Gerd Schachermayer from the family-run wholesale company of the same name spoke at the first Praxisdialog of the 2024/25 winter semester about the challenges of generating additional added value for the company despite falling product margins.
One obvious approach would be to focus more on private labels, but this would put the company in direct competition with its own suppliers. In addition, a private label strategy would also require product development and thus manufacturer know-how. Schachermayer GmbH, which is based in Linz and has around 2,000 employees across Europe, is therefore pursuing a different strategy. In order to cushion the declining margins on product sales, services are increasingly being priced and offered separately. In 2015, a study conducted by the Institute for Retail Sales and Marketing under the direction of Prof. Thomas Werani investigated which services are relevant for B2B customers and how much they are willing to pay for them. The results, based on a large-scale customer survey and subsequently a conjoint analysis, are still the foundation of Schachermayer's service strategy today and thus form the perfect combination of theory (university) and practice (business/company).

Schachermayer sees the future of the company in services that are easy to explain to customers, take individual customer needs into account and have a relevant willingness to pay (such as construction site deliveries or assembly services).
The discussion of Schachermayer's social commitment with the “hello yellow-Pumptrack”, the “hello yellow-Velodrom” (now the only cycling track in Austria) and, more recently, the “last by Schachermayer” concluded the practical dialog.
We would like to thank Gerd Schachermayer for his interesting presentation and insights into B2B retail, as well as Prof. Dr. Thomas Werani for moderating this exciting evening.