The ANWR group of companies was able to expand its business volume by 11 percent to 19.8 billion euros in 2021, thus continuing the growth of recent years.
In the second year of the pandemic, the central settlement business for ANWR’s own association groups from the shoe, sports and leather goods sectors was also characterized by restrictions, as the retail sectors at times suffered extremely from the lockdown and the access restrictions to stationary shops.
However, the trade reacted with foresight and a reduced order volume, so that the invoiced purchasing volume for the company’s own association groups ANWR, Garant, Rexor, Sport 2000, Goldkrone and the international associations was slightly below the previous year’s level by 1.5 percent at over 2.5 billion euros .
Leather goods and sports show a plus, shoes a slight minus
The footwear sector closed the year with 1.1 billion euros, 9 percent less than in the previous year; Leather goods at EUR 0.1 billion, which corresponds to an increase of 13 percent. A business volume of more than 1.3 billion euros was recorded for the sports retail trade, plus 5 percent more than in the previous year. According to the group of companies, this was mainly due to the addition of large specialist dealers in Germany.
She blames the bank-supported central settlement of DZB Bank and Aktivbank, the two banks in the ANWR group of companies, for this solid development. At EUR 19.8 billion, the business volume of the entire group was 11 percent up on the previous year.
“Even in the year 2021, which was once again marked by the pandemic, bank-supported central settlement held its own very well,” says Frank Schuffelen, CEO of the ANWR Group, in a press release. “The high degree of diversification across many industries and regions forms the basis for stability, profitability and resilience for the entire group of companies.”
Continued sales losses due to fewer customers in 2022
In 2022, the far-reaching restrictions on access to brick-and-mortar retail will ensure that customer footfall will continue to be weak compared to before the pandemic. In view of the resulting loss of sales, the ANWR Group is calling on politicians to extend or tighten the support measures. A nationwide lifting of the 2G rules in retail is also pending.
“We basically welcome the extension of the bridging aid,” says Schuffelen. “However, it is very unfortunate that no improvements have been made to decisive points in the funding conditions.” This includes, for example, a daily calculation of the turnover limits and a nationwide consideration of an entrepreneur’s salary for sole proprietorships, partnerships and the self-employed. In Schuffelen’s opinion, the short-time allowance that expires on March 31, 2022 should also be extended again in the near future.
For the period after the pandemic, Schuffelen sees the need to recapitalize the trading companies affected by the pandemic. In his opinion, the pressure from the unindebted debt and interest burden threatens a large number of companies and thus thousands of jobs.
Recovery only in the second half of the year or 2023
As far as the outlook for the year as a whole is concerned, the ANWR Group does not expect a noticeable recovery in its retail sectors of shoes, sports and leather goods until the second half of the year at the earliest; a situation comparable to the pre-Corona period and corresponding sales are not expected until 2023. The ongoing supply chain problems in many parts of the economy, which also influence the supply of goods to retailers, also contribute to this.