Exchange instead of sales, expertise instead of product focus: With ANWR CONNECT, ANWR Austria is creating a new platform for dialogue, advice and joint further thinking in the Brandboxx Salzburg. When it opened on February 2, 2026, ANWR CONNECT became the meeting point for the Austrian shoe industry for the first time.
With ANWR CONNECT, ANWR Austria is sending a clear signal for networking in the Austrian shoe retail sector. At the opening on February 2, 2026, more than 50 dealers, 30 suppliers as well as representatives of the WKO and other industry and business partners used the new service and meeting room in the Brandboxx Salzburg for personal dialogue, professional exchange and discussions with the ANWR Austria team. ANWR CONNECT consciously positions itself not as a classic presentation area, but as a place for professional impulses, advice and strategic further thinking.
“The opening of ANWR CONNECT shows how great the need for personal exchange is in our industry,” says Andreas Mayer, Managing Director of ANWR Austria. Many of the current challenges in the shoe retail sector, such as increasing cost and margin pressure, more complex product range and supplier structures and the growing need for data-based decisions, can hardly be overcome by individual companies alone. Mayer adds: “The great interest from retailers and suppliers confirms our approach: the shoe retail sector needs places that enable encounters, provide orientation and promote collaboration.”
New contact point for advice and networking
With ANWR CONNECT, ANWR Austria is establishing a fixed contact point for dealers and suppliers in the Brandboxx Salzburg, both during the trade fairs and beyond. ANWR CONNECT enables individual advice, professional exchange and discussions on business and strategic issues. The aim is to strengthen proximity to the industry and create space for ideas, solutions and new perspectives. “ANWR CONNECT brings people together and opens up perspectives that advance retail in the long term,” emphasizes Mayer. The opening of ANWR CONNECT as part of the “schick” trade fair marks a further step by ANWR Austria to consistently expand its role as a service and network partner.
