Australia. They already had koalas, endless coastlines and kangaroos – but they still did not have the right shopping carts. It stood to reason then that Gottfried Wanzl, who was both Head of Sales and the Chairman of the Management Board, made the journey together with his CFO to discover Down Under! Of course, the small delegation also encountered stores that did not have Wanzl shopping carts during their store checks. And although an Australian saying goes “‘It's a foolish sheep that makes the wolf his confessor", the products manufactured by Australian competitors could hardly avoid it: these products drew the interest of the small Wanzl team, and they disclosed their key features.

In the basement of a large shopping mall, at the assembly point of the shopping carts scattered in the underground car park, Gottfried Wanzl headed towards a cart, kneeled down on the ground and performed his expert checks. He felt the welds, explored the craftsmanship of the handles, turned the cart on its side, tested the bearings and smoothness of the casters. He forgot himself while performing his technical diagnosis, and suddenly there was a gruff voice: “Hey, mate, what are you doin’?” A member of the supermarket security staff had come across the German delegation, in front of which the Australian representative rose up, protectively: “This is the famous Mr. Wanzl from Germany – the GODFATHER of SHOPPING CARTS!” Puzzled, the man stayed where he was and focused on the godfather, who was currently still kneeling on the ground. He then stood up, dusted himself off, approached the security guard and stretched out his hand. The guard took his hand firmly and gave him a warm smile. Thank heavens!