sportFACHHANDEL 08_2018 Leseprobe

110 | RETAIL | Stores 8.2018
FACTS
The cooperative
dealer platform
and goods hub
started in the
end of 2017
100 Intersport
stores with more
than 20,000
items are
participating in
the goods hub
by now
Further
national rollout
is planned for
this year
The hub for goods is available
to all Intersport stores branded
with Intersport.«
Carsten Schmitz, Chief Digital Officer Intersport
the customer at any contact point“. If a product is
not available at a certain location, the retailer can
retrieve it from another retailer connected to the
hub or directly from the dispatch warehouse of a
connected retailer. In order to ensure that the hub
really works, Intersport “accumulates the inventory
of all affiliated members in one central database
and provides the retailer with a device to get access
to it“. That means, when the retailer orders an item
for a customer, the order form goes directly to the
shop in which the product is available. It is planned
that the product goes from there to the desired
address, this means, in the visited shop or directly
to the customer’s home address.
Carsten Schmitz mentions another advantage, “This
way, the retailers linked to the hub are able to indirectly
present a much bigger product range. The
retailer is not forced anymore to let a disappointed
customer go without purchase.“ The core element
of the product hub is the cooperative dealer platform
intersport.de, also established at the end of
2017. According to Intersport, the platform already
offers 20.000 products. The inventory status of all
affiliated retailers is actualised each 15 to 20 minutes.
The crux of the trader platform with hub for
products is: the retailer who sends the item is the
customer’s contract partner and is paid at the end.
When a customer orders articles from intersport.
de, the retailer pays a service charge to the centre. If
the customer, on the other hand, obtains his goods
through the hub from another shop, the intermediary
retailer receives a 10-percent commission of the
turnover from the retailer who sends the goods to
the end consumer. After all, the hub is, in summary,
the use of the cooperative dealer platform in the
daily business; that means, it is exactly what is
normally called “elongated shop counter”.
However does the goods hub work in practice,
too? Sascha Dühring, Managing Director of Intersport
Olympia, early decided to join the pilot project
with the branch in Kaufpark Eiche. “The decisive
factor for becoming part of the pilot project was
that we wanted to achieve the highest possible level
of service quality“, says Mr Dühring in the interview
with sportFACHHANDEL, “an online shop is for our
customers a matter of course. Therefore, it was very
important for us to participate as early as possible.
It would not have been possible to realise an own
webshop of this quality. Most probably, the costs,
the required manpower and know-how would have
been too much for us. Now, with the professional
support of Intersport, we have the strength to offer
this service; and the customer will notice the positive
effect.“ A modern online shop and the good hub
go hand in hand for him.
The history of Intersport Olympia began already in
1976 as Sporthaus Olympia in Potsdam. After the
German Reunification, the owner Klaus Ott joined
the Intersport association. Nowadays, the company
has eight shops with in total 120 employees in the
metropolitan area Berlin-Brandenburg. The retailer
plans to leave the home turf for the first time in
November and to open a shop in Leipzig, Saxony.
One thing becomes clear already when entering the
branch in Kaufpark Eiche – this shop belongs to the
Red World of Intersport. Directly in the entrance
area is an “action place” showing particularly trendy
and attractive products. A digital column provides
the customer with direct access to the Intersport
webshop and three employees are equipped with
iPads to support the customer, when required, with
the digital shopping. The Shoe Coach is supposed
to underline the advisory competence and a lounge
area with coffee, water and TV invites to linger. At
the first glimpse, the location is very challenging –
a Nike outlet is situated in the same mall and a
Décathlon branch opened its doors directly at
the opposite of the street at the end of 2017. Yet,
Mr Dühring is not in difficulties; it is rather that
the outlet attracts customers, just as Décathlon.
Meanwhile, he has adopted a “quite relaxed
attitude” towards the French competition. “Many
customers are not brand-oriented in case of skates,
swim goggles or in the ABC area, for example, and
thus, they often buy those products at Décathlon.
Of course, Décathlon is very strong in case of
accessories or in the fishing and cycling segment.
It increasingly focuses on own brands in this areas.
However, we can compete with them. Surely, you
need certain segments Décathlon has not and they
should be strong.“ In case of the Intersport Olympia
branch in Kaufpark Eiche, these segments are winter
sports, multi-sports with brands such as Adidas and
Nike as well as sneakers. According to Mr Dühring,
some segments have slightly dwindled since the
PHOTOS: INTERSPORT, SFH