More output per hour, more parts per ticket & 15 years with SEAK
How Mein Fischer — a family-owned business established in 1832 — has been managing workforce planning, time tracking, and MSP across its 17 fashion stores in Central Germany with SEAK since 2010.
Mein Fischer at a Glance
Founded in 1832 by master linen weaver Carl Ernst Fischer in Taucha, near Leipzig, Modehaus Fischer began as a production and retail outlet for linen goods and flax yarn. Over six generations of family ownership, it has evolved into a modern fashion retailer — rooted in Saxony and fueled by growth following German reunification. Since 2010, the company has been led by Ulrich Fischer, representing the sixth generation of the founding family.
Team
around 250 employees
Branch Network
17 Fashion Stores Across Central Germany
SEAK customer since 2010
Workforce Scheduling with SEAKproHR, Time & Attendance Management, Employee Self-Service Portal (ESS), Visitor Counter Integration for Conversion Rate Tracking
Numbers, Data, Facts
Fashion Retail Across Central Germany — All Managed Through SEAK
Employees — scheduled at the right frequency
Mein Fischer works with SEAK
The Challenge
Before 2010, Mein Fischer managed workforce scheduling largely by hand. Paper timesheets for every month, pencil-written weekly rosters in each branch, and no consistent visibility into cost centers or working hours. As the IT Director puts it in retrospect, workforce planning was unsystematic. More often than not, the previous year's schedule was simply copied over — and whether an employee had been assigned to sales, merchandising, or somewhere else entirely was nearly impossible to trace after the fact.
Five specific pain points were holding them back:
Pen and paper
Monthly timesheets and hand-written weekly schedules pinned up in the branch — the classic pre-digitization setup.
Unsystematic Planning
Workforce scheduling lacked any consistent logic — more often than not, the previous year's plan was simply copied and carried forward.
No Visibility Into Cost Centers or Time Tracking
Working hours, time off, and absences lacked visibility across cost centers — making it impossible to clearly distinguish between sales, decorating, and other activities.
Error-Prone Application Processes
Leave requests, booking corrections, and hour adjustments were handled through disorganized, error-prone processes — creating a constant administrative burden.
No Metrics at the Click of a Button
Classic performance metrics — units per hour, items per transaction, conversion rate — were simply unavailable. Without this data, there was no foundation for targeted optimization.
Jens Feike-Herrmann — IT Director — Mein Fischer
"In the past, we burned through budget far too often. Shift schedules from the previous year were simply copied and carried over — and that was that. With SEAK's software, we can now identify staffing inefficiencies faster and more easily than ever before."
The Decision: A Recommendation from the Trade Network
SEAK came on board as a software partner around 2010 — a period that coincided with a significant growth phase at Mein Fischer and the transition of leadership to Ulrich Fischer, representing the sixth generation of the family business. SEAK was recommended by a fellow trading company. Mein Fischer chose SEAKproHR for workforce scheduling and time management, later expanding the solution with the Employee Self-Service Portal and an integration of visitor counter data into the SEAK platform to calculate the customer conversion rate.
The Approach: Annual Planning at HQ, Daily Planning at the Branch Level
Two levels, one system — HQ sets the framework, branches fine-tune the details
At Mein Fischer, workforce planning operates across two levels. Head office uses prior-year data to create an annual plan for each branch and defines monthly revenue targets. Based on these targets — and guided by the software's recommendations — branch managers then build their daily shift schedules, factoring in daily sales patterns, required qualifications, and employee preferences. Plan-vs-actual comparisons are available at any time, from the company as a whole down to the individual branch.
Time tracking captures working hours to the second and automatically transfers them to payroll. Employees clock in and out at the branch terminal via the Employee Self-Service Portal, where they can also view and print their time statement for the current month. Team leaders have an additional branch overview on their PC, showing live staffing levels and individual working hours in real time.
What the software actually covers
Annual Planning with Prior-Year Data
Head office creates an annual plan for each location based on prior-year data and defines monthly revenue targets — setting the framework for day-to-day planning.
