Hartlauer

Hartlauer Handelsgesellschaft mbH
legal form	Company with limited liability
founding	1971
Seat	Steyr, Austria
management	Robert F. Hartlauer
Number of employees	1450 (2014)
sales	EUR 244 million (2014)
Branch	Electronics trade
Website	www.hartlauer.at

Hartlauer-Haus at Steyrer Stadtplatz No. 6

Hartlauer Handelsgesellschaft mbH is an owner-managed photo, optics, hearing aid and electronics trading company with headquarters in Steyr ( Upper Austria ). The family business has 161 stores and a total of 1450 employees across Austria.

history

The retail chain was founded in 1971 by photo journalist Franz Josef Hartlauer as a small photo shop "Foto und Musik Hartlauer" in Steyr . The first branches in Vienna (Mariahilfer-Straße and Praterstraße) were opened in 1979 with the focus on “Photo HiFi records”. A plant for the production of glasses was completed in 1999 in Steyr. In 2000, the then 24-year-old Robert F. Hartlauer took over the company after the death of his father. In 2004 the company also expanded to Slovenia , but the two branches there remained below expectations and have been closed since summer 2010. According to Robert F. Hartlauer, no further expansions abroad are planned. In 2005 the company had an annual turnover of 209 million euros. In the spring of 2008 "Optik-pur" and "Handy-pur" stores were opened. The first two Optik-pur shops in PlusCity and Shopping City Süd and a Handy-pur in Vienna's Lugner City were realized by the Austrian shopfitter Umdasch Shop-Concept from Amstetten.

While Hartlauer has taken great care of the employees throughout history, the company came into the press in 2013 primarily when it came to extending working hours and reducing bonuses. To this end, the collective agreements should be renegotiated. But the optimization of personnel costs also seems to be vital for the large company. In 2012, sales increased by 9%, but profits halved from 3.6 million to 1.7 million euros.

Company profile and advertising

Since 1982 a lion has been the trademark of the family company, which, according to the company's self-promotion, symbolizes “strength, reliability and justice”. The motif was photographed by an employee at Hellbrunn Zoo in Salzburg . The company's best-known slogan is “Get a Tiger Lion!”. In the TV commercials, the managing director acts as the main character and presents offers in a personal address to the customer. He always ends his message with the words "Your Robert Hartlauer".

The snow bet was introduced in 1997 as a marketing measure. Customers who shop in a certain period between the end of November and the beginning of December will get a percentage of the purchase price back if it snows on December 24th at 12 noon in front of the city hall of their state capital, according to the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics . 20% was refunded when it was introduced, compared to 50% in 2011. 5% of the profit must be paid as betting tax. This offer was also valid in 2013, from a purchase value of 35 euros, 50% of the purchase price was reimbursed in the event of snowfall on December 24th. In 2018 Hartlauer lost the snow bet in Tyrol after it snowed in front of Innsbruck City Hall on December 24th. The prerequisite for the reimbursement of the money was a purchase of at least 35 euros between November 15 and December 8, and the cash receipt had to have an even final number. The weather situation in Linz was decisive for online customers.

Core areas

The current core areas of the Hartlauer retail chain are "photo", "cell phone", "optics" and "hearing aids". Employees are regularly trained on new products at the Hartlauer Academy and on an e-learning platform.

Hartlauer photo

The product portfolio includes SLR cameras, compact cameras, system cameras and Nikon professional equipment. In addition, various photo accessories - lenses, storage media, bags, tripods, flashes, etc. - are offered.

Hartlauer photo elaboration (Photo World)

The product range not only includes photo prints and CEWE photo books, but also photo canvases and posters, greeting cards, photo calendars and various photo gifts. Photo editing software for desktop computers and the "Hartlauer Foto World App" for iPhone, iPad and Android are provided free of charge.

Hartlauer cell phone

As a mobile phone provider with license agreements with all Austrian network operators, Hartlauer offers up-to-date, independent tariff advice. In addition to smartphones and cell phones with tariffs, there are also devices without a tariff and numerous accessories on offer.

Hartlauer optics

Hartlauer has been manufacturing glasses since 1999, which, according to the company, produces 400,000 glasses a year. Spectacle frames and glasses as well as optical sunglasses and contact lenses are offered.