School supply warehouse prepares for Austria’s back-to-school rush

The central warehouse of retailer Libro/Pagro in Müllendorf, in the Eisenstadt-Umgebung district, is operating at full capacity ahead of the new school year, ORF reported. The warehouse supplies 281 branches across Austria as well as online customers.

The 23,000-square-metre facility begins preparing for the back-to-school season about a year in advance. Around 280,000 school supplies are sold in Burgenland during a school season.

Libro/Pagro managing director Thomas Marx said the notebooks sold in Burgenland alone would reach 130 metres if stacked, roughly the height of St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Pencils and ballpoint pens laid end to end would cover five kilometres.

Current trends are closely watched when school bags and other supplies are selected. Sabine Hirschegger, head of purchasing, said the range combines established products with new items.

The back-to-school season is an important source of revenue for retailers. Across Austria, the sector expects an additional 360 million euros in sales. Austrians are expected to spend an average of 181 euros per person on the new school year, while the average in Lower Austria and Burgenland is slightly higher at 191 euros.