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Trade News The Expert View Market Insight From Volker Müller, Chairman Of The Board, expert AG THE DEAL MAKERS Bol.com Emphasizes Speed and User-Friendliness Expert AG shops sell the entire spectrum of consumer electronics and home appliances. We spoke to Volker Müller, Chairman of the Board. With just more than 50 years in business, how is expert AG evolving in Germany and Europe? We are very satisfied with expert AG’s performance in Germany – and in Europe as well. Today, expert has a presence in 18 European countries while striving for continuous expansion, despite the difficult economic situation in Europe. At the end of the last financial year, expert AG recorded a slight growth in sales of 0.1% to 1.95 billion Euro in Germany which is significantly better than the state of the market and the industry in general. Also, total retail space increased in the same year from 383,000m² to 397,000m² with the total number of expert technical superstores reaching 232, an increase of 11. How has expert been weathering the recent tough economic times? Expert struggled over the last 12 months due to the overall difficult market situation. However, once again we managed to leave the competition and the market situation well behind. How is expert growing on a European basis? Of course, the difficult economic situation in Europe is tarnishing the possibilities of expansion in some European countries. Nonetheless, we are satisfied with the overall development and are striving for continuous growth. What are your main objectives at IFA? IFA offers a unique opportunity for us to talk to our important partners and to discuss the plans for the coming months. Moreover, the IFA is the best platform for getting to know the diverse innovations of our branch of industry. How important is IFA as part of your marketing plan and why ? Very important. In particular, we put the innovations and inspirations from the IFA that meet the interests of our customers, in the pole position of our marketing plans. Volker Müller Chairman of the Board expert AG "expert has a presence in 18 European countries while striving for continuous expansion" Thomas Nowak Senior Vice-President, Buying & Merchandising, Bol.com Bol.com today reports about 4 million customers -- and a product range of more than 7 million articles. Bol.com is a leader in online sales of books, entertainment, electrical appliances and toys -- and they can claim the largest web shop in the Netherlands and Belgium. Bol.com's Senior Vice-President, Buying & Merchandising, Thomas Nowak, tells IFA International about the company's aims for the short to mid-term... and how the company uses IFA to get sneak previews of consumer trends. At bol.com it is our ambition to be a specialist in all the market segments which are part of our product portfolio. Naturally, during IFA the amount of time we have is a limitation, so in this context our team has prioritised segments based on three equally important criteria: A. growth potential, B. degree of product innovation C. relationship with key vendors. What Geographic areas do you cover in terms of sales? Our company aims to satisfy consumer demand for electronics products (and several other product categories) in the Netherlands and Belgium. More importantly, every single household in this area is covered by our distribution network. Even if your home is situated in the middle of nowhere we will deliver your order to you within one day. Customers who order goods worth more than 20 euros do not even have to pay any shipping fee, which is part of our service proposition. What are you seeing as being the key trends in what consumers are looking for in your segment(s) and which products will you be looking for at IFA? Nowadays, consumers are looking for the perfect combination between user interface and design. Recent improvements in this area have catalysed the market for wireless solutions and connectivity between devices. On a more personal note I am a photography and audio enthusiast. www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Saturday 7 th & Sunday 8 th September 2013 23
