A gambler is a gambler, a daredevil, a careless person. Is a fashion retailer who calls his business a “gambler” exactly that? Or isn’t he someone who has the ability to take his heart into his hands and make courageous decisions; someone who gets involved with everything they have, but never loses control; someone with self-irony and someone who is smart enough to always take things with humor and yet seriously. Someone like Markus Brüning, who runs his high fashion store “Hasardeur” together with his colleague Peter Bavendiek. Hasardeur has been one of Germany’s leading fashion stores for 38 years on Steinweg in Münster, covering a good 1000 square meters. In the interview, Brüning talks about the current challenges and the effects of political and social developments on his company and his personal and business goals.
How are you doing right now, Mr. Brüning?
The year is more than challenging. September worked very well, and our appointment customers have also been coming for two weeks. But April, May, June, July – this phase was worse than the crisis. The cold May in particular caused everything to slip; and then came the monster heat…
What impact does extreme heat and therefore climate change have on your business?
Extreme heat is deadly for us. Heavy rain or extremely hot weather really hinder sales because if they sweat or get wet, our customers won’t come at all. But there are also other developments that are problematic. Addressing customers specifically has become extremely difficult. It is now a huge challenge to talk to people.
What do you attribute this to?
Being isolated during the pandemic has not been good for any of us. During this time, our society has changed permanently. What was valid before Corona is no longer valid after Corona.
What else has changed besides communication?
In my opinion, encounters and belonging have become much more important for people. This must be made possible for them – and that also applies to us.
What do you mean by that?
In the past I had some reservations about customer events… and I have to admit: I couldn’t really see the need; After all, we are there for our customers from morning to evening, six days a week. But over the course of this year, I’ve realized that we can no longer escape it. Our customers explicitly expressed their desire for events to us – and we just had our premiere: with a group of 25 women between the ages of 50 and 65 – exactly our target group – who wanted to come to us.
How did it go?
Really good! I had real stage fright, I have to admit. But when I stood on our stairs and told the ladies about our business, which we have been running at this location for 38 years, the ice quickly broke. We then made great sales in two hours.
What was particularly important to these customers?
Above all, they wanted to know how to dress well.
And how do you dress well?
The basic rule is: coat, shoes and bag must be expensive, you can cheat between them. That’s what I conveyed to them too. But this event – as is often the case with our consultations – also covered topics beyond fashion. For example, I told the women that after a certain age, lipstick is an essential part of a good look because the pigmentation of the lips decreases. Or that always freshly washed hair is crucial for your overall appearance.
So you advise on a very personal level…
Absolutely. I even have the impression that clear messages in this area are very well received. Of course you have to hit the right tone. Ultimately, this is all a form of entertainment; That’s what’s important, even every day in consulting: that you entertain.
But you also seem to get very close to your customers…
Our customers learn to read – that is the constant task. What is happening with women at the moment? How do you feel about your life at the age you are now? I find it extremely exciting to find out.
What is particularly affecting your customers at the moment?
A perennial favorite is of course the topic of vacation. A huge amount of money is invested there – and that has a direct impact on us. Because all of these trips – to Mallorca several times a year, long-distance trips to Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica or Japan – cost up amounts into the five-figure range that can no longer be invested with us. The second effect is that many customers need something new much less often because their travels mean that they travel all year round in summer. Therefore, we definitely no longer need goods for winter and summer, but especially for the transition.
Does your clientele also talk about politics?
Politics is a topic in every sales conversation. At times the conversations here only revolved around heat pumps, house insulation and solar energy. After all, 80 percent of our customers are property owners. But there are also many other issues that concern people, such as inflation, the recession, or the question of why it takes us 20 years to get the railways back on track.
How do you react to these topics?
You can’t ignore it all anymore; and if a customer wants to talk about politics, you can no longer avoid it, you have to take a stand. This applies to us here in our store as well as to the politicians on the big stage: You can’t hide, you have to communicate. Otherwise people feel left alone. And when you communicate, you have to do it the right way. There are currently deficits. The result is: There is something wobbling, gelatinous over the entire country. People are unsettled. And when they are unsettled, the Germans save. Of course we feel that too.
