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In three traditional Swiss companies, it is women who are supposed to turn the difficult business into a successful one.
Nicole Loeb, Nina Müller and Silvia Bayard agree: They have survived the setback caused by the corona crisis, and sales are back to what they were before the pandemic. But the fact is that stationary retail is generally declining.
Smaller area, more sales
Nicole Loeb has invested millions in her fashion store Loeb in downtown Bern and wants to score with so-called shopping experiences. This includes coffees, sewing studios and advice.
If customers stay longer and feel they are in good hands, they will buy more.
The sales area is smaller, but that pays off because the turnover per customer is higher: “If the customer stays longer and feels that he is in good hands, he buys more.”
Legend:
Nina Müller is trying out new business models at Jelmoli in Zurich – for example, just renting clothes.
sps-swiss
Nina Müller from Jelmoli sees her department store on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse as a kind of consumer meeting place with a changing range. “So there’s a reason to keep coming back here.”
Fashion house as a test laboratory
The fashion house thus becomes a curated event location – and a kind of laboratory with which Müller wants to attract new customers. It is also about customers, for example, who do not buy, but rent a dress or the mixer. “Young customers in particular question whether they really need a new part.” This topic is becoming increasingly important.
Young customers in particular question whether they really need a new part.
But these experiments must also generate sales – Jelmoli in Zurich is still in deficit. Nina Müller has been commissioned to be in the black by next year.
Legend:
Silvia Bayard no longer relies on online trading.
key stone
Silvia Bayard not only wants to make a profit with a fashion house, but with over 90 Bayard branches in Switzerland. Despite difficult circumstances, it took over a large number of Globus branches at the beginning of the pandemic and expanded its network. “I believe in inner cities and brick-and-mortar retail.” In addition, their customers are very loyal.
Bayard also wants to offer shopping experiences with good service. But she is a numbers person, explains Silvia Bayard. If a branch is not profitable, it will be closed and the staff will be distributed to other locations.
Difficult online trade
The three fashion entrepreneurs have to face the same challenges, because their traditional fashion houses are in direct competition with the booming online trade.
I believe in inner cities and brick-and-mortar retail.
Silvia Bayard closed the online business right at the beginning of the pandemic. Previously they tried it for ten years and never made it into the black. “It’s no fun.” When it comes to online trading, the focus is on the goods and not the people. That’s not true for her.
Nicole Loeb sees things differently. She does her online business through retailers like Brack or Zalando. Building your own infrastructure is too expensive. In this way, it cooperates directly with the competition. But Loeb doesn’t think that this will make her customers unfaithful.
Website as a showcase
Jelmoli boss Nina Müller, on the other hand, sees her online shop more as a shop window than as a sales platform. People would sort of check online before they even go to the store to see if they can find the item they want in the fashion store. “If we didn’t have a shop or only had a very reduced one, then the customer would assume that we didn’t carry the brand.”
Loeb, Jelmoli, Bayard: Three fashion houses with three different strategies to revitalize brick-and-mortar retail. The bosses are convinced that their calculations will work out. But the fashion business will hardly get any easier.