Zalando reposted this
When David Schneider and I founded Zalando in 2008, we were facing incredibly difficult conditions: Selling shoes online during one of the worst financial crises seemed like a crazy idea. Despite this, we saw it as a huge opportunity to do things differently and followed through. Today there are growing concerns about Europe and Germany's competitive edge. But Zalando is living proof that this continent still allows companies to grow and succeed. Many international talents have chosen Zalando and Germany over offers from other geographies. We take pride in the fact that today, people from over 140 countries work with us, making us a truly global community Of course, this doesn’t mean that things should stay as they are. Just as we approached things differently when we started Zalando, an innovative mindset needs to be applied to the current challenges. Europe, but especially Germany, must again develop and maintain a strong culture of change and opportunity. Our focus must be on what we can gain and not too much on what we have to lose. By embracing a forward-thinking approach, we can continue to thrive and overcome the obstacles we face. These are some of the thoughts I, along with other German CEOs, recently shared with the German publication manager magazin. Read more voices and can-do perspectives here: https://lnkd.in/eNJktTaB #innovativemindset #cultureofopportunity
We are a small emerging designer brand that sells on the partner program on Zalando and is absolutely not free. Apart from the marketplace fees and the service fees we are responsible for all other expenses, which is fair in some way, but what is not fair is that since more that 6 weeks now one of our shoes has been at the Zalando warehouse in Switzerland and their teams, including Customer Care and Partner Care have not had the courtesy to help us and resolve the issue. The CuCa department will not respond to us and the PaCa team that on paper is responsible for resolving all partner issues tells us that they cannot help us. Now as a small business a loss of a 500€ pair of shoes impacts us quiet a lot, but Zalando Zalando for Business does seem to care and they don’t even have the courtesy to reply to us. Instead, a person from thier finance department has offered to look into the issue. So; the teams responsible do not reply or won’t help and the team that has nothing to do is making all the efforts to help. Does this go to show that they do have the means to help but they just don’t care about their partners, especially when they are small emerging businesses.
Stefan T.
2mo
Well, that's right for sure, at least for your company. But it's also right and true that by the end of May, we lost 133,000 jobs subject to social security contributions due to bureaucracy, the digital desert, and nonsensical EU & DE regulations. It is also true that by the end of 2024, we will have lost about 200,000 to 250,000 jobs subject to social security contributions. Subsidies in the mid-double-digit billion range will no longer be made in Germany by important DAX companies this year but in Asia or Turkey. Depending on the impact of import tariffs, another 100,000 to 300,000 jobs subject to social security contributions could be lost. Through AI, up to an additional 30% of jobs could be lost in the next 2-4 years. We are therefore facing immense challenges, and I do not see any political party that even remotely has answers to these issues.
Then why are experienced people chucked off from their bread and butter? I have full knowledge and experience handling your nordics market, and I so much needed this job, but everyone including me was informed that the process has gone back from India.. I really appreciate your efforts when you first started this company, but do you know how impossible it becomes for some people who are just left nowhere after learning so much about the work and everything else.. I am sorry but I also sent you a message which you never noticed.
Kristin Dolgner
2mo
Couldn't buy more into the opportunity (and tech) positive mindset
Dr. Mario Lenz
2mo
Yes, a „strong culture of change and opportunity“ is needed — but do you see this?! I feel like „protection of vested right“ doesn’t really bring across the German „Besitzstandswahrung“. I sense a lot of late Roman decadence, broken infrastructure, horrible education, overburdened social systems, and even incompetencies all over the place. Just look at the energy transition, as another example. For every successful Zalando, I see 10 counterexamples and lost opportunities.
Ömer Naci Tayan
2mo
Zalando has been gamechanger to be a "Real International Fashion Company" in Germany. There are few more examples like Adidas,Puma and Hugo Boss. Frankly speaking i would say Zalando was and is the pioneer to attract many talents from abroad despite the famous "German Red Tapping" .
Die Artikelserie hört sich interessant an. Ich finde die Formulierung "Warum Deutschland den Bach raufgeht" sehr gelungen. Es ist sicherlich nicht alles top in Deutschland, es ist aber auch nicht so schlecht wie es gemacht wird. Wir brauchen mehr von den guten, positiven Geschichten.
Muhammad C.
2mo
Danke Robert Gentz - there needs to be a much stronger push (or call it lobby work) by people and companies like you. Politicians need to be pushed to become bold and visionary again. I think it’s important to invest significant amounts of time into driving the political agenda.
Stephan Lengl
2mo
The issue is we don’t have enough Zalandos, and there are concerns that European AI regulations will further complicate things
DEI Senior Manager @ Zalando | Ex-eBay | Esade Ex-Ed Alumni | ILO Gender Audit Facilitator Alumni | APMG Change Management | Data Analytics | Helping companies becoming the most inclusive and equal place for everyone
2moThere is an urgent need for a change in Germany, as an example our neighbours in Poland have the biggest growth economy in Europe and second in the World after China, a growth that also reflects on people development, with a prepared workforced and massive investments in infrastucture, projections are than Poland GDP will overtake the German one in 2040. I moved here 20 years ago and there were already concerns about bureaucracy and digitalization, surprisingly when I listen the news, challenges are the same, but little less has done. All this massive weight cannot be left to private corporations.