Strengthened from the crisis - Polo fiscal year

At the end of the financial year on September 30, 2020, POLO Motorrad und Sportswear GmbH posted an annual turnover of 139 million euros. As a result, the specialist dealer for motorcycle clothing, technology and accessories is above expectations before the Corona pandemic and the associated week-long closure of more than 90 locations. Compared to the previous year, the retailer from NRW was able to increase its sales by 14 million euros.

Polo Motorrad actually wanted to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year. With roadshows across the Republic, a huge birthday event in Jüchen and lots of promotions for and with his customers. But firstly, it is different and secondly, it is different than you think. Corona has made a big dash through the birthday child's annual planning. Jutta Warmbier (CEO POLO Motorrad) has a rather simple explanation for the fact that the annual result is still so positive in the end: "Calm and calm. Even before the announcement of the first closures, we acted quickly and decisively. Every day, before all other tasks, the management level came together, analyzed the current events and developed measures with which we could inform our customers on the one hand, but also ensure the continued existence of the company and the health of all employees."

At an early stage, for example, POLO Logistics was divided into two separate groups and was thus able to ensure that the increased online order volume could be managed during the closure phase, in addition to more distance. On the IT side, all central staff were upgraded to Office 365 earlier than planned and in a hurry to facilitate increased home office and collaborative work.

"But our customers definitely had the biggest impact," Warmbier continues. "While other industries have seen sharp declines, they have remained loyal to us and have often chosen to invest the failing annual leave in their hobby."

Motorcycling was already a crisis-resistant environment during the financial crisis and seems to have lost none of its enthusiasm since then.

In these difficult times, polo also had a 100% and clear commitment to its employees, who should not suffer any disadvantages due to the adverse external circumstances.

"By announcing company leave in the POLO stores and then increasing the short-time working allowance to 100%, we managed to strike a balance between securing the company's substance and the well-being of our employees. No one should be worried about their livelihoods in these already uncertain times," says the POLO Managing Director. Fortunately, a short chapter that could be put aside with the reopening of all POLO stores.

And so it is not a single measure to which this year's success of POLO Motorrad can be attributed, but rather an interplay of the most diverse factors, which at the end of a moving and actually quite different planned year meant the hoped-for success for the anniversary company. In this way, POLO is optimistic about the future. And festivals are known to catch up.