On the occasion of the opening of the new Intersport Krumholz store in Bad Homburg near Frankfurt am Main, Dr. Alexander von Preen, CEO of Intersport Germany, gave an interim assessment of the current situation in the sporting goods market and the development of the cooperative.
”We are in a multi-crisis scenario,” explained von Preen at a press conference to mark the opening of Intersport Krumholz’s new store in Bad Homburg. “The crises are not self-inflicted, but we view current developments with concern.” What is meant is a whole series of situations that could present the sports market with new challenges in the coming weeks and months. New Covid restrictions, price increases due to high energy costs, inflation and weakening purchasing power, a possible recession, and ongoing supply shortages. The list is really long. “Nevertheless, we are in the fortunate position that sports have a special place in society. Sports are relevant to the system, and people want to play sports,” he said.
Intersport Krumholz: Focus on competence and service
Oliver Krumholz, co-managing director of Intersport Krumholz, agrees. On July 7, Krumholz will open its fifth store in Bad Homburg after a short remodeling phase and an investment of €250,000. The other four stores are in Mülheim-Kärlich (two doors), Mayen and Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. Until 2020, Krumholz also operated an Adidas store in Koblenz, but it had to close during the pandemic. Intersport Krumholz in Bad Homburg offers an extensive range of sporting goods with a focus on training, outdoor, running and team sports on around 850 square meters. Special services in the store include, for example, a 3D foot scanner and a hiking shoe test track with various surfaces. A cooperation with an orthopedist is also designed to help customers finding the right footwear. A 360-degree omnichannel approach with services such as Click & Collect, equipping employees with tablets, and digital screens round off the offering. The so-called Playmaker principle of the central Intersport web store, to which the partner stores are connected, helps to increase online sales, says Krumholz. The new logistics center in Heilbronn has also simplified many things; for example, individual stores can now be supplied.
Intersport: 100,000 square meters of modernized space
Intersport has done a lot in recent years to ensure that its affiliated sports retailers can generate good business even under challenging conditions – from investments in logistics, IT and marketing to new store buildings. Von Preen: “It makes me proud to see how our community is growing and developing dynamically. Intersport is on course for growth. In 2022, we’ll be making our mark here! After all, hundreds of CI stores have already been comprehensively modernized to date.” From January to June 2022 alone, six new CI stores were opened – in Munich, Erfurt, Worms, Essen, Heilbronn and now in Bad Homburg. Eleven complete remodels and four area expansions were implemented. In total, stores with an area of around 100,000 square meters were modernized to a new, clear look. A further 100,000 square meters are planned by the end of the year, von Preen said, adding,”between €80,000 and €250,000 will be invested in each conversion.”
The topic of sustainability is also to play a greater role in the future, and cooperation with strong industry partners such as Adidas and Puma have just been newly concluded. “Wholesale is an important driver for our growth,” said von Preen. This also includes the new store formats that Intersport is offering. The new Urban Sports format has already been implemented in 114 areas. Initial evaluations show that the concept is working. Von Preen: “On average, we see ten percent more sales and one percent more profitability there. That’s a lot in retail.”
