Another Year Of Double-digit Growth For Globetrotter

Globetrotter Ausrüstung of Hamburg, which claims to be Europe’s largest specialized outdoor retailer, reached sales of €178 million in its fiscal year ended on Feb. 29, or over €20 million more than in the year before. The sales increase exceeded 11 percent.

Mail-order retailing accounted for €78.3 million, or 44 percent of the sales, and €62.8 million or 80 percent of that came from internet shopping. The other €99.7 million is from brick-and-mortar outlets. Globetrotter operates stores with a net surface of 1,500 to 7,000 square meters in Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt and Cologne, plus one outlet store in Bonn and a Jack Wolfskin store in downtown Hamburg. The total surface is 21,000 square meters while the circulation of the annual catolog is a stunning 970,000 copies. Although internet sales have increased annually at the expense of traditional mail order retailing, the circulation of the printed catalog has remained stable.

For the first time ever, Globetrotter recently selected a company as its 3vendor of the year." The first brand to secure the title was Deuter, the German backpack specialist. Only vendors that belong to the retailer’s list of top 100 brands can qualify for the award. Other conditions are a turnover of €500,000 with the chain, cooperation for no less than two years and at least 10 products in Globetrotter’s core offer. Deuter won because of good performance in terms of the evolution of turnover and income with Globetrotter, quality of deliveries and fulfillment, marketing and staff training. Globetrotter itself won the Retail Design Award at this year’s trade show EuroShop in Düsseldorf for the design and architecture of the chain’s recently opened megastore in Cologne.

The Hamburg-based retailer has made no secret of its desire to expand to more southern cities in Germany such as Munich, Stuttgart or Nuremberg. However one of its managing partners Thomas Lipke, says that there would not be any new store openings this year. Therefore, the store in Frankfurt will remain the chain’s most southern one through 2008.