Südbund (purchasing community)
| Südbund purchasing association for home textiles eG | |
|---|---|
| legal form | cooperative |
| founding | 1932 |
| Seat | Backnang , Germany |
| management | Klaus Kurringer, Andreas Well |
| Number of employees | 27 |
| Branch | Association interior furnishings |
| Website | www.suedbund.de |
The Südbund Purchasing Association for Heimtextilien eG (own spelling: SÜDBUND ) is a German purchasing association based in Backnang . As a cooperative , Südbund eG is only obliged to its members. The members are represented by the Supervisory Board. The association wants to create better competitive conditions for its member companies. In 2015 the association had over 320 members and over 200 customers. Heimtextil specialist shops can become partners.
history
founding
The Südbund-Genossenschaft was founded in 1932 based on an idea by Paul Zeller. In 1932, a group of made saddlers and wallpapering masters on a multi-day tour of the plant in West Germany. The tour group hoped that this way of cultivating contacts would lead to better purchasing conditions at the individual plants, but they were disappointed. None of the factories offered a collaboration and the saddlers were still forced to buy through wholesalers . Only Paul Zeller, who had organized the trip for his colleagues from the Württemberg region, had the chance to do his shopping at the companies he visited. Zeller's business was registered and his sales were already so good at that time that he could make his purchases from the companies he visited. His colleagues could not do this and were accordingly disappointed and angry. The mood threatened to change. Everything revolved around the question: How can we deal better with wholesaling and become industrial customers? The idea of buying together and working closely together slowly matured. And so on August 8, 1932 in the hotel "König von Württemberg" in Stuttgart , the Südbund, South German purchasing association for decoration shops eG mbH was founded. At that time, Paul Zeller took the initiative to implement the idea. Independent master craftsmen or trading companies that belonged to the decoration trade could become members for a fee of 50.00 Reichsmarks. Paul Zeller took on the task of purchasing together and thus the sole risk. 14 founding members were involved in founding the association. The first general assembly on September 18, 1933 took place under the motto “common benefit instead of self-interest”. The association was a thorn in the side of the wholesalers and non-members and they fought the cooperative. But the association was not deterred and organized the so-called Südbund retirement in the spring and autumn of 1936. An in-house order fair.
Second World War
The Second World War also left its mark on Südbund eG. It was difficult to get goods. Carpets, textiles and decorative items were simply not needed in the difficult times of the war. General meetings of the members did not take place due to the difficult financial situation. And yet the Südbund eG stuck together. The members helped each other and the personal contact went far beyond the community of interests. But the war, which was getting worse and worse, finally forced Südbund eG to cease operations completely.
reconstruction
After the end of the war, Südbund eG needed some time to rearrange itself. The first general assembly took place on April 6, 1949 in the "Elsässer Taverne" in Stuttgart. 43 members belonged to the association at that time. Südbund eG only managed to re-establish itself in the years to come through strict payment conditions and thrift. The first Südbund trade fair took place in October 1949 and was a complete success. The association recognized that it was time to run the headquarters according to purely commercial principles in the future. After the end of the war, the headquarters were relocated to Freiburg, then to Ulm and in 1952 they moved back to the founding site in Stuttgart. In 1954 the new product linoleum was added to the delivery program.
The Südbund eG also felt the effects of the economic miracle . The number of members increased and for the 25th anniversary the purchasing cooperative was able to buy the house in which it was based. The turnover of the association reached a turnover record in 1957. But there were disagreements within the association: the members paid too slowly. The association's outstanding debts were immense. In 1955 the association decided to invest in advertising for the first time. In 1959 the general assembly found the increasing expansion of department stores alarming. An occasion for the association to make a name for itself as a craft business in the specialist shop category.
