picture alliance / ANP | Sem van der Wal
- Douglas is downsizing its branch network and wants to concentrate more on online trading in the future.
- In Germany, around 60 of the more than 430 branches are affected by the closings and around 600 of the 5,200 employees are losing their jobs.
- Online business went well in the 2019/20 calendar year and even made up over 25 percent of the share of sales across Europe – in Germany the share was even 39.9 percent.
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Hardly any retail company has been spared the consequences of the coronavirus-related lockdown. The Douglas perfumery is also affected. The chain is downsizing the branch network and wants to concentrate more on online trading in the future. Of the News broadcaster ntv reports about the branches that have to close.
The trend towards online business has long been going on. And the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated this development. That is why the group is now in control: Douglas boss Tina Müller announces that around 60 of the more than 430 branches in Germany will be closed – around 600 of the 5,200 employees in Germany will lose their jobs. Across Europe, a total of around 2,500 of the 20,000 employees and 500 of the 2,400 shops are affected, including many in Italy and Spain.
Douglas managed to keep the effects of the pandemic low in the 2019/20 financial year thanks to its already strong online presence. Nevertheless, the group made a loss of 517 million euros. The online business actually went particularly well and made up over 25 percent of the share of sales across Europe – in Germany the share was even 39.9 percent.
Sales from e-commerce rose by 40.6 percent to 822 million euros in the past financial year – for the whole of 2020, the group even recorded sales of more than one billion euros for the first time. The closings and the expanded online trade should make Douglas “more future-proof for the next few years”, according to Müller.
The following German branches are affected:
- Aachen, Aquis Plaza
- Berlin, Schlossstrasse
- Berlin, Stromstrasse
- Bielefeld, Loom shopping center
- Dortmund, Thier Gallery
- Dresden, Seestrasse
- Düsseldorf, Nordstrasse
- Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf-Arcaden
- Düsseldorf, Schadow-Arcaden
- Essen, Altenessen shopping center
- Essen, Kettwiger Strasse
- Frankfurt, Borsigallee
- Hamburg, Altona, Neue Große Bergstrasse
- Hamburg, Europa Passage
- Hamburg, Volksdorf, Claus-Ferck-Strasse
- Cologne, Ehrenstrasse
- Cologne, Hohe Strasse
- Cologne, Neusser Strasse
- Cologne, Sülzburgstrasse
- Leipzig, Grimmaische Strasse
- Leipzig, Ludwigsburger Strasse
- Mönchengladbach, Stresemannstrasse
- Munich, Leopoldstrasse
- Munich, Passauer Strasse
- Paderborn, at the Rathausplatz
- Schwerte, Hüsingstrasse
- Stuttgart, Koenigstrasse
- Wuppertal, City Arkaden
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