174 IN STORE
Positive Course Correction. Dings/Zurich In Switzerland, one must use the term “course correction” with caution. After all, the actions of the Swiss National Bank at the beginning of the year are still on the minds of many. When HP Endras corrects his course, it normally has to do with crystal clear calculation rather than money. Text: Dörte Welti. Photos: No way
“What used to be courageous, is now perceived as cocky”, HP Endras muses while swiftly sketching his corporate structure on a piece of paper. He places a large circle representing the inventory in the middle. The businessman has no less than 68 brands in his portfolio. Five arms representing his stores lead away from the centre circle. “Dings” was born on a whim in 1993 and was initially located in the fairly disreputable Cheib district, which is where the local drug scene spent their days and nights waking or sleeping. The base for the store was “No Way”, a skateboard shop that was way ahead of its time. HP Endras had founded it together with his skateboarding buddy Roland Brümmer. The No Way shop soon turned into a wholesale and import company. Gradually he opened a “Sterling” store in Biel and Chur, thereby adding women’s fashion to his repertoire. This step was followed up by a menswear store named “On y va” in Zurich and, finally, by “Monsieur Dubois”, a store focused solely on footwear. The individual store concepts were developed more or less by chance. Endras has a philosophy: “Determine what the customer wants and then develop a mid-term strategy accordingly.” The company is thriving and is in a perfect position to respond to customer needs swiftly. If a brand is no longer in stock in one location, it is quickly transferred from a 315 style in progress
location with less demand. That can happen really quickly, by the way. “I implement projects that are on my mind in a timely manner, be they new store ideas or reactions to customer wishes.” Today’s Dynamic Customers
However, the times are changing and Endras has started pondering the future: “Today, we move too fast at times; waiting is a matter of experience.” In the case of the “Monsieur Dubois” shoe store he decided against waiting for the decreasing customer frequency in Zurich’s Niederdorf district to pick up or the too high rental fees to drop again. “You must have the courage to close shop. How long should I hold onto a concept when the shopping habits are changing?”, the entrepreneur asks himself and turns his focus to expanding the online segment of the business, which started in November 2013. The online operations are currently experiencing disproportional growth and Endras Dings Zollstrasse 12, 8005 Zurich/Switzerland www.onyva.ch/filialen/dings/ Opening: November 1993 Owner: HP Endras Employees: 2 Sales area: 80sqm Brands: Armor Lux, Baggy Port, Chloe Stora, Ganni, Gardenia, La Garconne, Leon & Harper, People Tree, Pertini, Second Female, Suncoo, and others
No Way is the right way – HP Endras (left) and Roland Brümmer in their skater days.
believes that this can be partially attributed to mass suppliers such as Zalando: “They paved the way and opened all the doors”. The expectations are modest; HP Endras is currently focusing on preserving stock rather than growth. The shoe brands originally stocked by “Monsieur Dubois” will now be offered to regulars in the four clothing stores. “Dings” has now been in the same place for 23 years, especially as the former no-go area has developed into Zurich’s hippest district. Good things come to those who wait, at least in this case. However, one thing gives the owner a massive headache: “It has become impossible to know your customers. The customer of today works on different levels and is dynamic. The product range is actually based on a customer
type that is completely wrong.” Endras will definitely find out what the correct customer type is and react accordingly. He is flexible, after all. The first step is the aforementioned course correction, which includes a more cost-conscious creative process and the avoidance of high rental fees. “We are more accountants than passionate buyers”, he says with a hint of sadness. Incidentally, Endras also openly expresses his admiration for Karl-Heinz Müller, the driving force behind “Bread & Butter”. “Actually, he has the right idea. We need highly personal trade shows that create highly personal contacts. It would be a stroke of genius to open the trade show to the public. Today’s customer is no longer the retailer, but the end customer.”
