Alles wird unkalkulierbarer. Die Berechenbarkeit wird definitiv nicht zunehmen.
Sie möchten mit Ihren Produkten im amerikanischen Markt Fuß fassen. Ändert die Wahl Trumps etwas an diesen Plänen?
Das Wahlergebnis wird nicht dazu führen, dass ich unsere Anstrengungen nun unterbinden oder einschränken werde. Im März 2020 waren wir schon einmal sehr weit, damals haben wir mit dem Einzelhandelsunternehmen Nordstrom aus Seattle einen Probeauftrag für 40 der mehr als 100 Läden vereinbart. Es war der perfekte Partner, was die gehobene Mitte der Kunden angeht – unsere Produkte und Marke hätten perfekt gepasst.
Ja. Von allen schlimmen Dingen der Corona-Pandemie war das für mich persönlich in beruflicher Hinsicht der größte Verlust, weil ich mich persönlich um die Anbahnung der Partnerschaft gekümmert habe. Vielleicht wäre das unser großer internationaler Durchbruch gewesen. Aber wir haben uns damals geeinigt, dass der Probeauftrag weder gefertigt noch ausgeliefert wird, weil er nicht zu lesen gewesen wäre.
Was meinen Sie mit „lesen“?
Die Kollektion hätte im Herbst 2020 in die Läden kommen sollen, da war der Handel aber schon im Lockdown. Eine Erfolgsmessung wäre auf dieser Grundlage und den Marktverwerfungen nicht möglich gewesen. Aber ich werde dranbleiben. Ich halte trotz Trump an meinen US-Plänen fest.
Donald Trump schaut mit Argusaugen auf das Handelsbilanzdefizit in den USA. Er will den Import von Waren in die USA verringern, damit im Land neue Fabriken entstehen. Könnten Sie sich vorstellen, in den USA eine eigene Fabrik aufzubauen?
Nein, wir werden in den USA kein eigenes Textilwerk eröffnen. Natürlich müssen wir genau schauen, wie hoch die Einfuhrzölle der USA unter Trump sein werden – das wird sich sicher zu unserem Nachteil entwickeln. Aber ich glaube, dass Bekleidung und Schuhe nicht ganz oben auf der Prioritätenliste von Produkten stehen werden, die Trump wieder in Amerika gefertigt sehen will.
Warum ist ein Textilwerk in den USA für Sie keine Option?
Dazu sind die Produkte viel zu lohn- und kostenintensiv. Zudem brauchen Sie so viele Mitarbeiter, die in den USA überhaupt nicht für die textile Fertigung zu bekommen sind. Egal was Trump sagt, es ist allein von den Mitarbeitern her unmöglich, alle Bekleidungsartikel, die in den USA gekauft und getragen werden, in den USA zu produzieren. Die Situation ist ähnlich wie in Deutschland und Europa.
Wir produzieren in Asien. Uns hat weder die Profitmaximierung dorthin getrieben noch der günstige Einkauf, sondern allein die Verfügbarkeit von Arbeitskräften. Dort haben wir Mitarbeiter, die die aufwendige manuelle Arbeit abbilden können.
Wo produzieren Sie Ihre Produkte?
Wir produzieren vor allem in Vietnam, Indonesien und Bangladesch sowie in abnehmender Tendenz auch in China. Weil es aber auch in China immer schwieriger wird, Arbeitskräfte zu gewinnen, fahren wir unsere Aktivitäten im Konfektionsbereich dort mehr und mehr zurück. Eine gewisse Abhängigkeit haben wir in China noch bei den Webereien.
Diese Verlagerungen aus China weg haben nichts mit den aktuellen geopolitischen Spannungen zu tun?
Nein, das war nicht der Auslöser, es ging um die Verfügbarkeit von guten Arbeitskräften. Aber natürlich hilft uns der Schritt jetzt und minimiert das Risiko in unseren Büchern.
Textilunternehmen sind auf einen freien Welthandel, auf funktionierende internationale Lieferketten angewiesen, Sie produzieren in Asien, verkaufen in Europa und planen den Export in die USA. Wie schwierig war das zuletzt?
Die geopolitischen Entwicklungen der vergangenen fünf Jahre haben uns extrem gebeutelt – angefangen von Corona bis zu den aktuellen Kriegen und Konflikten. Das alles hat extreme Auswirkungen auf Lieferketten und Transportwege, wir mussten mit Produktionsausfällen, explodierenden Frachtkosten und ausbleibenden Lieferungen umgehen. Aber bei unseren Produkten sehe ich keine Alternative zu einer internationalen Fertigung.
How do the geopolitical uncertainties affect your customers' consumption and desire to buy?
