How the outdoor specialist Meindl has survived previous crises

Meindl is one of the last independent specialists in the outdoor industry. Competitors like Hanwag and Lowa have been merged into foreign conglomerates. But Meindl has grown continuously under its own steam. And that, the brothers are convinced, also has something to do with the resilience of a family business that has mastered difficult times over the centuries.

At the end of the 17th century, Petrus Meindl was mentioned as the first shoemaker in Kirchanschöring. The foundation for the brand was laid by Lukas Meindl senior, who produced shoes in the seventh generation from 1928. When he was no longer selling enough during the economic crisis, he took the risk, hired a master craftsman and from 1934 also produced leather clothing, for example for motorcyclists. “Standing still is a step backwards,” says Lars Meindl, commenting on the company’s philosophy.

And so, even in the current global crisis, Meindl is benefiting from the fact that the family business had recently positioned itself somewhat more broadly. Meindl remains true to its roots and consistently relies on the rather sturdy shoe for steeper or rougher terrain with high functionality. However, in recent years the company has also increasingly developed work and safety shoes, for example for forest workers.

Meindl could benefit from this if the consumer climate continues to cool down. “The specialist always has his market,” says Lukas Meindl. You just have to be agile and flexible.

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That’s how the grandfather Lukas Meindl senior had done it. During the Second World War he drove through the villages and repaired the farmers’ shoes. When new goods were hard to sell, the company, which was still small at the time, made its living from service.

Meindl is famous for it to this day. When customers get in touch, the company repairs almost every shoe, even if it is sometimes decades old. Financially, the effort for the company doesn’t really pay off – but it pays a lot for brand loyalty and is in line with sustainability, which has been an issue at Meindl for decades. The company now resoles more than 150 old shoes every day.

In addition to agility, independence also helped the shoe specialist to get through difficult times better. This was also evident in the corona crisis. “The pandemic was a real shock,” says Lars Meindl. In one fell swoop, the shops first had to close in South Tyrol, one of Meindl’s most important sales markets, and then in many regions of the world. Stationary dealers are the most important sales channel for Meindl.

In the first lockdown, some companies might have stopped production and investments in the hands of investors in order to reduce costs, says Lukas Meindl. But as a family business, you are not accountable to anyone and can make independent decisions.

During the pandemic, the Meindls continued to produce at full speed

So the Meindls decided to simply continue to produce as far as possible at full speed. They are convinced of the product, want to maintain their independence and don’t want to burden the state, says Lukas Meindl. When people then discovered hiking for themselves during the lockdowns, the Upper Bavarian specialist, unlike some of its competitors, was able to deliver the goods from full shelves. “We took the risk and it paid off,” says Lars Meindl. The basic trust in one’s own product helped. “People always want to get out and for that they need good shoes.”

However, quick and independent decisions are only possible in clear, simple structures. “For us it works like in agriculture,” says Lukas Meindl. One or at most two family members of the next generation get the company and also run it operationally. Paralyzing discussions and power struggles among family groups are thus avoided.

Alfons Meindl, the son of Lukas senior, had turned the shoemaker’s shop into a nationally known company. After the Second World War, he joined the family business with ten employees at the time, made his way to the major trade fairs and made the brand known beyond the Rupertigau region in south-eastern Bavaria.

An entrepreneur with ideas and social commitment. When he climbed the mountains in Chiemgau with groups, he checked each individual at the summit to make sure their shoes were laced tight enough for the descent. Under his leadership, the mountain boot specialist developed its own multi-grip sole and the first Gore-Tex shoe.

Lukas, the ninth generation, joined the company in 1990 and has been in charge of production and development since then as a shoe technician. His brother Lars followed in 1996 and took over the commercial management. Thanks to many innovations, Meindl has continued to grow ever since. Shoes are becoming more and more comfortable with concepts like Air Revolution and Memory Foam System. The times when hiking shoes first had to be painfully broken in are over for Meindl and competing products. With the Identity models, customers receive detailed proof of exactly which corner of Upper Bavaria the upper leather used for their shoe comes from.

No own online shop

Meindl is popular with retailers. This is not only due to the fact that the shoe specialist, unlike most other outdoor and sporting goods manufacturers, has not yet set up its own online shop: they do not want to compete with the specialist retailers.

“For us as a group of medium-sized specialist retailers, Meindl is an important partner for good reason,” says Tim Wahnel, Head of Outdoors at Sport2000. The value structure of a family-run company corresponds to that of the retailer in almost all points. “Healthy management instead of the short-term hunt for trends.” Meindl is a “successful mixture of innovation and continuity, not only in the product, but also in the people involved”. The principle of “family history instead of storytelling” applies.

Meindl traditionally does not give sales figures. “So far we have been able to pay all our bills, that’s what matters,” says Lars Meindl. For a long time it was said that more than a million pairs of shoes were sold a year; now there should be significantly more. Heavier shoes are still made in Kirchanschöring, but there is a waiting list for the double-stitched brogues now that folk festivals and weddings are increasingly taking place. In the supplier ranking of the Sport2000 retail chain, the shoe specialist improved from ninth to eighth place last year.

The shoes are shipped from a highly automated logistics center that was opened in Kirchanschöring about ten years ago, the largest single investment in the company’s history up to that point. The location far away from the freeway is not exactly ideal. “Basically, this is the stupidest place for a logistics center,” admitted Lukas Meindl.

But the Meindls wanted to stay true to their homeland. They are sometimes annoyed by the site conditions. The planned photovoltaic system, which could be put to good use now, failed due to the poor quality of the power grid. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find staff. In the past year, no apprentices could be found either in the manual or in the commercial area.

But otherwise the company sees itself well prepared for the expected difficult times. Of course, nobody wants to be forced, but there will also be a tenth generation, says Lukas Meindl. He has two children, his brother three. “We manage something and try to develop it further in order to pass it on to the next generation.”

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