How bad is it for our ski manufacturers? This has been a mystery since it became known that Blizzard is laying off 80 employees. The situation at Fischer Sports is much less dramatic. After catching up last winter, the staff is now reducing overtime and holidays.
Orders for the coming winter plummeted; In addition to 40 temporary employees, 40 permanent employees have to leave. The Salzburg ski manufacturer Blizzard shocked with this message a few days ago.
“See the Glass Half Full”
Will the producers of skis and the like be crushed by an economic avalanche after the mild winter? Franz Föttinger, director of Fischer Sports, waves his hand: The situation is certainly not easy, but “I see the glass half full,” says the head of the manufacturer of alpine and cross-country skis, ski boots and ice hockey sticks from Ried im Innkreis.
In the just closed financial year, Fischer increased turnover to almost 200 million euros. According to Föttinger, the result was “clearly positive”.
Goods delivered late to February
Orders for the winter of 2023/24 are also modest for Innvier growers. This is also because the start-up phase of the Mukashevo plant was influenced by the war in Ukraine. Goods were delivered until February that should have reached the dealers in the fall. Now their warehouses are full.
“That’s why we brake,” says Föttinger. Of the 130 lease employees hired by Fischer to clear the backlog, only 30 remain. Production plans were now drawn up together with them and the 470-strong permanent working population. Overtime and holidays are reduced: “We’ve been working extremely hard lately, some need a quieter time now.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
