Ditzingen/Berlin, 02 September 2016.
With sales of 19bn euro for financial year 2015, EURONICS International is continuing the strong business performance the company has consistently achieved over the past 12 years. Compared with the previous year, this corresponds with an increase in sales amounting to 4.4 percent (2014: 18.2bn euro). “Our retail group is proving very successful in addressing a challenging European market environment”, explains Hans Carpels, President of EURONICS International, at a press conference during the International Radio Exhibition (Internationale Funkausstellung – IFA) in Berlin. According to GfK Temax, the market for technical consumer products shrank by 1.5 percent in 2015. “However, our retailers are still managing to generate sales with rates of growth that exceed those of our competitors – providing clear confirmation of our value-added and value creation strategy.” Carpels attributes this successful growth to the “25 years of EURONICS International” marketing campaign, among others, which marked the proud anniversary of the Group in 2015. He also intends to promote sales growth this year by implementing further targeted marketing activities.
During the current financial year EURONICS International is actively focusing on the issue of omni-channel marketing. Pure players – whether point of sale or online – will not be sustainable over the long term, so the Group is increasingly supporting its Member countries in the development of omni-channel solutions which meet the demands of both consumers and specialist retailers.
EURONICS CONTINUES ITS GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION
Following 2015’s announcement of the Group’s expansion within Kazakhstan through cooperation with Alser, Euronics announces its further geographical growth into Africa, its third continent, and 36th country location. Euronics Member Sharaf DG is expanding their activities into Egypt, opening one store in January 2017 which will be complemented by the simultaneous roll out of their entire omni-channel operations. A further three new Sharaf DG stores are already confirmed to open in Egypt shortly thereafter.
The Group considers it of equal importance to represent its many and diverse territories within its Board of Directors. The Board, newly elected in June 2016, now includes six members representing the core European region (Hans Carpels - Belgium, Paolo Galimberti - Italy, Benedict Kober - Germany, José Maria Verdeguer - Spain, Stuart Cook - UK, Denis Boschard - France), one Board member representing the CIS region (Kirill Novikov - Russia), and one Board member representing the MENA region (Bülent Gürcan - Turkey).
USING EMOTIONS TO RAISE ENTHUSIASM FOR SMART HOME
Smart Home remains a priority issue at IFA 2016 – and one that is continuously growing as an important business focus. The increasing availability of devices and applications for intelligent networking of the home is having a beneficial effect on demand. “Specialist retailers are however not only generating added value through selling technology, but also by providing supplementary services associated with smart home”, says EURONICS International Managing Director, John Olsen. “When customers enquire about networking their homes, they also expect answers on the issues of security, convenience, and energy-efficiency. A significant and growing need for advice is therefore apparent, and EURONICS specialist retailers are well qualified to deliver. The shift from point of sale to point of emotion should also be understood in this context. In order to be able to reach out to people it is not enough to simply allow facts to speak for themselves – we must also reach out to them emotionally”, emphasises Olsen. “Specialist retailers need to create worlds of experience in their showrooms”.
TOPICAL ISSUES AT THE IFA
The highlights of the leading Berlin trade fair include VR goggles that promise a new dimension in viewing pleasure. Smart audio and smart mobility also take on an increasingly significant role. This year new screen technologies are impressive, as a result of fascinating HDR pictures among others, while UHD films are now available for the first time on new blu-ray discs.
INDUSTRY PARTNERS ARE EXHIBITING IN HALL 23A
The Trend Race offers an opportunity for a brief “pit stop”. Together with its industry partners, EURONICS is exhibiting a wide variety of innovations and gadgets such as drones and RC cars from Flexcopters and a brand new gaming laptop from HP. JBL will in turn be showing its latest Bluetooth speaker. Miele and Bosch will also be joining us, together with a large number of industry partners. The EURONICS Trend Race furthermore provides the perfect setting for extending the DTM (German Touring Car Championships) cooperation with Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. In this context, EURONICS is exhibiting the EURONICS Trend Car for the first time in Berlin.
About EURONICS:
SUHD, smart wearables, smart home and household devices of the highest energy-efficiency are all included in EURONICS Specialist retailers’ ranges – as are conventional consumer electronics products. In Germany the retail group numbers more than 1,500 members at over 1,700 locations and employs some 12,000 people. A comprehensive range of services, individual advice and qualified specialist personnel are the collective attributes of the largely owner-managed medium-sized specialist retailers and stores. With overall sales of 3.3 million euro during financial year 2014/2015, EURONICS is among the leading companies in this sector of the German market.
EURONICS Deutschland eG is a partner company of the European retail group EURONICS International which is headquartered in Amsterdam. Currently, the group of associated companies has more than 10,000 locations worldwide and generated total sales of 19 billion euro in 2015. More than 60,000 staff are employed at some 6,400 member companies. In Europe, EURONICS is the largest retail group in this sector.
www.euronics.de
For further information:
EURONICS Deutschland eGCornelia Bonow
Tel.: 0 71 56 / 933 14032.
Engel & Zimmermann AG, Corporate Communications Consultancy
Björn SeegerSchloss Fussberg, Am Schlosspark 15, 82131 Gauting
Tel. 0 89/89 35 63 3, Fax 0 89/89 39 84 29
e-mail: info@engel-zimmermann.de
