At the Annual General Meeting of the international trade cooperation ANWR Group eG on June 5 in Mainhausen, Germany, the Executive Board presented the strategic fields of action for the coming years under the motto “We make trade successful”. In the future, the ANWR Group will strongly focus on the topic of sustainability. This applies to the company’s own organization as well as that of its affiliated retailers. However, the business model of the buying groups will naturally also continue to evolve. Not everyone will be able to do everything themselves in the future, the management said. This means, the member need to focus on their own strengths and core business. Promoting the quality of relationships and deepening collaborations is, therefore, a key factor – and the ANWR Group sees opportunities for cooperation in many different areas.
The confident outlook for the future is based on the good annual result for 2023. FY2023 was a very challenging one, but the bottom line is earnings before taxes of €10.6 million compared to €8.3 million in 2022.
Of the sales revenue of €664 million, 35 percent (€234 million) was attributable to commission income from the central settlement business. “Ten years ago, we were much more dependent on this source of income.” The basis for this commission income is the purchase of goods from the various sectors, which are centrally settled via the ANWR banks – DZB BANK GmbH and Aktivbank AG. Of the settlement volume of €20.7 billion, €2.9 billion was attributable to the purchasing volume of the core areas of shoes, sports and leather goods. €17.8 billion was accounted for by financial services, with a focus on central settlement for third-party associations.
The second-largest source of income is wholesale, which grew by 10.7 percent to €141 million. Retail sales were generated exclusively by the Bavarian footwear and textiles trading company Mücke Group. The e-commerce business declined 14 percent in 2023.
Overall, the ANWR Group’s net assets, financial position and results of operations are in order and in good shape. “This gives us the freedom to actively shape our future,” said Frank Schuffelen, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of ANWR Group.
Outlook: Optimism for 2024
Retailers are cautious with their purchases, which is reflected in the invoicing volume. At the end of April, the ZR volume at our own associations was four percent below the previous year’s level. Schuffelen is more positive about the retailers’ sales. At the end of April, German shoe retailers were up 5 percent on average, sports retailers were up 9 percent, and leather goods retailers were up 2 percent. The situation is similar in neighboring European countries. “Based on this good start to the spring/summer season, we are optimistic about 2024,” is Frank Schuffelen’s expectation for 2024.
The German ANWR Group is one of the most successful and highest-turnover retail cooperatives in Europe. The group also includes Sport 2000 GmbH, Sport 2000 International and Zentrasport Austria.
