Some chains allow the order to be delivered to the address, elsewhere personal collection at branches is possible. If the stone shops remained closed even before Christmas, the impact would be drastic, according to a CTK survey among representatives of bookstore networks.
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The Dobrovský Book chain has closed all its 35 branches. “We did not consider the possibility of personal collection. We have most of the stores in the malls and we consider the current measures important. So we want to protect customers and our employees as much as possible. We do not consider the queues for picking up personal purchases to be happy, “said Adam Pýcha, the company’s marketing director.
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According to Pride, the online sales of the Dobrovský Book have been growing significantly for more than three years, and this area was important even before the pandemic. According to him, they are currently managing the influx of customers without delaying sending. Technology, e-shops and forwarding companies are not ready to move all Christmas purchases to the Internet, but according to him.
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In the case of the Luxor bookstore, there are 22 dispensing windows in 22 stores. Here, too, they saw a growing demand in the e-shop. “The Luxor bookstore focuses mainly on the sale of books in stone shops, on personal contact with the customer. We are ready for a higher influx of internet orders, but internet sales will definitely not reach the volume of purchases in stores, “said company spokeswoman Ivana Oberhofnerová.
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The Kanzelsberger bookstore has 63 locations throughout the country. According to Jan Kanzelsberger, CEO of the company, all stores operate in a limited mode and, as a standard, process online orders with delivery through a “window”.
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However, according to him, books are not spare parts for a car, which can be ordered according to the catalog. People need to browse through books, to be inspired by the offer in the store. “The current second closing, moreover at a time of a commercially stronger part of the year, is a major complication, as the seasonality of sales is crucial, especially in the book industry. I can’t imagine closing deals in the run-up to Christmas, “he said. According to him, the transfer of all pre-Christmas purchases to the Internet is an illusion that the existing logistics capacities would not be able to handle.
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According to Kanzelsberger, the state aid will probably help cover the largest losses for the announced 13-day closure. If the measures last longer, the help will not be enough. In addition, aid should be approved more quickly.
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“I can state that the last applications from the first COVID call for rent have not yet been approved, and I am afraid that the approval apparatus will be flooded again. The bureaucracy around the second challenge is also, in my opinion, unnecessarily extensive and will again take time that we do not have, “he added.
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The government has banned retail sales since October 22. Exceptions are groceries, drugstores, pharmacies, opticians, florists and haberdashery. With few exceptions or services, they cannot work. The regulation should apply until 3 November, ie until the end of the state of emergency. However, according to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), the cabinet is preparing to extend it, and also plans to tighten existing restrictions.
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