The financial situation of Südbund eG was in a difficult position due to the uncontrolled investment boom. The conversion into a corporation was considered. However, when it was possible to make contact with English carpet manufacturers on a business trip, which went hand in hand with an order for 20,000 DM, this was an important step for the purchasing cooperative. At the beginning of 1963, the Schäfer property in Sechselberg near Backnang was taken over and rebuilt to meet the needs of the cooperative. In October of the same year, the move took place with 30 employees. The Südbund eG welcomed its 100th member. Verbund also continued to invest in advertising. The new Südbund neon sign adorned every Südbund specialty store, which could thus directly signal its affiliation. But not every business could become a member. In 1966 it was decided that annual sales of at least DM 300,000 and the level of a specialist shop were basic requirements for joining the cooperative.
expansion
In the 1970s, the Südbund eG expanded to western and northern Germany. But falling prices due to special offers and an aggressive pricing policy worried the industry. Customers were now able to purchase carpets not only from specialist shops, but also from other sales channels. Südbund eG responded and founded the access carpet market as a new sales channel in 1975. However, to strengthen the community even more, the insurance branch was added. In addition, the collaboration with industry-specific interior designers and shopfitting companies was expanded. In the area of advertising, Südbund eG developed a new advertising concept. A consumer brochure was presented for the first time at the spring fair in 1972. It had a circulation of 540,000 copies. In 1975 the Südbund eG had 280 members.
renaming
The Südbund trademark should be expanded further. For this purpose, at the general assembly on May 25, 1975, a new model statute and the changes to the company name in Südbund Purchasing Association for Heimtextilien eG were resolved. In the course of this, new conditions for joining the Südbund eG were created over the next two years. Heimtextil specialist stores whose range of goods and service functions corresponded to good specialist stores and which achieved an annual turnover of at least 500,000 DM could become members. Fashionable bed linen has been added to the range. In 1977 the Südbund eG brought out the first wallpaper card. The in-house collection area has also been strengthened. In the field of advertising, the end consumer came into focus. Complete advertising packages were available to members.
In 1981, the anniversary year, the Südbund eG had 405 members. The cooperative developed well. The sun protection campaign started in 1985 with an eight-page color brochure. Südbund eG was also able to further expand the insurance branch. At the end of 1984 there were over 800 insurance contracts.
In order to be one step ahead of the competition, Südbund eG organized the Südbund in-house exhibition for the first time with the participation of 27 suppliers. In the same year, Südbund eG presented itself at the world's largest trade fair for home textiles, Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main. The trade fair was a success for Südbund eG, which led to new business relationships. In 1989 the Südbund junior circle was formed. In regular meetings, the Südbund juniors received the necessary tools for the upcoming business takeovers. The sphere of activity of the Southern Confederation was also expanded. In April 1990 some guests from the GDR visited . This first meeting was a complete success for Südbund eG. After all, 24 visitors spontaneously declared their membership of the association. Thus, the number of members rose to 571 in 1990. In 1988 Südbund eG replaced the specialty store access market with two new concepts. DECODOMUS and DECO-POINT were the names of the new Südbund eG specialist stores. The range has also been expanded. The own brand “Novella” was developed in the upscale area. This could only be obtained from the Südbund members. It started with decorative fabrics. A novelty in the field of advertising material was the publication of the customer magazine WOHNEN & mehr. With the customer magazine, Südbund eG gave its members a competitive advantage in terms of profiling and presenting their expertise.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the home textile industry was struggling with a decline in sales. However, the membership and sales figures of SÜDBUNG eG increased. At the turn of the millennium, the association had 677 members. The magazine WOHNEN & mehr had developed into a bestseller customer magazine and the Südbund concepts also developed successfully. In 1996 the board member Werner Günter passed away after 25 years of loyal creativity for Südbund eG. Mr. Thomas Müller, one of the members, was then elected to the new board.
In 2008, the United States of America in particular was stuck in the worst financial crisis since 1945. The German home textile industry also felt the effects. The years in between were mixed for Südbund eG. In 2001, Südbund eG achieved external sales of more than DM 1 billion with its specialist retail partners. Prepared for a long time, the nationwide network of Südbund interior design professionals started in 2002 under the name OBJEKTPROFI. 395 Südbund partners took part in a total of 19 prospectus campaigns with a total circulation of 13 million prospectuses in 2001. Due to management mistakes, Südbund found itself in a life-threatening earnings and financial crisis in 2003. Due to this, the board of directors was expanded to include three full-time board members with Jörg Andreas Grundmann and Ralf Fussneger. After six years as managing director, Thomas Müller left the cooperative in October 2003 and Ralf Fussnegger at the beginning of 2004. At the end of the year, the balance sheet showed a deficit of 6.6 million euros. In October, the banks signaled that they would support the Südbund financially with a realignment. An extraordinary general assembly took place in November, at which the members also decided in favor of the continued existence of the cooperative. This ensured the continued existence of the cooperative. In 2004 and 2005, readers of the Eurodecor magazine named Südbund eG the best company in the advanced training category. In 2005, the previous Südbund concepts RAUM UND DESIGN, RAUM UND IDEE, DECODOMUS and DECO-POINT were replaced by the newly developed umbrella brand Raum3. But the home textile industry was on the downside. The association felt that too. The purchasing behavior of consumers declined. In order to continue to strengthen the efficiency of the cooperative, a general assembly in May 2008 voted for the introduction of a membership fee. In November 2008, the cooperative separated from its managing director Jörg-Andreas Grundmann. Klaus Kurringer, who had previously worked as commercial director at Südbund, was appointed as his successor. Andreas Well was appointed part-time member of the board of directors from among the members of the supervisory board.
