Consumers’ reluctance to consume has led to a slight decline in sales at the shirt manufacturer Olymp. The head of the family business from Bietigheim-Bissingen (Ludwigsburg district), Mark Bezner, spoke of a difficult year 2024. The company plans to present more precise figures in January.
In mid-2023, Bezner announced that he wanted to return to the pre-Corona level in 2024. In 2019, revenue was still 268 million euros. In 2023, sales increased slightly to 229 million euros compared to the previous year.
He assessed the market situation differently at the time. “I couldn’t have imagined in my most negative dreams how difficult it would be this year,” said Bezner. Its main buyers, i.e. its trading partners, have come under great pressure and have continued to consolidate. “It was therefore extremely difficult to secure sales and defend sales,” said Bezner. “Of the five years in which we have been in turbulent times, this year has certainly been the most challenging.”
Money is not easy for consumers right now
Consumers must be in a good mood. After all, he doesn’t go shopping because he’s cold. “The money is not sitting there at the moment.” In addition to inflation as a driver for the reluctance to buy, Bezner generally also sees the poor economic developments as a reason. If Olymp’s target group, “the upper middle class”, is worried about their jobs, then that does not increase their willingness to consume.
Olymp is under enormous cost pressure, for example due to price increases in the use of materials, manufacturing processes or freight rates, but also due to higher collective bargaining agreements for employees. “At the moment, in this tough market environment, we unfortunately see no opportunity to increase our prices accordingly and adapt them to the actual cost structures,” said Bezner. If he were to take this step, it would probably result in further loss of sales.
ber: “We won’t make any losses this year either,” said Bezner. And: In 2025, the company plans to exceed the sales of 2023 again. Bezner based his forecast on increases in incoming orders that were already emerging. (dpa)