German online retailer Zalando will shut down its Parisian office, the only office location outside of Berlin. From now on, every French decision will be made from Berlin.
Continuous investment
There are no financial reasons for the clouse, because the office only cost 2 million euro every year. On top of that, all of the 21 employees were given jobs in the Berlin office, but only a handful will actually take Zalando up on the offer.
France is also one of Zalando’s strongest markets and one of the company’s important markets in regards to its growth strategy for the next few years. Zalando entered France in 2010 and will continue to invest in the region with a new warehouse destined to open near Paris in 2017.
That strong growth is also exactly why Zalando decided to shut down its Parisian office. It aims to create a much shorter chain, allowing for faster decisions. The company also feels it is strong enough to fight off Spartoo and Sarenza, two competitors that have been around in France for much longer, from a distance.
