Leineweber GmbH & Co. KG, to which the Brax brand belongs, closed the 2021 financial year with sales of 253 million euros, an increase of almost 3 percent compared to the previous year. The company recorded an increase in sales of almost 44 percent in its own e-commerce compared to the previous year and in stationary retail by 7 percent. Both stationary and online trade showed a positive development in the second half of the year.
In the international wholesale business, the core markets of Austria, Switzerland and Belgium are among the outstanding comeback markets, as are the USA and RUS/CIS. In terms of its own retail business, the Brax branches in Belgium have developed very well, according to the company.
“2021 was not an easy year for the fashion industry, especially for stationary retail due to the lockdown, which lasted until May in Germany alone. Nevertheless, we were able to close the year much better than expected – and the fact that the Brax brand is in demand was particularly evident from the very good development in the online area,” commented Marc Freyberg, Managing Director and company spokesman at Brax, in a press release.
Plus of 9.8 percent in the German specialist trade
“Industry figures show that the German stationary high-end specialist trade made a total increase of 3.8 percent in the last year compared to 2020. At Brax we were able to record a disproportionate increase of 9.8 percent compared to 2020. After the shops reopened in May 2021, we gained significant market share in wholesale. A key criterion for success was that we delivered very well and were therefore not only able to maintain our market position, but also to improve it,” explains Brax CEO Stefan Brandmann.
Together with Freyberg and Frauke Schelkes, who is responsible for the product and licenses, and Johannes Weselek (procurement, logistics), he has been managing the company since January 1, 2022, after it was restructured when Michael Horst retired at the end of the year.
2022 starts with the opening of the Brax Store in Hamburg
In 2022, the company is targeting numerous projects that should further strengthen the Brax brand. For example, the opening of another shop in Hamburg in a central location on Poststrasse. The focus of the product presentation is the outfit character, with Brax Lab, the capsule collection by Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ana Ivanović, being on display in a special area. Another highlight will be the Home & Living area, with which the brand has had good experiences in the shop in Münster.
“We are very optimistic about the year 2022. Our collection is extremely clearly aligned and follows the “ready to wear” idea even more. We are certain that this will offer the trade very good prospects,” explains Freyberg.
Capsule collection celebrates 50 years of Brax womenswear
In autumn 2022, the brand will celebrate 50 years of Brax womenswear with its own capsule collection and will also launch the Brax online shop in the important US market on September 1, 2022.
“At Brax, we are pursuing the Digital First approach and assume that by 2023 we will be generating around a third of our distance selling sales online,” explains Freyberg. In order to further advance the digitization of the specialist retail trade, Brax increased the number of employees in the existing e-commerce wholesale department and, in addition to sales promotion measures, will also provide digital tools such as individual social media campaigns and topic-specific newsletters as well as professional support for the Brax brand presentation in selected online shops of the specialist trade, for which sales targets are also defined as a key strategic new component.
100 percent sustainable products by 2030
As far as sustainability is concerned, customers should “feel completely comfortable” with the products and be able to rely on the fact that social and ecological standards are observed during their manufacture, says Freyberg. 50 percent of all products should be sustainable by 2022, 80 percent by 2025 and 95 to 100 percent by 2030.
As challenges for 2022, Brax names the ongoing dynamic corona situation, the consequences of possible global crises such as the Ukraine conflict, as well as the topics of transport logistics, supply chains, shortages of raw materials and procurement prices. In the area of own retail, personnel recruiting is a bottleneck that has occupied the company since the Corona pandemic.