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Yves Burger, the new co-owner and director of the Swiss toy legend Franz Carl Weber, is visibly proud. Proud to give a future to 240 employees. Proud to run a traditional Swiss company – founded in 1881 – in the future. Proud to have found other shareholders with Digitec founder, Marcel Dobler, and German toy maker Simba Dickie, who – like the Burgers themselves are long-term oriented.
Burger had an intense year. In June 2017, for the first time, he had the idea to buy "Franzki" at the toy retailer Ludendo, a French itinerant retailer, and take over the 19 Swiss FCW stores as part of the program. a buyout by management. He hired Zetra International, the mergers and acquisitions specialist for small business transactions. And the Zurich law firm Meyerlustenberger Lachenal. Now, the ink is dry on all the contracts that the onboard investors are capitalizing on the new FCW company. Finally, Burger is able to develop the business as he imagined – without being slowed down by the struggling owner to survive.
The narrowing of the market, FCW attaches
The fact that Franz Carl Weber does things well is shown by two figures: Im According to market research conducted by GfK in the first half of 2018, the Swiss toy market has retreated 2.6%. Burger, however, has recorded a more than 1% over the same period. This is not a dream value. But for a company that is virtually non-existent in e-commerce, clearly positioned as a specialty store and that does not attract cheap customers, this is also not a bad value. FCW gains market share. It's a good thing.
However, it would be unwise to assume that homework was done. And it would also be unwise to assume that market share gains continue. Because: FCW should have taken advantage this year of the fact that the big competitor Toys 'R' Us was mainly occupied by itself – the American mother went bankrupt – and also appears very weak online in Switzerland.
That will change in 2019. Detlev Mutterer, director of Toys 'R' Us in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, will turn his stores into Smyth Toys after this year's Christmas activity. The Irish family business, which has quickly become the undisputed market leader of the British Isles, wants to accelerate its development after taking over the empire of Mutterer Toys' R & U in continental Europe. A real marketing offensive is expected. It is also clear that Smyth Toys – with only 11 large agencies in Switzerland – will invest a lot of money in an online store to increase its presence in the country.
Hard work awaits Dobler
2019 will be a key year for Franz Carl Weber. It is important to take it against the much larger and more aggressive competitors Smyths Toys. And: Immediately after the Christmas business in 2018, Dobler, co-owner of FCW, must show that he is still strategically at the forefront of e-commerce. Then the new FCW online store has to go online. And it must do justice to Dobler's stated goal: "to make children's eyes shine not only in the store, but also by browsing the mobile phone and the tablet." It's going to be hard work. For now, FCW can only "click and collect".
As a company and toy store, Franz Carl Weber enjoys a special reputation. Every Swiss child, every god and every god and every parent has personal memories of shopping in the "Franzki" and the excitement on Christmas Eve when the new catalog was in the mailbox. Almost no other company, hardly a brand, occupies a more positive position in Switzerland than home with the logo rocking horse.
But a big past – in the mid-1970s, the legendary FAO Schwarz toy store in New York. -imperium – and a great brand are just a good starting point for shaping the future. No more.
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