Automatic Schedule Suggestions
Based on the annual plan, SEAKproHR automatically generates shift suggestions — branch managers simply fine-tune them, rather than building schedules from scratch.
Frequency-Based Daily Planning
Daily revenue patterns feed directly into scheduling — staffing follows actual demand, not last year's copy-pasted plan.
Skills & Employee Preferences
The software accounts for required qualifications, roles, and individual scheduling preferences — driving higher acceptance and buy-in across your team.
Detailed budget-vs-actual comparison down to branch level
From company-wide overviews to individual branch-level detail — plan vs. actual comparisons with up-to-date KPIs, accessible anywhere.
Visitor Counter Integration for Buyer Conversion Rate
Visitor counter data is imported into SEAK and used to calculate key metrics such as the buyer conversion rate — turning foot traffic directly into actionable insights.
Precise Time Tracking with Seamless Payroll Integration
Working hours are recorded to the second and automatically transferred to payroll — eliminating timesheets and manual follow-up entirely.
Employee Service Portal (ESP)
Clock in and out at the branch register, view and print time tracking records for the current month — plus an additional branch overview on PC for team leaders.
Jens Feike-Herrmann — IT Director — Mein Fischer
"Workforce scheduling is now significantly more efficient than before. Head office creates an annual plan for each branch based on the previous year's data and defines monthly revenue targets. Using this as a foundation — and with the help of the system's suggestions — branch managers then build the daily staffing schedule."
The Results: What 15 Years with SEAK Have Changed
Higher throughput, more parts per ticket, and performance-based bonuses backed by data
The impact is felt across four dimensions: business performance metrics, management and operational control, employee satisfaction, and data quality for strategic decision-making.
Business Management
Leadership & Governance
Employee Satisfaction
Data Quality & Integrations
Jens Feike-Herrmann — IT Director — Mein Fischer
"Since implementing SEAK's solutions, we've seen our hourly performance figures increase year over year. Our units-per-transaction metric has also developed very positively. Previously, this figure was impossible to calculate because we had no reliable way of knowing how much time a sales associate actually spent on the floor. These metrics and the reporting that comes with them are essential for us — not least because we use them to calculate performance-based bonus payments."
Which modules are in use at Mein Fischer
Stephanie Jähnig, HR Business Partner, Mein Fischer
"I always feel like they truly understand me and know exactly what I need. On top of that, they're genuinely friendly, kind, and helpful. And the potential of this software never ceases to amaze me."
Let's talk about whether SEAK is the right fit for your business
In a 30-minute introductory call, we'll assess where your business stands today, identify which modules are the right priority for your situation, and outline a realistic implementation roadmap.
Alternatively, you're welcome to reach out via our contact form — we'll get back to you promptly. Or give us a call at: +49 40 238 348 – 000
The Trade Trusts SEAK
From fashion and food retail to building materials and specialist trade: retailers across Germany rely on SEAK to manage their workforce.
Since 1832 — Six Generations of Fashion Retail
On April 15, 1832, master linen weaver Carl Ernst Fischer relocated from the outskirts of Nuremberg to Taucha, near Leipzig, where he opened a workshop that served as his home, production space, and retail outlet all in one. What began as a small trade in self-produced linen goods and flax yarns grew into a dedicated retail store just three years later. By the late 19th century, the Fischer family was traveling to neighboring villages to sell their wares and organizing their own trade sales at local inns — an entrepreneurial spirit that has carried unbroken through six generations ever since.
Following German reunification, the company grew rapidly. Since 2010, Mein Fischer has been led by Ulrich Fischer, the sixth generation of the founding family. Today, the company operates 17 fashion stores across Central Germany and employs around 250 people, with a strong regional presence in Saxony and a focused assortment of clothing and lifestyle products. Central to this growth story is the long-standing partnership with SEAK: since 2010, Mein Fischer has relied on SEAK for workforce scheduling, time and attendance management, and its employee self-service portal — a partnership of over 15 years, making it one of the longest-running in SEAK's portfolio.