The outdoor outfitter Bergfreunde GmbH was able to set another sales record in the 2022 financial year. Despite the difficult framework conditions, the e-commerce specialist increased its revenues by 19 percent year-on-year to EUR 242 million.
“The online specialist retailer for mountaineering, climbing and outdoor equipment is holding its own in a difficult market environment characterized by a slump in consumption, inflation and supply chain problems,” Bergfreunde said in a statement on Thursday. In addition, the company “again achieved a profitable result”.
Managing Director Ronny Höhn explained the company’s recipe for success: “The focus of our teams in the past year was clearly on operational management: constant reassessment of the framework parameters and continuous, short-term adjustments to demand trends, the delivery situation and the competitive environment,” he explained in one statements. “This was the only way we were able to operate profitably in the mid-single-digit range despite the huge pressure.” Bergfreunde improved product liquidity “thanks to good operational management” and “ended the financial year without any significant inventory overhangs,” emphasized Höhn.
Managing Director Matthias Gebhard sees the company well prepared for the future despite ongoing adversity. “The next few years will be fraught with uncertainty, and everyone in the outdoor industry is preparing for that,” he explained. “In the long term, little will change in the megatrends driving outdoor and online retail. People spend their free time in nature and their purchasing behavior is increasingly shifting to the internet.”