sportFACHHANDEL 08_2018 Leseprobe
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8.<strong>2018</strong> | COVER STORY | 21<br />
We notice more<br />
pressure on the<br />
conditions and services<br />
which we have to provide.«<br />
Jan Lorch, Head of Sales & CSR Vaude<br />
17<br />
- 20 JUNE 201<br />
8<br />
since we see great potential here.” Jan Lorch summarizes the<br />
problems created by the growing demands on the suppliers<br />
and the new business concepts in trade, "The result is that you<br />
are obliged to adjust to new business models. Above that, it<br />
can also mean that medium-sized companies such as Vaude<br />
constantly have to work out whether a traditional commercial<br />
partnership is still adequate, namely whether the benefits still<br />
outweigh the risks."<br />
Against this backdrop, what is the state of the collaboration<br />
with the specialised sports retail? The four managers agree<br />
on this point: It still depends on the product. According to Mr<br />
Wanner, Lowa has always defined itself through the product.<br />
"The demand for our brand will stay constant, as long as we<br />
continue to offer innovative and high-quality products. We<br />
need a lot of competent trade partners, in order to fulfil this<br />
demand in an optimum way." Stefan Müller of Meindl agrees<br />
in this respect, "We focus on our mission to produce innovative,<br />
first-class shoes and thus, we are a significant trade partner<br />
for the sports retailers." For Otto Leodolter, it is important<br />
to have a cooperative attitude in general. His company Löffler<br />
focuses on local production and, according to him, generates<br />
98 percent of the turnover in specialised sports and cycling<br />
shops. He says, "It is important that the retailers tell our story<br />
and provide us with the appropriate sales space."<br />
The love relationship between the brands and the sports<br />
retail might have rifts – and many of them cannot be<br />
fixed –, yet the cooperation of industry and trade is also a<br />
partnership of convenience; and this is a reason for hope.<br />
When only the amount of sold goods counts and when there<br />
is always haggling over more services and better conditions, it<br />
is easy to forget that, in the sports sector, the product is in the<br />
centre of the consumer’s attention – despite of all the hypes<br />
and the great buying power of the big groups. And in this<br />
context, a competent retailer, whether online or offline,<br />
remains the figurehead of each brand. ><br />
>
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