Josef Fischer celebrates his 90th birthday

Kommerzialrat Josef Fischer, the last major Austrian ski producer whose company is 100% family-owned, celebrated his 90th birthday on September 12, 2019 and looks with satisfaction at the current development in the company.

You only have to look him in the eye when he talks about skiing and you get a sense of how much passion for skiing Josef Fischer has. Already at a young age, the passionate developer took over his parents' business and step by step expanded the winery into the world's most successful ski brand. Today, "Pepi" Fischer, as he is called in circles of friends, has withdrawn from the public eye and is enjoying his retirement at Lake Attersee, where he has lived with his partner for many years and, in keeping with his age, enjoys good health. Josef Fischer regularly stops by at the nearby company. Through his family foundation, he holds a majority stake in the holding company, which incorporates FISCHER SPORTS GMBH and LÖFFLER GMBH. The other company shares are held by the private foundation of his late sister Selma Sturmberger.

FISCHER is thus the last of the major Austrian ski brands to be owned by the founding family. Operational management is in the hands of long-standing employees of the family business. In the composition of the supervisory board, which consists of family members and seasoned business personalities, value was also placed on consistency and regionality.

Josef Fischer describes the basic principles that have made FISCHER a successful company as inventiveness and pioneering spirit, which already drove his father when he took the plunge into independence in 1924 with the production of toboggans and ladder trucks. "It was precisely this pioneering spirit and this wealth of ideas from the people at FISCHER that also accompanied, supported and drove me throughout my creative period in the company," the successful entrepreneur looks back. "I am grateful for that. Because it was only because of them that FISCHER was able to grow to its current position and size. And it's the people at FISCHER who also make me feel confident about the future."

Today, these genes of the company are firmly anchored in its mission and corporate values. The brand is clearly positioned in the market through technology and innovation. This is also underlined by the latest achievements, whether it is the unique VACUUM technology, which ensures optimal customization of alpine boots, or the revolutionary Cold Base Bonding technology, which applies the bases of high-end Nordic skis without the combination of pressure and heat. In addition, the family business focuses on people. The long periods of service and very low staff turnover confirm the positive corporate culture, and so FISCHER was named the best employer in the Innviertel region this year.

The jubilarian can look back with satisfaction on his two economically healthy companies. FISCHER closed the past fiscal year with sales of 182.5 million euros (as of Feb. 28). This corresponds to a plus of 11% compared to the previous year. In the largest segment, Alpine, FISCHER scored particularly well in the Central European markets. Particular growth is recorded in Alpine boots, where the brand is steadily gaining market share with innovative boot and fitting concepts. In cross-country skiing, FISCHER is the world market leader. Now not only in skis, but also with boots and bindings. The third division in the group of companies is largely unknown: Almost 1 million ice hockey sticks are produced annually, more and more of them also under the company's own FISCHER brand.

The LÖFFLER company was taken over by Fischer Holding in 1973 and produces innovative clothing for endurance athletes with around 200 employees at the Ried im Innkreis site. In the past fiscal year, the second-highest sales in the company's history were achieved with sales of 27.4 million euros. The company records high sales in the Nordic Sports and Bike segments in particular and impresses with its high-quality and sustainably produced clothing. Every year, around 1.3 million products are responsibly manufactured and sold in the main markets of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. For decades, LÖFFLER has been the official outfitter of the ÖSV and DSV Nordic, as well as sponsor of the Austrian professional cycling team Felbermayr Simplon Wels.