Alza was established more than two decades ago and first started trading as Alzasoft back in 1994. It became a market leader in 2008 and has received several prestigious awards over the years in recognition of the quality service it offers to millions of customers. It is now a purely Czech joint stock company, with its tax domicile also in the Czech Republic. It is owned by a group of investors through the holding company L.S. Investments Limited.
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2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
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turnover | 28 | 41 | 57 | 83 | 130 | 161 | 226 | 274 | 304 | 350 | 419 | 524 | 643 | 796 | 971 | 1136 | 1414 | 1755 | 1702 |
Records were broken once again during 2013. Over 3 million orders were processed, and a turnover in excess of €349 million was achieved. Alza was evaluated by more than 300 advertising and marketing experts as the most promising Czech brand. The company shared second place in the official ranking of the most successful Czech brands.
The whole year was marked by innovation, leading to increased customer satisfaction:
Ranking among the most successful years to date, the company achieved a turnover of €304.5 million. It fulfilled over 2.5 million orders, sold more than 250,000 laptops, PCs and tablets, and officially launched the revolutionary AlzaDrive service, which allows customers to shop without leaving their vehicles.
Sales continued to grow in traditional IT commodities, along with massive interest in televisions, electronics, home appliances, electronic licenses and toys.
Thanks to superb cooperation with suppliers, it was possible to offer a richer selection of tablets, ultrabooks, electronic readers and smart TVs to customers. The company also launched a range of highly anticipated products, including the Samsung Galaxy SIII, Windows 8, Diablo 3 game and Apple iPad Mini.
Further expansion of the branch network in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the biggest achievement of the year being in Slovakia with the opening of brand new headquarters (1,100m2 ) in Bratislava.
The company expanded its product range offering a number of new home electronics and large household appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines and dryers. Orders for the year increased by 31% to 2.4 million, with sales growth increasing by 21% to €274.34 million. The title of Shop of the Year in the category "Price Quality - Department Stores" was won.
In Autumn 2010, the company significantly expanded its warehouse space by adding a new logistics warehouse in Horní Počernice. Over the course of the year, the company expanded its network of branches to include the cities of Jihlava, Zlín, Karlovy Vary, Ústí nad Labem, Olomouc, Liberec and České Budějovice, in addition to more branches in Prague, giving it an outlet in every regional capital. It opened 8 branches in total.
Although the year was marked by the global economic crisis, the company sold over €37 million worth of goods in the first three months of this year, strengthening its market position on the computer and electronics market. This resulted in a significant expansion of the portfolio offering, providing a greater variety in consumer electronics and toys.
Alza hosted a number of special events to promote environment responsibility and to educate its customers. One event promoting the importance of recycling computers and electronics proved to be a huge success, with thousands of people bringing their old computers, TVs and scrap metal to be recycled.
In response to customer demand, the warehouse was expanded to occupy 5,160m2 , the facilities at the Prague headquarters were significantly increased and modernised, and a unique showroom was opened showcasing the best in computers and electronics. New branches were also opened in strategic locations to offer better service to customers in various regions in the Czech Republic.
The number of employees reached 270 by the end of 2009, and the number of products on offer exceeded 30,000 items. Over 1.14 million orders were received, and 3 orders were being processed every minute averaging at around €167.20.
In May 2008, the company completely rebranded to Alza.cz in the Czech Republic, and Alza.sk in Slovakia, and a new store was opened in Brno. In the Czech Republic, the number of employees exceeded 200 for the first time.
Alza ventured into new advertising formats and media with its new mascot the Alza Alien, and held its first official press conference in Prague during October where it announced its business results and vision for the future. The year ended with a turnover reaching €129.5 million, and a 40% year-on-year increase.
This year also marked the winnings of many prestigious awards, including the GE Money Multiservice Retailer of the Year and HP Partner of the Year, formally confirming the company's position as a Czech market leader.
In direct response to the dynamic growth of orders, the company moved to larger premises in Prague, occupying a 300m2 showroom and expanding to 500m2 storage space. The number of products available exceeded 13,000 items, with the option to purchase them using online terminals in the showroom.
