Fussl remains skeptical about online trading. Innviertler fear rising costs and believe in the magic of the live experience, as it is in football.
Package boom, strong growth in online sales, new e-commerce offers – the lockdown phases in the corona pandemic fueled digital shopping. Almost like the Gallic village from Asterix and Obelix, however, the Fussl fashion street is bucking this trend. When CEO Ernst Mayr is asked about plans for an online shop, he declines. “You have to watch it,” says the 52-year-old, who, together with his brother Karl, runs the fashion retailer from Ort im Innkreis. “People need the community” Fussl is 150 years old this year, the branch network includes almost 200 locations – in Austria and Germany. The Innviertler have grown significantly in recent years. “If an opportunity arose, we took it,” says Mayr. Why is the family business so hesitant when it comes to online trading? “Transportation is getting more expensive, packaging is getting more expensive – people order two parts, send one back, it all costs money, it’s not possible,” Mayr calculates. The Fussl boss reflects: “It would be bad if the future of people is that you get up in the morning and the fridge orders the milk. I do home shopping, then home office. In the evening I watch a film on Netflix or Amazon, later I go to bed. That’s sad.” He is convinced of the future of stationary retail: “I compare it to football. You have all the options on TV, see everything – and yet people go to the stadium because they need the community.” The magic the encounter also works when shopping: “If the advice is good, I leave the shop feeling good.”
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