Thalia

Case Studies

Digitization of the book trade

Forecasting the future in uncertain times at Thalia Books

Meet the client

Tradition – a core value for the Thalia bookstore chain. Thalia has been accompanying the development of the book medium for over one hundred years now, and a lot has changed not only in consumer behavior, but also in enterprise performance management. A lot has happened within this complex and constantly evolving industry, and furthermore, digitalization has arrived in controlling. Thalia Bücher was founded in Hamburg in 1919 and is currently based in Hagen. The bookselling and service company includes bookstores, an online sales an app and an eReader.

Requirements for Thalia books

A constant business with few parameters – it used to be easy to manage the book trade. In the age of e-books and online retailing, things look different. Thalia is dependent on developing technologically and implementing the topic of digitization. Is there enough time left to deal with content? Controlling is more than just crunching numbers.

How will the business develop and how can we project forward project? Exciting questions that can only be answered when the figures are placed in meaningful relation to one another. Stefan Liesegang believes: “The numbers have to be made to talk and that is why it is important to know the different drivers. However, these are constantly changing, which is why a rapid technological solution is of great importance to companies.

The variety of data must be mastered in order to form and illustrate clear relationships. In addition, the economic future of Thalia Books is to be mapped in a comprehensible manner, thus forming a transparent basis for management decisions. When mapping the future, the Valsight function helps the Visualization of key figures and developments. The fast and flexible mapping of scenarios is an important function of software solutions and thus a relevant aspect of digitalization in controlling.

In the meantime, we have seen that the Valsight software can simplify processes for us in many places and can also display certain things very automatically.

Stefan Liesegang

Head of Controlling, Thalia

Solution approaches through Valsight

Thalia chose Valsight some time ago because of its multifaceted enterprise performance management needs. The aim is to derive as many different cases as possible flexibly for the future and thus to better weigh investment decisions and business model decisions from a commercial point of view.

Valsight as a system is the technical platform for Thalia to map drivers. However, these drivers are not static, but change occasionally. These changes can also be addressed with Valsight by creating new driver trees. Valsight enables Thalia Bücher to create a good basis for decision-making based on data and thus to respond to changes.

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Added value through Valsight

The book business has changed just as much with digitization as consumers’ access to reading material. The changing times are placing new demands on controlling in what is actually a traditional environment, as Stefan Liesegang, Head of Controlling at Thalia, can tell us from his own experience. From his thought leadership role as the digitalizer of corporate controlling, he shows that traditional thinking and backward-looking attitudes have no place here. Valsight can provide Thalia with comprehensive support in the introduction and enforcement of new processes and methods. Focusing on key business drivers helps optimize the right measures and make informed decisions.