display
Düsseldorf (dpa) - The perfumery chain Douglas is planning branch closings in Germany and Europe in view of the triumphant advance of online retail.
The German Press Agency learned this on Wednesday from informed circles.
The "Manager Magazin" had previously reported that the Douglas perfumery chain wanted to permanently close more than 50 of its 430 branches in Germany.
In Europe as a whole, up to 500 of the almost 2,400 locations are to be eliminated.
The industry journal “Lebensmittel Zeitung” reported that the wave of closings could even affect “more than 500 branches”.
A company spokeswoman did not want to comment on the reports.
Douglas boss Tina Müller had already emphasized last summer: “Customer demand is changing.
There is a trend away from stationary shopping towards online shopping.
We have to take this structural change into account by revising the branch network. "
At that time, the group boss left no doubt that not all of the 2,400 stores will survive the “revision” of the branch network.
But she emphasized: "Germany will tend to be less affected by shop closings than southern Europe."
The "Manager Magazin" reported that the branch network in Germany was being touched less severely than was partly feared.
The lion's share of the closings are accounted for in Spain and Italy, where Douglas operates a network with a large number of very small shops as a result of acquisitions.