IFA International 2019 DAY 1 Edition

TRADE TALK
THE EXPERT VIEWPOINT
Dr Stefan Müller – Chief Executive Officer,
expert SE outlines group sales performance
Dr Stefan Müller
Chief Executive Officer, expert SE
WE EXPECT
THIS YEAR’S IFA TO BE
GROUNDBREAKING
IN TERMS OF HOW
OUR INDUSTRY WILL
EVOLVE WITHIN THE
NEXT TWO OR THREE
YEARS
Despite a very competitive
environment, the expert group
once again recorded above
average financial results and
was able to consolidate its
strong position in the German
market. We asked Dr Stefan
Müller – CEO, expert SE how
expert is evolving within
Germany, and what the key
performance indicators are this
year.
In the financial year 2018/2019, our
internal revenue reached €2,137m. In
addition, our equity ratio, which is now
37.1%, remains at a very high level. This
is proof of the expert group’s strength
and, at the same time, an indicator for the
great sales performance of our retailers.
What’s new at IFA?
We expect this year’s IFA to be
groundbreaking in terms of how our
industry will evolve within the next two
or three years. Keywords such as artificial
intelligence, 5G or streaming have been
around for quite a while, but now we
have reached a point where we will see if
these new technologies are going to hold
their promises and whether they will
resonate with the consumers. These are
really interesting questions, and we are
more than excited to see how suppliers
deal with both the technical challenges
as well as consumer acceptance.
You are long-time partners with IFA.
Why so?
IFA is an ideal platform to make new
contacts, expand our network and gain
fresh ideas. IFA is also very inspiring and
influential – it has all the latest trends
and innovations and sets the tone when
it comes to assortment policy. As a
retailer, visiting IFA is a must, because
it is the perfect event to prepare for
the upcoming Christmas business and
beyond, as well as witnessing consumers’
reactions to the new products.
Furthermore, we always enjoy our
visit at IFA, because it gives us a great
opportunity to meet people from all over
the world and gain exciting insights into
our industry from different angles.
What are the key aims of the group on
a national level for the next year or so?
We will continue to further expand our
customer services. Today, people are
not just buying a product – they are
searching for comprehensive solutions.
This is exactly what we do at our expert
stores and web stores: by adding extra
services to the product, we increase the
benefit for our customers. At the same
time, we create new value chains that
help us successfully meet the challenges
of our industry.
We also focus on is the continued
consolidation of our relationship
with business partners. Since trade
is a people’s business, we want to
strengthen the bonds of trust we have
been establishing over the past 57 years.
We are also looking forward to working
even more closely with our suppliers,
launching new and innovative marketing
concepts and, as partners, shaping the
future of our retail world
expert has more than 4,000 stores in 21 countries, with
total retail sales of more than €15bn (2018) in products including
consumer electronics (TV, audio, etc.), mobile phones, IT products
(desktops, notebooks, printers, software, accessories, etc.), as well
as home appliances.
www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Friday 6 th September 2019
39