Demand is suffering. Compared to pre-Corona levels, the number of units sold in upscale specialist retailers has fallen by 20 percent. Sales suffered less because we also had to raise prices due to the sharp cost increases. This is part of a general consumer reluctance that not only affects the fashion and lifestyle segment.
In summary, this means that your customers will wear shirts for a year longer as crises in the world increase.
Yes, exactly. People keep their money together, they are careful and save. But that's also natural. You buy our products if you are optimistic, want to pamper yourself and do something good for yourself. The increasing uncertainty regarding the economic situation and jobs is now further exacerbating the problem.
How much have shirt sales declined due to the home office trend?
The business shirt has suffered disproportionately. But to what extent did home office contribute to this? What is the reason for the reluctance to buy? That's difficult to say. We partially offset the declines with casual fashion: T-shirts, polo shirts, knitwear. We are currently talking about a sales share of 20 percent.
The consolidation on the trading side worries us; it does not expand our sales opportunities in terms of sales points. Almost all of my major customers have now been bankrupt at least once.
What are the reasons for you?
The textile trade is not particularly profitable, and if companies make less sales, they quickly find themselves in critical areas in terms of return structures. In addition, banks are cautious about financing companies in the clothing industry. We feel this too, even as a very healthy company we have to conduct discussions with the banks differently after five years of crisis than was the case before.
The traditional Stuttgart house Breuninger is about to be sold. What kind of buyer would you want?
Breuninger is not only our flagship customer, but we also have an outstanding, established customer relationship with the company. We prefer a reliable, strategic investor for Breuninger. For example, the Thai Central Group, which is in discussions and is already active in the high-quality European department store business with the KaDeWe Group, could be a good fit. We would have a certain degree of certainty that the core business will be further developed and expanded.
How important is a house like Breuninger to you?
The company is an icon in the German fashion trade. A strong presence on site at Breuninger helps the Olymp brand and our collections enormously.
Does a company like Olymp need lively city centers?
Our trading partners, and therefore we too, need sufficient frequency in the pedestrian zones so that we can generate our sales. But I think lively city centers are not only important for consumption, but they must be designed in such a way that people enjoy spending the day there even without shopping.
How many shirts do you sell in stationary retail?
We sell ten of every 100 shirts in our own online shop, ten through other companies' online stores, 15 in our own stores and 65 through the stationary stores of independent retailers. Fortunately, there are still many of these fashion stores. For me, the owner-managed, stationary specialist retailer is still the most important sales format.
Does the customer have to try on a shirt before buying it?
A classic business shirt is a comparatively online-oriented product. If you know the cut and size, you don't necessarily have to go into town for it. But stationary retail is important for the fashion sector. If you look at the situation as a whole, our development will shift more and more towards our own stores and online shop due to the consolidation in retail.
There is a proposal not to implement the supply chain law as planned in order to relieve the burden on companies. Do you support such a move?
We prepared ourselves for it to come. But that's not the only reason we prepared: our goal was to achieve a high level of sustainability regardless. But of course: the effort and documentation requirements are enormous, I have seven full-time employees who do nothing other than control supply chains and enforce and maintain sustainability standards. Against this background, the law would also be a protection for companies that already set exemplary standards with high standards.
Is sustainable production a purchasing criterion for your customers?
Do you want an honest answer? It was more important to make the purchase, and a lot has slipped recently. In our opinion, sustainability is not yet a purchasing criterion to the extent that the effort would be worth it. However, we will continue on this path because as a responsible company we want to set a good example.
After many years of growth, 2019 was the year with your highest sales to date. They raised 268 million euros and . . .
. . . Then came the sudden drop to 191 million euros in 2020. A year later, sales fell to 161 million euros because we lacked pre-orders. In 2022 the rollercoaster went up again with an increase of 40 percent. We were sweating just as much as we were during the sudden crash because we had to ensure supplies again, even though supply chains around the world were still disrupted.
In 2023 you generated 229 million euros – when will you return to pre-Corona levels?
That will take some time. In 2024 there will be a slight decline in revenue. The current year is almost the most challenging of the five crisis years because we cannot develop sales, but the price and cost pressure is very high. In 2025 we will slightly exceed the 2023 figures again.
Have you made losses in any of the past years?
No, not in any year, we are a healthy company. Until 2019, we have had 25 good years in a row, with good results. And it helped us a lot that we entered the crisis so strongly. After that, however, the yields suffered.
What will the operating return on sales be in 2024?
We will post a profit, but it will be very, very modest.
You have run the company that your grandfather founded and your father expanded for the past 15 years alone. What does this mean for you?
It's a good feeling. Olymp has developed from number 14 in the German market to number one and the European shirt market leader. I am at peace with myself, especially with regard to the past five years of crisis that we have overcome. Olympus is healthy today.