At which point in particular?
The upper middle class clientele is particularly affected. Many people in this area can no longer afford the increased prices. We also lost customers, I have to say that very clearly.
Do you address this in your product range design or do you let customers go?
I am now aggressively promoting the sale for this clientele. I also talk to them openly about the fact that it doesn’t have to be unpleasant for them to only buy on sale, that it is actually sustainable and that they as customers are no less important to us. In addition, I obviously have to rethink my product volume: How much selection do I need to be competent? How much choice can I afford?
Uncertainty, dissatisfaction, this “wobbling feeling” as you described the mood in the country… Is there a collection that addresses this mixed situation in exactly the right way?
Oh yes, all knitters who offer knitting in combinations; Also for men, who now even accept knitted jackets. First of all, I think of Iris von Arnim and Extreme Cashmere or Philo-Sofie. These are top performers who tell a very complete story. Of course, Prada must also be mentioned here, this collection clearly has its momentum. At Bottega Veneta it is the bags in particular that are particularly attractive. At the same time, prices are also a huge issue. If a sweater costs 2,400 euros, many people can’t understand that. We have to find a new balance.
How do you want to achieve this balance?
We need goods in price ranges that our customers not only can pay, but also want. This particularly applies to the segments in which there is continuous demand, i.e. coats, jackets, trouser suits. But I think we solved this task very well with a few suppliers.
Which suppliers are these?
Manzoni24 works extremely well for us; this is exactly the transitional product we need. We sell Doriani very well. Max Mara also offers exactly the right performance at exactly the right price range. 790 euros for the jacket and 490 euros for the matching trousers – that is a price level that is highly accepted.
How important is Quiet Luxury for Hasardeur?
The much-discussed quiet luxury means above all advice. Because it’s all about the finest details: the right proportions, the right heel, the flowing silhouettes. The look must reflect everyday life, but should never be too sporty. Other trouser styles and dresses usually play a key role. You also have to find alternatives for elements that don’t work for the individual customer; High heels, for example, because they are unpopular with many people. In this case, do ballet flats also work with wide trousers? If so, which ones and with which wide trousers? Without competent advice, it will hardly be possible to create the casual dressing that Quiet Luxury stands for in an individually convincing way. Basically, Quiet Luxury is also a synonym for our special expertise: advice, excellence, experience. This is our trump card and we have to play it.
Are you now ordering live again or are you still ordering online?
We have a giant screen in the office and continue to do everything online; Not only because we then save flights and protect the environment: I also work more concentrated and much more focused in this mode. The basic questions – how many drops do I need, how few looks can I work with – are decided much more rationally. I’ve actually found that I make fewer mistakes online. Maybe that’s because I’m a 100% gut person: If the emotion falls by the wayside when ordering online, in my case that’s more of a positive thing.
Doesn’t inspiration also fall by the wayside?
Absolutely not, I’ll get them on Instagram. I also regularly communicate on Zoom calls and with our social media people, watch every fashion show and soak up every bit of information I can get.
With all the challenges and complexity of the problems we as
company and that have a direct impact on you and your company: How do you view your job today?
What fundamentally excites me about my job is still there: it is still the joy of dealing with people that drives me and the desire to help them in an area that I know a lot about, namely fashion admit. In the past, the goal was always to become even more successful. We were practically insatiable and still wanted more. Today I know: We will never get back to where we were before the pandemic. This is a realization that you first have to digest.
Given this background, how do you keep your personal motivation high?
This happens every day in my encounters. Last Saturday, for example, I served a customer non-stop for six hours. Afterwards everything hurt – and yet I was totally happy. But of course, when the general conditions change so dramatically, you also have to make fundamental changes yourself, both in business and in your private life.
In our private lives, we moved out of the city and into nature – and that’s doing us an awful lot of good. We pay more attention to healthy eating, cook more ourselves, I practice autosuggestion… all of this has had a huge impact on me. From a business perspective, my goal is to lower the bar and also enjoy smaller sales. Actually, it’s not difficult for me to motivate myself. I love my job – I just wish I had fewer worries.
