Success Factors and Strategic Approaches in the European Retail Business

Über den Titel

While the retail business in Germany perceived business fluctuations as "dents" in overall sales at best, the perception in other European countries was very different. Commercial establishments with international, European establishments did, however, have advantages over national companies. Chain stores in general had the advantage over small, independent retailers - except that these could have taken off through individualization and making themselves different from the chain stores. What will happen in the market in the coming years? Because of the general economic crises in the last nine years and now in 2012, only four years from the larger crisis in 2008, several scenarios are conceivable. The central question is when, where exactly, and who will be threatened by whom and how, or from what? Admittedly, it is not an easy question and a much more difficult one to answer. The retail situation in Europe 2012 shows a strong Germany with unconcerned consumers for, at first glance, large portions of the retail industry. Disruptive attacks often occur through non- stationary competitors (the internet), through surprising concepts in the shopping sector or through skilful multi-channel providers (the latter, however, until now with rather less convincing success). The following paper shows where opportunities can be found, where possibilities of differentiation and market security lie, and how to work with these. The principal basis for the results was the survey of 135 managers and experts from Germany, England, Italy, France, Slovakia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. In addition, the "42 Zerstörer der deutschen Wirtschaft" [42 Big Players of the German Economy] presented by the FTD were also more closely examined. - For further information, see: www. donhauser-consultants.de.

ÜberDonhauser, Jürgen

Dipl.-Kfm. Jürgen Donhauser, M.B.A. studied business administration, business information technology and the insurance industry at the Universität Regensburg, as well as the Hochschule Deggendorf (University of Applied Sciences) and the University Limerick in Ireland as part of the Executive MBA-Program. He is currently working on his international dissertation for a Ph.D. in Business Management at the Comenius University of Bratislava, Erasmus Partner of the University of Regensburg. Before founding his consulting firm, he completed an apprenticeship as a banker at the Bayr. Vereinsbank (today HypoVereinsbank Uni Credit). This was later followed by positions as managing director, in the board of directors, and as board chairman in various companies within the corporate group. He has been the sole managing director of DONHAUSER services & sales GmbH (www.donhauser-gmbh.de) since 2004 and specializes as a consultant in Retail Business and Operative Consulting. He is the managing director of DONHAUSER management consultants and the assistant managing director of DONHAUSER personalentwicklungs GmbH. Numerous engagements as a lecturer at various institutions, such as training institutes, professional academies, and Professional Chambers round out his activities for employees and companies. His consulting specialism lies in the following: Distribution systems, innovation management, controlling, and human resources development.