Competec results for 2023 reveal sales of 1.14 billion Swiss francs and over 4 million packages dispatched
Mägenwil, 9 January 2024 – In a year that saw ongoing growth in the private customer business and challenges for the B2B sector in the second half, the Competec Group – which includes online specialist merchant BRACK.CH and wholesaler Alltron – achieved 1.14 billion Swiss francs in sales, representing a decline of around 2.6 percent compared to the previous year. Volumes of packages, meanwhile, rose by around 12 percent to 4.36 million.
- In a difficult environment, the Competec Group is performing above the market standard when it comes to many groups of products, but overall has recorded a decline in sales in the low single-digit percentage range.
- The volume of packages dispatched by Competec rose in 2023, and there was an increase in both private customer business and staff levels.
The Competec Group generated consolidated sales of 1.14 billion Swiss francs in 2023 – a decline of around 2.6 percent compared to the previous year. “Our goal was to achieve further growth in 2023, but we fell short of this due to the market downturn that became more pronounced in the second half of the year, especially in the B2B sector. However, we managed to hold our ground amidst challenging market conditions and actually performed better than the market average in some areas. We saw continued growth in the private customer segment”, said Martin Lorenz, Competec Group CEO, commenting on the sales figures. The company’s management, he added, is optimistic that business customers’ willingness to make investments will increase during the coming year as a result of long-term reductions in interest rates, companies moving forward in their investment cycles since COVID, and support for Windows 10 approaching its scheduled end in 2025.
Wir konnten uns in einem anspruchsvollen Markt behaupten und haben in einigen Bereichen besser als der Markt abgeschnitten. Im Privatkundensegment sind wir weiter kontinuierlich gewachsen.Martin Lorenz, CEO der Competec-Gruppe
In 2023, the Competec Group’s logistics centre in Willisau (Lucerne canton) surpassed the 4 million mark in the number of packages it dispatched – a first for the business. This represents an increase of around 12 percent on the previous year, which saw 3.9 million packages dispatched. Expansion work is continuing as planned to ensure that the business maintains the ability to handle the ongoing growth in order numbers as it moves into the future. The number of salaried staff members has also increased and further investments have been made in new automation technology. These steps, says Martin Lorenz, will put the logistics area of the business in an excellent position to maintain customer satisfaction by living up to its promise that orders placed today are delivered tomorrow.
At the end of 2023, the Competec Group employed 1314 staff members, swelling its ranks by 64 compared to the previous year. In particular, the business created additional posts in logistics to accommodate the growing volume of packages being handled. Up to 255 members of temporary staff also worked alongside the logistics team over the course of the year to help manage peak times. In addition, the Competec Group filled 20 new apprenticeship positions last year, maintaining the total number of apprentices at a constant 77. By sponsoring the BRACK.CH ICT Campus in Mägenwil, the Group is also proving its dedication to training up skilled professionals.
The work involved in integrating Schoch Vögtli into the BRACK.CH Business division, catering to business customers, is now almost complete. The Winterthur-based provider of business supplies has been operating as part of the Competec Group since 2022, and with the newly developed joint B2B platform now in operation, the process of migrating all of Schoch Vögtli’s customers will reach its conclusion during the first half of 2024. The new BRACK.CH Business platform in question is designed for procurement and will give companies and institutions access to even more services. Business customers will now benefit from compilations of product ranges and start pages tailored to their specific needs, plus e-procurement processes and a kanban service in which BRACK.CH Business employees will regularly check stocks of consumables at customers’ sites and replenish them as necessary. Not only that, but the B2B platform is now also being made available in English and Italian.
Competec wholesaler Alltron strengthened its position on the software market by obtaining a distribution contract for classic Microsoft software business in spring 2023. Over 600 merchants are already using the Alltron Service Marketplace as a highly automated way of purchasing software subscriptions for their customers periodically from the cloud. What’s more, Alltron has devoted particular attention to expanding the French-language training provision available from its own Alltron Academy. This will allow customers in western Switzerland to engage in ongoing training through the latest workshops and certifications.
BRACK.CH has set itself the goal of giving its customers the very best possible online shopping experience – and it is clear that the efforts its staff members dedicate to achieving this every single day have paid off. Not only did the private customer business continue to grow in the single-digit percentage range in 2023, but PCtipp magazine also awarded BRACK.CH the accolade of Switzerland’s best online electronics shop in November. BRACK.CH achieved top marks in the categories of range, functionality, site loading speed and advice.
With the aim of making even more improvements to its shopping experience, in October BRACK.CH launched the beta version of an artificial intelligence-based product advice service, which finds products matching the criteria of individual enquiries round the clock. The service is currently in the process of expansion and will be available to all customers at the start of the new year.
The Competec Group is made up of online merchant BRACK.CH, wholesaler Alltron, home and living products distributor Jamei, health products distributor Medidor, private label manufacturer Furber, logistics service provider Competec Logistik and the centralised services delivered under the umbrella of Competec Service. The Group is Switzerland’s largest online provider of goods and services to private, business and retail customers. It operates independently of major distributors and is entirely Swiss-run. It employs 1314 people (as at the end of 2023) and achieved sales of around 1.138 billion Swiss francs in 2023.
About Competec-Gruppe
Wir sind Competec – gemeinsam gestalten wir den Handel von morgen.
Nous sommes Competec – ensemble, nous façonnons le commerce de demain.
We are Competec – together we are shaping the commercial landscape of tomorrow.
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