The online store Galaxus will also be available in Germany in future, with Switzerland's largest online retailer crossing the border with its online department store in 2018. The company - in which Migros holds a 70 percent stake - runs the online stores digitec.ch and galaxus.ch here, as well as ten stores and employs around 1100 people. The headquarters of galaxus.de will be in Hamburg. The company will be managed by a local managing director.

Galaxus will position itself in Germany at a similar price as in Switzerland, on a par with the cheapest competitors, according to a press release. In Switzerland, Digitec Galaxus has made a significant contribution to the fact that prices for electronics are now lower than the EU average.

Selling bicycles in the medium term

Galaxus press spokesman Alex Hämmerli explains that the move into the German market will be gradual, with the electronics range going live first and other product categories to follow. "It is very likely that we will also sell bicycles in Germany in the medium term. Our range in Germany will not be the same as our range in Switzerland. We are adapting our portfolio to the supply and demand in Germany. This may also apply to the bicycle range," Hämmerli explains to Ride.

More independent pricing thanks to location in Germany

The expansion of Switzerland's largest online retailer into Germany could also have an impact on Swiss specialist bike retailers. Hämmerli says that Galaxus' ambition is that online shoppers in Switzerland should not have to pay more than in Germany, and that this is already a reality in the electronics sector. "In many product ranges, however, it is difficult for Swiss retailers to offer the same price level as abroad. The main reason for this is that many manufacturers and intermediaries in Switzerland demand higher prices. With our own location in Germany, we are making ourselves less dependent on this," says Hämmerli. "If we get more favorable purchasing conditions for bicycles in Germany, we will try to pass these on to our Swiss customers," continued press spokesman Hämmerli.

Florian Teuteberg, CEO and co-founder of Digitec Galaxus, speaks exactly the same language: "We will pass on more favorable purchasing conditions to consumers," promises Teuteberg. The company also wants to further expand its range and product diversity in Switzerland. For Teuteberg, one thing is already clear: "If we are successful in Germany, we will expand into other countries with Galaxus."

www.galaxus.ch