TRADE TALK GFK RELEASES
TRADE TALK GFK RELEASES MAJOR STUDY ON EUROPEAN RETAIL Dr Johannes Schamel, Study lead. Geomarketing, GfK In May 2019, GfK released a major study on retail trends, anticipating nominal turnover growth of 2.0% in 2019 for brick-and-mortar retail in the 27 EU nations. The majority of European consumers are currently subjected to opposing forces, claims the survey. On the one hand, this consists of uncertainty over Brexit, trade conflicts and weaker growth prospects in important export markets such as China. But on the other hand, consumers have a robust labour market, higher wage increases and moderate prices for crude oil. Against this backdrop, GfK’s Geomarketing solution area evaluated various key European retail benchmarks and published the results in the free study “European retail in 2019”. The study analyses trends and developments in 32 European countries and offers a 2019 turnover prognosis, giving retailers, investors and project developers an important reference point for their decision-making. “G f K f o r e c a s t s n o m i n a l turnover growth of two percent for brick-and-mortar retail in 2019 for the EU-27 countries,” explains the study’s lead, Dr Johannes Schamel. “This growth is only slightly above the rate of inflation and comparable to the growth observed last year.” In light of the continued dynamic growth in online retail, GfK anticipates nominal turnover growth of +2.0% for the EU-27 countries. The highest growth rates among the EU states are expected for Romania (+7.0%) and Lithuania (+5.9%). Sinking energy prices beginning already at the end of 2018 suggest that the EU’s rate of inflation will fall. Along with continuing trade disputes with the USA, the weakening European economy at the beginning of 2019 is dampening the mood of economists. As a result, a lower 2019 inflation rate of 1.6% is expected for the European Union. Sales area productivity: Europewide, there was no change to the top three nations compared to the previous year with respect to sales area productivity. The unchallenged forerunner continues to be Luxembourg (approximately 7,250€/m²), which even experienced a slight increase (+1.40%) in sales area productivity in 2018. Second and third place are occupied by Norway (approximately 6,430€/m²) and Switzerland (approximately 6,220€/m²) respectively 22
AE A EURONICS PARTNERS WITH ESL MEDIAMARKTSATURN PAVES THE WAY FOR LEGAL STREET USE OF E-SCOOTERS With the onset of new laws governing the use of e-scooters in Germany, MediaMarktSaturn has been taking pre-orders for sales of streetlegal scooters. With the eKFV Small Electric Vehicles Regulations coming into force in Germany, there will be nothing to stop people from riding electric scooters in traffic – as long as they comply with the German highway code and meet all the necessary criteria to be declared roadworthy. * Don’t miss our new Buyers’ Guide on e-mobility in the Day 1 edition. T h e t w o c o n s u m e r e l e c t r o n i c s r e t a i l e r s have been stocking the first street-legal electric scooters, taking pre-orders from online shops and in-store. Moreover, the range will gradually be supplemented by other e-scooters suitable for use on public roads. Nippier than bicycles and greener than cars, electric scooters have long been very popular in many countries. In Germany, too, there’s plenty of interest in these innovative means of transport. According to a recent survey commissioned by MediaMarkt, one in four Germans are interested in trying out an e-scooter With the ESL One tournament just around the corner – in October – in Hamburg, Euronics will be riding the wave of esports popularity as a key partner. Euronics International, a retail group consisting of 26 members across 35 countries in Europe, CIS, and the Middle East, announced on 27 May, 2019, the landmark sponsorship with ESL, the world’s largest esports company, broadcasting major global esports tournaments. The deal will not only centre around the famous ESL One tournament in Hamburg in October, but will also include National Leagues in key markets including France, Italy, and Spain. The Group launched its updated brand identity in 2017, reiterating its core focus on innovative t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d customer solutions of which gaming forms a key part, in preparation o f i d e n t i f y i n g t h e appropriate international sponsorship opportunity which has been realised with ESL. “The popularity and flexibility of partnering with ESL in esports has provided the Euronics Group with an exciting opportunity to collaborate simultaneously across all our markets, those carrying the Euronics logo as well as those Euronics members with strong local brands such as Boulanger (France) and Teknosa (Turkey)” said John Olsen, Managing Director of Euronics International. “For us, providing ‘a human touch in a digital world’ is our guiding principle in everything we do both instore and online. With direct access to an extremely engaged audience across multiple channels we identified great synergies with ESL. We both have a passion for creating meaningful and unforgettable experiences for our customers and fans.” Activation will feature instore across all markets and around events with branding in and around the venues, players, fans and across all digital p l a t f o r m s , o f f e r i n g the ideal opportunity to connect audiences and develop customer relationships and promote the Euronics brand in new and existing markets “OK, GOOGLE, FIND ME A NEW TV!” MediaMarkt is offering a new service via the Google Assistant, enabling customers to find the perfect television for themselves by using MediaMarkt’s voicecontrolled TV product advisor. The digital sales assistant uses a series of questions to pinpoint the right TV that suits them. Afterwards, they can also use a voice command to be taken to MediaMarkt’s online shop. The use of voice-activated virtual assistants is an important building block within MediaMarkt’s multichannel strategy. In fact, MediaMarkt claims to have been one of the first consumer electronics retailers in Germany to start offering services via the Google Assistant. It’s already been doing so for a few years now and is continually expanding them. “OK, Google, talk to MediaMarkt!” Customers who say this to their Google Home speaker or any other device with Google Assistant can now find their dream TV with the aid of MediaMarkt’s TV advisor. This digital dialogue isn’t limited to the Google Home smart speaker, Google Home Mini or Google Nest Hub. In fact, MediaMarkt’s TV advisor can be activated on any smartphone or mobile device on which the Google Assistant app has been installed www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 2 September 2019 23
