David Schröder

Co-CEO, Zalando SE

Search every verified David Schröder interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. David Schröder, Co-CEO of Zalando, discussed the company's performance and strategy in a May 2021 interview. He attributed strong first-quarter results to an acceleration in market dynamics during the pandemic, noting an influx of new customers and increased purchases in categories like leisurewear, kids, sports, and beauty, while occasion-based categories such as dresses declined. He stated that the shift from offline to online shopping remained accelerated, partly due to Europe's slower vaccination pace, and expressed expectations that customers would continue spending heavily online as economies reopened. Schröder outlined Zalando's investment priorities, including building five new fulfillment centers in Europe and significant spending on technology to enhance customer experience. He referenced a capital markets day in March where the company communicated an ambition to grow gross merchandise volume to 30 billion euros by 2025, roughly tripling its size from the prior year. He also noted that marketing spending had been in the high single digits of revenue, focused on customer acquisition, and anticipated more flexibility and a higher share of remote work at the company post-pandemic, citing lessons learned during the crisis.