Talk: How small stores remain relevant

Name: Talk: How small stores remain relevant
Start: 2026-09-18T10:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-18T12:00:00+02:00
Location: Nordico

Friday 18 September · 10:00Nordico · oberoesterreich

What's it about?

Brick-and-mortar retail is under pressure. In Austria, according to the retail association, spending in distance selling will rise to 12.5 billion euros in 2025, and the online share in retail will climb to over 14 percent. Clothing and shoes, in particular, are strong online categories. At the same time, current studies show that many people, especially in the fashion sector, continue to consciously shop in stores: because they want to see, touch, and try on products, because advice and personal contact matter, and because retailers with a good combination of shop and online shop appear particularly attractive. At the same time, expectations for convenience, service, assortment, and a form of experience that is not just staged but works in everyday life are increasing. Anita Huber-Katzengruber has been working in precisely this area of tension for many years. Kleider machen Leute has existed since 2008, inthebox since 2018; the company understands both stores as meeting points for slow fashion. The offer is supplemented by workshops, pop-up stores, information offers, color consulting, and capsule wardrobe formats. With linzlabyrinth, she has also built up a network of 60 local businesses, showing that brick-and-mortar retail is not just sales space, but also shapes the city, atmosphere, and encounters. As part of the exhibition "Made in Linz," we invite you to the Nordico Stadtmuseum Linz for a talk with Anita Huber Katzengruber, where we will address the following questions: What can small retailers do better than Amazon, Zalando & Co today? Where does experience become a real added value and where a costly obligation? And how can one manage to remain visible, relevant, and economically viable with limited resources? In this conversation about retail, attitude, and experience, we illuminate: how small brick-and-mortar retailers can compete against large platforms today why assortment alone is often no longer enough and what role advice, trust, and community play how much experience customers actually want — and which of them really has an impact how local presence, webshop, and digital visibility can be meaningfully combined why convenience is also crucial in brick-and-mortar retail what creative services help to make a business a relevant place We discuss: what small stores can do that platforms cannot Experience versus everyday suitability: Where is the right balance? Consulting, curation, and attitude as true differentiating factors Omnichannel with a small team: how much is realistic? what challenges retailers have to shoulder today — economically, organizationally, and emotionally why brick-and-mortar retail is strong precisely when it remains personal, clear, and credible This event is for… all those interested in how retail builds relevance today retailers, shop operators, and entrepreneurs creatives from branding, communication, interior, and retail design city makers, location developers, and marketing managers We look forward to: Anita Huber-Katzengruber, entrepreneur · networker · space activator Anita: "I am an entrepreneur from Linz and have been working for over 17 years to turn ideas into lively places. A small fair fashion store has grown into several locations, a webshop, and various projects. I am interested in how to revitalize vacant spaces, activate neighborhoods, and bring people together – economically sensible, with heart and attitude." Hard Facts When: September 18, 2026, 10:00 AM Where: Nordico Linz Format: Moderated Talk & Q&A