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Sales at the Scandinavian Photos store in Mölndal have dropped dramatically since the crown crisis erupted. The company now announces that it will be forced to close the store after long-term problems with profitability.
– Having a full-fledged store no longer sees finances. We must move to something more sustainable in the long term. E-commerce has taken over increasingly larger parts of our volumes for a long time. Since then, the crown crisis has accelerated the decision, says Anders Halvarsson, CEO of Scandinavian Photo.
READ MORE Here are the companies that have fallen into the crisis.
Queue already at 6 in the morning
Sales started in Mölndal on Saturday and by 6 a.m. people had started queuing outside, according to Halvarsson. On the day of the opening, the line was on the street several hundred meters long, despite the rain.
There were many people there on the opening day. How do you ensure that people keep their distance?
– It’s something we’ve talked about a lot today. I know that many have had trouble saturating themselves in these situations. We really can’t do much more than talk to customers and make sure we don’t let too many people enter the store at the same time. We hope it works, says Anders Halvarsson.
READ MORE Digital retail should help merchants overcome crisis
Transfer operations to Borås
The plan now is to open a service center in connection with the central warehouse in Borås. In addition to service and repairs, there will still be an opportunity for physical meetings with vendors. But more and more customers are choosing to shop online today, something that has become especially clear in the wake of the new corona virus. And Anders Halvarsson believes that behavior change will persist when the crisis ends.
– It is clear that those who prefer to shop locally prefer to have a store nearby. At the same time, a significant majority of clients set the agenda, it must be controlled by the client, he says, and continues:
– Of course, it is sad that we have to close, even if it is the right decision. It is a bit of a double emotion. We have owned the store for 18 years and we have a group of employees who have and still do a fantastic job there. Some of the staff will come to Borås, but others will end this and of course it feels very boring.
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