Award at the German Brand Award 2021

Schaffner holds its own: Award for successful brand management

Schaffner AG receives the award in the category "Excellent brands" from the top jury at the German Brand Award 2021. The Swiss garden furniture manufacturer convinces with its agile strategy in the face of market changes and the Covid 19 pandemic.

For the excellent performance of its brand strategy in the face of crucial market changes and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Swiss garden furniture manufacturer Schaffner AG was named "winner" in the "Excellent Brands - Tools and Gardening" category of the German Brand Award 2021 in June, out of more than 1,000 entries from 17 countries.

With this award, the Swiss family business, which produces garden furniture exclusively in Switzerland, has shown what true Swiss spirit and production with a mixture of modern machinery and traditional craftsmanship can achieve in terms of agility.

This is the third time that the German Brand Award has been presented for outstanding brand management by the family-owned company Schaffner AG. The jury for the award is made up of independent, interdisciplinary experts from the worlds of business, science, consulting, services and agencies. The evaluation of brand management takes into account aspects such as sustainability, degree of innovation, continuity and future viability. Factors such as the quality of the brand's appearance, the consistency of the brand experience and economic success also play a decisive role in the judgement process.

Due to market developments, i.e. mainly due to the consolidation trend in the specialist trade, the Swiss garden furniture manufacturer has already rethought its brand strategy in 2019.

The aim was to strengthen the proven three-pillar strategy of retro design products, high-tech fibreglass shelves for cutting-edge collections and product colour diversity. Above all, this has enabled the launch of the new online presence with a user-friendly furniture configurator. In the spirit of "time to market", Schaffner AG literally pulled out all the stops at the start of the pandemic and was able not only to withstand the great uncertainty caused by the corona pandemic and the closure of shops, but also to more than compensate for the initial drop in sales. Today, the family business can look back on an excellent 2020 season.

Martin Schaffner, CEO and co-owner, explains: "The profound changes in the market and the additional Corona pandemic were a great challenge for our entire company. However, our new online presence has enabled us to score points. The quick response to the implementation of the new homepage has enabled us to increase the number of visitors considerably. Our companies and end customers are delighted with our furniture configurator, which is tailored to their needs, and the new enquiry tool. We are now closer to our customers than ever before, allowing us to further strengthen our brand."