As mentioned, company is mostly know in Poland  for its suitcase and during Covid Wittchen took a big hit. However company were able to survive pandemic and recover its sales to post pandemic number. As to see how Wittchen overcome this problem let’s compare income structure before covid (2019 9 months) with recent covid years (9 month 2021). In 2019 suitcase accounted for 52% of sales (in green below), purses 17% (mustard) while clothes and accessories for 10% (in red). In COVID company enlarged offers of purses and accessories which attenuated the losses in sales of suitcase. Recently the suitcase account for 39% (in green below) of sales, purses 27% (mustard) and accessories of 14% (mustard).

Company also increased their ecommerce contribution. In the last quarter Q3 of 2021 e-commerce sales generates 38.5% of income  even bigger than retail sales which generates 35.6%, for comparison in 3Q 2019 before pandemic ecommerce sales accounted for 29.7%. Thanks to both these factors company were able to sustain their income and increase their net profit.  In 2019 income was of 180 mln PLN and 9.2mln PLN net profit while in 2021 it is 171 mln PLN and 20.4 mln PLN net profit, we compre 9 months period. We have to underline that better margins generating bigger net income was obtained by increasing ecommerce/retail sales  abroad.  

Additional WITTCHEN made some decision at the administrative level during the covid. Company also took special measured like: it stopped paying dividends and for some time salaries were reduced by 20% for executives and by 15% for other employees.