Alza 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 LS Investments Limited.
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 today. The company shares second place in the official ranking of the most successful Czech brands.
The entire year was marked by innovation, leading to an increase in 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 and toys. Further awards were won, including Shop of the Year, "Crystal Zoom" and MasterCard Merchant.
Thanks to superb cooperation with suppliers, it was possible to offer a richer selection of tablets, ultrabooks, electronic readers and smart TVs to its customers. The company also launched a range of highly anticipated products, including Samsung Galaxy SIII, Windows 8, Diablo 3 game, and Apple iPad Mini.
Further expansion to the branch network in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the biggest achievement of the year being in Slovakia with the opening of brand new headquarters. In addition to a 1,100m2 showroom, this new flagship store premiered the unique AlzaDrive service.
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, and the title of Shop of the Year in the category "Price Quality - Department Stores" was won.
In the autumn of 2010, the company significantly expanded its warehouse space by adding a new logistics warehouse to its portfolio, along with significant expansion to the Czech branch network. The title of HP Partner of the Year for the largest HP reseller was retained, and second place was achieved in the Crystal Zoom competition for Internet trading. Annual orders increased by 62% to 1.9 million, with sales growth increasing by 34% to €225.78 million.
Although the year was marked by the global economic crisis, the company sold goods over €37 million worth of goods in the first three months of this year, strengthening its postion on the computers and electronics market. This resulted in a significant expansion of the portfolio of goods on offer, such as electronics and toys.
Alza hosted a number of special events to promote environmental 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 metals to be recycled.
In response to huge customer demand, the warehouse expanded to occupy a massive 5,160m2, the facilities at the Prague headquarters were significantly increased and modernized, and a unique showroom was opened showcasing the best in computer and electronics. New branches were also opened in strategic locations to offer better service to customers in various regions of 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 €167,2. Annual turnover grew to €160.52 million, the stores experienced over four million visits per month, and the company was awarded HP Partner of the Year for the largest HP reseller.
In May 2008, the company completely rebranded to Alza.cz in the Czech Republic, and Alza.sk in Slovakia. The Slovakian branch moved to superior premises, and the number of employees rose dramatically to over 200.
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, a 40% increase from 2007.
Winning prestigious awards, including the GE Money Multiservis Retailer of the Year and the HP Partner of the Year formally confirmed 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 showroom area of 300m2, and expanding storage space by 500m2. 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 delivery of goods. Opening hours were also extended to 08:00 to 20:00, 7 days a week. The number of employees increased to 130.
An automatic invoicing system was introduced, allowing orders be placed 24 hours a day and to improve delivery service. The online payment system was finely tuned, and the most attractive products were made available such as free credit and rewards for entrepreneurs. The company also heavily invested in TV, radio, billboard and magazine marketing, and became a partner of the One World Film Festival. Turnover reacheed €82.78 million.
Continuous improvements seen the number of employees rise to 80, hundreds of orders being dispatched daily, delivery times significantly reduced, and the product range exceeding 10,000 items. The increasingly popular installment 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.
A major change seen Alzasoft adopting 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 Slovak and English.
Charity work continued with People in Need, and the company started a close relationship with Hand for Help, and also equipped a field hospital in Pakistan. Turnover exceeded €56 million.
This year was marked by further improvement, service expansion and growth. New features were introduced to improve the shopping experience such as the ability to pay by card, send goods by mail, buy gift certificates. Opening hours were extended to 20:00, and stores opened on the weekends during the Christmas season.
The company started charitable work with People in Need (www.clovekvtisni.cz/en), various foundations and orphanages. Annual turnover crossed €40 million.
Becoming a joint-stock company from the 1st of January brought with it a particularly large number of changes and benefits to customers. The company significantly transformed its internal organization 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 priority.
The company also entered the Slovakian market and introduced a number of new services including an online warranty claims service. A warehouse space of 1600m2 was occupied and a new shipping company partnership was formed which dramatically reduced prices and improved quality of the delivery service in Prague, along with extended installment sales. Profits almost doubled by the end of the year.
The company gradually stabilized 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.
A further upgraded version of the eShop was introduced, but unfortunately the company premises was besieged by the floods in August 2002. Due to the enormous commitment and dedication shown by staff, the business was running again just four days after waters subsided. Customers were able to purchase goods under limited traffic due to electricity from our own generators, and an Internet connection that was only available over the cellular network.
Christmas was again marked by a huge influx of new customers and seen the launch of another improved version of the eShop, which offered customers a wealth of information about products, availability, compatibility, delivery dates, as well as the ability to monitor order status and invoices.
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 outwith 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, 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.
