There isn't enough. In July, the company announced a three-year plan to open 50 new locations in Germany and double its share of the European discount market to 20 percent. It's a familiar route. When the discounter advanced into Germany in 1997, it first acquired 95 discount stores. And then there is labor.
German unions are much stronger than their American counterparts.
They have the same personnel costs as their German competitors. Last week, the company announced that it wants to give its 18,200 German employees a 3 percent raise, rather than the 2.5 percent the union has negotiated with the industry. As Wal-Mart prepares to do battle in Germany, its trademark greeters may be the company's secret weapon. At motivational training courses, company employees in Germany are being taught the art of the smile. World Report Inc. All rights reserved.