Footwear retailer schuh is closing its stores in Germany in order to focus on core markets including the UK.
The company said it was closing its three German stores, located in Oberhausen, Ruhr Park and Essen, on 22 June 2019. It claimed a number of factors had changed since it had opened its first store in 2015, including “the impact of Brexit.”
schuh said the decision was taken in order to focus on its UK, Irish and Channel Islands store estate and ecommerce business. The company said it was refocusing on customer experience improvements in store design and personalisation amidst challenging market conditions.
German customers will still be able to shop from the German online store, with the orders being fulfilled through UK warehouses.
Colin Temple, MD at schuh, said: “Since opening, the stores have received exceptional feedback and despite the trading headwinds I am so proud of the achievement of having been able to open in another country in a foreign language with such high acclaim from customers and vendors alike.
“This is testament to the exceptional work that has been invested by our divisional manager, whose project this was, and testament to all our staff employed across Germany for whom we can only thank them for their valuable input. We are sorry they will not be part of the schuh/Genesco family moving forward.”
schuh’s director of ecommerce appeared on the InternetRetailing RetailCraft podcast in December. He discussed Schuh’s proposition and how speed, accuracy and convenience are at the heart of the multichannel approach.
