Investments in “regional presence”: Hervis is modernizing three locations

The Austrian sporting goods retailer Hervis has reopened three locations with new concepts and modernized infrastructure in the past few weeks.

These are a store in Kirchberg that specializes in winter sports, a ski rental and service point at the Schmittenhöhebahn in Zell am See and a 1,000 square meter store in Fohnsdorf, which, after extensive renovation, now “combines the worlds of alpine and outdoor sports” and offers numerous services.

The investments were made as part of a strategic optimization of the branch network, the company, which is part of the Austrian Spar Group, explained in a statement. “With new store concepts and modernized branches, Austria’s largest sporting goods retailer is relying on what defines the brand: service quality, regional roots and modern infrastructure that gives sports enthusiasts an uncomplicated, reliable and high-quality experience – from getting into the gondola to everyday sports,” it says.

Hervis CEO Ulrich Hanfeld explained the background to the measures. “Sports retail is in a phase of realignment and that requires clear decisions,” he explained in a statement. “We consciously invest in regions where sport is practiced and where we can be close to our customers. Kirchberg, Zell am See and Fohnsdorf stand for exactly that: proximity, quality and services that make the difference.”

The sporting goods chain is currently focusing on sharpening its profile in its core markets as part of a “restructuring offensive”. As part of the realignment, the company decided at the end of November to sell its subsidiaries in Hungary and Romania to the British trading group Frasers Group Plc.

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