sports area properly or
not at all“, Roman Winninger
explains.
THE FACTS
CEO: Roman Winninger (58)
(since 1988)
Procuration: Karin Winninger
Manuel Winninger (32):
Procurator and purchasing
manager
Rainer Winninger (41):
Procurator and sales manager
Headquarters in Amstetten
11 branches / 218 employees
2004: Beginning of expansion
with the first branch in
Langenrohr near Tulln
2007: three new openings
within three months
Locations
Langenrohr (NO), Saalfelden
(SBG), Tulln (NÖ), Villach
(KTN), Bruck/Leitha (NÖ),
Stadioncenter, Auhofcenter and
Stadlau (Vienna), Traun (OÖ),
Asten (OÖ).
Additionally two sports outlets:
Amstetten and Enns
Areas of a size from 1000 to
3000 qm
Total area of 17.000 to 18.000
qm
Position: Apart from the two
own real estates in Langenrohr
and Saalfelden in specialist
shops and shopping centres.
SportFACHHANDEL: One says especially the third
generation in businesses have difficulties. It was
different for you. What made you this successful?
Roman Winninger: At 32 years of age I was the youngest
on Intersport’s board of directors. That was in
1990. At the time Dr. Alfred Schwab was the manager
and Dietmar Eybl was on the board of directors,
and I learned a lot from both of them. Thereby one
has to add that the 90s were the golden era of specialist
sports retail. One can’t compare that to the time
before. As I took over management in 1988 we had
seven employees. In 1991 we opened up the first large
sports house with a sales area of 800 qm in Amstetten,
and were able to multiply to revenues by five
within ten years, causing the sales area to be too small
in 2001 already. We could have added on but already
back then we suspected the parking space situation
in the city centre would become a problem. That is
the reason why we relocated to City Center Amstetten
(CCA) where we occupy an area of 2970 qm.
You have been an Intersport member since 1972.
What makes the membership so indispensable?
Intersport is more well-known to the Austrians
than the federal president. The name recognition
is comparable to Coca Cola. Additionally we profit
from the great exclusive brands and the various
services under favourable terms such as, e.g., the
EDP link-up and bookkeeping. Whereas we do our
own marketing, not through the central office, as to
ensure it really corresponds to the situations at our
locations. Catalogue creation, flyers, homepage, direct
mails, newsletter, POS marketing is something
we do on our own, the only thing we leave to the
central office is TVand radio advertising.
A persistent criticism against the Intersport was its
members stopping to think since the central office
does it for them. What is your opinion? Whoever
does it that way has already lost. To us, Intersport
provides the basic service – which counts as the
minimum requirement for all members – and we
put the icing on the top. For example, we were the
first to work with the treadmill analysis. Additionally
we strongly commit ourselves to schooling
employees whereby we work together with the
central office project for project. We have, among
others, developed the ‘professional coach’ apprenticeship
in which every employee becomes a professional
in at least one sports discipline together.
For example the professional coach is instructed
by the world cup service specialist and learns how
to sand the edges and wax skis. However the most
important thing to us are the ‘Moments of Truth’
in which everything is about the customer perception.
During a 3-day conclave the managers and
operators gather and work out a detailed to-do
plan for the employees. As we know from test run
measurements our employees strictly follow it. This
measure had less of an influence on revenues but
rather the customer feedback. The biggest joy to us
is when we receive an e-mail in which a customer
expresses his or her delight. Meanwhile we receive
more praise than complaints with a relation of 2:1.
At some point during the 90s it became difficult for
specialist sports retailers in Vienna. From your point
of view: What was the problem? During the 90s
there was the great growth of the sporting goods
retail. But there was also a trend towards large
surface, and Eybl and Sports Experts expanded in
Vienna. It was difficult for those who didn’t offer
quality. Furthermore the consultation service has
gotten more important.
Three of your locations are in Vienna. What do you
think you are doing correctly? It’s the consultation
service we have been enforcing for years. When it
comes to our employees we make sure they do at
least two types of sports. The right product range is
also important – but the best product range is worth
nothing if the employees aren’t suited for it. The
employee is the main factor. And since only content
employees result in content customers we promote
every single sportive practice and offer fair payment
in relation to performance.
© INTERSPORT WINNIGER