The revolutionary Alza PayBox payment machines were introduced to the showroom to accelerate the purchasing process, and automate the dispensing of goods. Opening hours were also extended from 8:00 to 20:00, 7 days a week. The number of employees rose to 130.
An automatic billing service was introduced to allow online ordering at any time of the day and delivery services were improved. The online payment system was launched and more products were added to the total offering.
Philanthropic efforts were continued this year as Alza partnered up with the One World Festival. There was also an increase in marketing efforts with billboard, TV, radio, and magazine campaigns.
Continuous improvements led the total number of employees rise to 80, thousands of orders were dispatched daily, delivery times were significantly reduced and the product range exceeded 10,000 items. The increasingly popular instalment payment service was enhanced making it possible to purchase online without having to visit the store. A radical acceleration and clarity of output from the warehouse brought electronic merchandise records.
The major change was seen when Alzasoft adopted the informal name given to it by its customers. To coincide with the rebranding from Alzasoft.cz to Alza.cz, a new version of the website was launched in several languages.
Charity work was continued and the company started a close relationship with the Hands for Help to equip a field hospital in Pakistan.
This year was marked by further improvement, service expansion and sales growth. New features were introduced to improve the shopping experience, such as the ability to pay by card, send goods by mail and buy gift certificates. Opening hours were extended to 20:00 and stores remained opened on the weekends during the Christmas season.
The company started charitable work with people in need (www.clovekvtisni.cz/en), as well as various foundations and orphanages. Annual turnover crossed €40 million.
Becoming a joint-stock company from the 1st of January brought with it a large number of changes and benefits to customers. The company significantly transformed its internal organisation and focused on the absolute customer satisfaction. A professional and personal customer approach was adopted across every department. Satisfying customer needs and setting high standards for warranty claim resolution became a priority.
The company also entered the Slovakian market and introduced a number of new services including an online warranty claims service. Warehouse space expanded to 1600m2 was and a new shipping company partnership was formed which dramatically reduced prices and improved quality of the delivery service in Prague. Profits almost doubled by the end of the year.
The company gradually stabilised after the natural disaster, making a number of improvements to internal processes, warehouse management and logistics. The eShop continued to expand its functionality along with the number of products offered. The annual turnover grew to €12.56 million.
The upgraded version of the eShop was upended by the devastating floods of August 2002. Thanks to the enormous commitment of the Alza staff, sales resumed 4 days after the floods. Customers took the limitations in their stride, and Alza managed to get the site running again using electricity generators and the mobile network.
Christmas was again marked by a huge influx of customers. The site was improved to show a variety of useful data such as product availability, delivery date times, compatibility and order tracking.
This year was marked by improvement, an increase in personnel and the expansion of the sales, service and warehouse space. New features were added to the eShop ensuring customers could easily source all the information they needed about products and services.
The first version of the eShop was introduced to the public, and at the company moved to new retail premises in Prague. Another wave of new customers were gained during this term, along with a welcomed increase in custom from professionals, hardware experts and companies.
The company continued to grow, as did its range of products and warehouse stock. A new service was introduced which guaranteed the delivery of goods within 24 hours throughout the Czech Republic. These steps introduced new customers to the company from outside of Prague. In comparison to the previous year, the average monthly turnover had now tripled. Although still relatively young, the company's website www.alza.cz, featured in the top five most visited IT sites on the Czech Internet. The website offered value and prices to rival its competitors. This year also seen the start of a dealer channel service.
A wave of new customers discovered the company when it opened its first brick and mortar store in Prague. It focused on students, customers with IT knowledge and those who appreciated the availability and attractive pricing of computer components.
Adopting a personal and flexible customer approach, the company witnessed a rapid increase in turnover by the latter part of the year.
The introduction of new advertising materials featuring items for sale that were in stock and ready for collection. This was a revolutionary step for the company which generated interest and an increase in custom.
Alzasoft became a popular choice for students, with customers being introduced to the company via advertising campaigns targeting student residences and educational establishments throughout the country.
The history of the company dates back to the 29th of November 1994, when Mr. Aleš Zavoral officially announced the company's arrival on the young Czech IT market after receiving his business license.