Now things are getting serious for many employees at the Saturn and Media Markt electronics stores.
The parent company Ceconomy plans to close numerous branches in Germany soon.
Düsseldorf - The corona crisis has also left its mark on the Media-Saturn Group.
At the beginning of the year there were already signs that many customers prefer to shop online.
Very few make the journey to the specialist shop.
This change in buying behavior is also noticeable for the electronics company Ceconomy.
So it's no wonder that the group is now acting.
In a current press release, Ceconomy dares to make a forecast for the current financial year.
"My first impression is: The company is basically on the right track, but there is a lot to do," said the new Ceconomy boss Karsten Wildberger.
In addition, tough cuts for the branches in Germany were confirmed.
Media Markt and Saturn: Germany-wide closings until the end of September
According to media reports, 13 branches are to be closed in the financial year that runs until the end of September. Markets in Essen, Düsseldorf, Fürth, Göttingen, Münster and Gelsenkirchen are particularly affected by the closings. In addition to the stores in Germany, closings are also planned abroad - around 10 to 15 branches will be closed there. In 2020, the parent company Ceconomy was still operating more than 400 electrical stores in Germany.
The timely closings will probably be made for financial reasons.
In Germany, around 1,000 employees are affected by these cost-cutting measures.
Across Europe there should be almost 4,000.
However, the group announced that there would be no major restructuring program.
As
chip.de
reports, Ceconomy also wants to save on rental costs in the future.
Therefore, a downsizing of the retail space is planned.
Possible new store concepts for Media Markt and Saturn
“For a long time, the motto was that more space and more products lead to more customers and sales. It's not that simple anymore, ”explains Wildberger. Accordingly, the company is considering developing new market concepts. One of them is the opening of smaller branches in the city centers. Only a selected range would then be offered here. Another option is the so-called “shop-in-shop” concept. With this variant, a small range is offered in various hypermarkets. The group is currently testing such a principle abroad. Implementation in Germany is therefore entirely possible.
For customers, the new store concepts mean that Media Markt and Saturn will offer fewer products in the branches.
As a result, the online offer will probably be better designed.
Last summer, the group announced that it would adapt to customer behavior.
It remains to be seen how the situation develops.
There is not yet a specific date when the branches of Media Markt and Saturn will be closed.
(swa)
List of rubric lists: © Armin Weigel
