Markus Lohmann is Sales Director at Manhattan Associates, looking after Austria and Germany. With an impressive track record in the supply chain and logistics industry, he is an experienced professional who implements complex, national as well as international projects with confidence.

1. What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Dentist

2. What was your first job?

As a pupil I worked in a statics office, copying and folding big plans, doing errands. After school two years in a bank, then 4 years in a hospital. After my studies I started at a 3PL. So, very different jobs and industries.

3. What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?

Sports, doing fitness training, playing golf, skiing, guiding my kids to football matches at weekends, reading.

4. Which three people would you invite to a dinner party if you could invite anyone past or present and why?

- My wife: she is the most important person in my life, we have created a wonderful family, dinners of two have become rare in
recent years.
 

- My father (already passed away): I just want to tell him about the things that have happened in the last few years and what we have experienced.
 

- Tiger Woods: person and personality, model athlete and charisma, unprecedented success. He has suffered to win, he wins in the most difficult conditions, he has experienced many highs and lows. And I would just like some tips for my own golf game.

5. What’s hot in Germany at the moment in terms of supply chain commerce?

Shortage of goods and the fragility of supply chains: deliverability is the new price! The supply chain remains a key issue, building internal and external supply chain resilience. In addition, sustainability and origin of products is gathering pace too.

6. How has the retail landscape in Germany shifted over the last twelve months?

Retail is currently in a major phase of change, boundaries between physical and online are disappearing. The question is no longer whether one will come or the other will stay, but rather how the two, online and offline, can complement each other in a meaningful way. Contrary to predictions retailers are definitely benefiting from the good old stores.

7. What is the single biggest trend shaping German consumers in 2022?

Unified commerce, people enjoy shopping in brick-and-mortar stores again, but at the same time want to be inspired and benefit from the convenience of online commerce. The modern customer experience is changing. There’s a need for more convenient, transparent and personalised experiences, and it’s being driven by all the things in our daily lives. Whether, Amazon, Airbnb or Netflix, these are the solutions technologies that are changing consumer expectations of what should be and what could be.

8. What is the biggest challenge German retail brand need to address into 2023 and beyond?

What happens in the world also affects our business. The supply chain remains a key issue as well as inflation and inflation fears, prices could rise. Shortage of skilled labour. From a pure business and supply chain perspective the interaction of online and offline is becoming the standard!