Südbund eG presented itself with a new face on the market. The newly created construction of a customer contract made Südbund eG interesting again for the interior design industry and the adjacent trades. The association currently has over 320 members and 200 customers. From 2010 the newly named Südbund-Wwohnage took place twice a year. The fair was also made accessible to non-members and thereby established itself as an attractive regional fair. In July 2011 the “Education Network” project started. An amalgamation of the largest home textile associations, which can offer the associated interior decorators the possibility of further training on a large scale. The range has also been steadily expanded. In the 2011 financial year, SÜDBUND eG had actively moved out of the tense and existence-threatening earnings and financial crisis. The previous year's sales figures were exceeded for the first time since 2001. This made it possible to reduce the membership fee.
The events of the cooperative in 2012 were dominated by the company's 80-year history. In 2013, Südbund was able to acquire 37 new customers and double-digit growth rates in the area of its own collections of decorative fabrics and carpets. With an increase to 1,500 visitors, the Südbund Wwohnage had grown into one of the largest regional trade fairs in Germany. With 34 new branch offices, it was possible to continue the positive growth that is unusual for the home textile associations. The range of in-house collections was expanded to include the design flooring and wallpaper product group. In addition to the procurement and marketing of goods, the members and customers of the cooperative now have access to numerous services in the areas of inventory management, shop fitting, further training, ERFA work, insurance, energy, communication and legal advice.
organization structure
A large community can achieve more than one individual. That was and is the basic idea of Südbund eG. This idea led to the foundation of the association over 80 years ago. More than 40 employees in the office and in the field take care of the interests of members and customers. The team is led by the executive board member Klaus Kurringer. He is supported by the part-time board member Andreas Well. The second management level consists of commercial management, the authorized signatory Norbert Pittelkow, sales management Peter Heinisch and marketing management Sonja Wirth. The Supervisory Board, representing the interests of the members, currently consists of the members Stefan Geyrhalter, Volker Martin, Günter Müller and Mathias Metzler. The chairman of the supervisory board is Stefan Geyrhalter. The deputy chairman of the supervisory board is Günter Müller. The secretary is Volker Martin.
Publications
- Object, specialist magazine for floors, walls, windows, floor coverings, paints, wallpapers, home textiles “Successful living days with 1700 visitors” at www.objekt-verlag.de (last accessed on November 23, 2015).
- Object, trade journal for floors, walls, windows, floor coverings, paints, wallpapers, home textiles “Südbund: Further growth” at www.objekt-verlag.de (last accessed on November 23, 2015).
- Backnanger Kreiszeitung online “Südbund sees itself in the fast lane” from May 24, 2014 at www.bkz-online. (last accessed on November 20, 2015)
- Textile industry "Active young generation", No. 19 of May 12, 1994 at www.textilwirtschaft.de (last accessed on November 19, 2015)
- Textile industry "Südbund Raum + Idea", No. 15 from April 13, 1995 at www.textilwirtschaft.de (last accessed on November 23, 2015)
- Website Kreis-Jugend-Ring Remms Murr: "Mitmachen Ehrensache" from December 10, 2012 at www.jugendarbeit-rm.de/kreisjugendring-rems-murr (last accessed on November 22, 2015)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual financial statements as of December 31, 2018 in the electronic Federal Gazette
- ↑ 80 years of the Südbund - information board in the headquarters
- ↑ 80 years of the Südbund - information board in the main building
- ↑ http://www.suedbund.de , last accessed November 23, 2015
- Südbund website ( www.suedbund.de ) Last accessed on November 26, 2015
- Company chronicle "80 years of SÜDBUND" (boards on the walls of the company headquarters)
- Annual reports for the years 1934–2014