By Siobhan O’Leary

Next day delivery nationwide is standard among German book wholesalers, giving small and large brick and mortar stores alike a chance to compete with the speediness and broad selection of online retailers. In fact, medications are the only other product that German consumers can expect to receive in as short a time span.

But as anyone who has spent a winter in Germany knows, the weather outside this time of year can be frightful. Buchreport asked several of the largest wholesalers how they are making out in the face of heavy snowfall across the country. All have reported delays.

A temporary ban on truck driving around Cologne led KNV to make some deliveries via high-speed train. Even Germany’s largest wholesaler, Libri, was affected by driving restrictions and delays in Nordrhein-Westfalen, with exact delivery times still up in the air in certain western parts of the country. Könemann reported that some of its deliveries to parts of the country would be in stock a day late.

Despite these minor delays, wholesalers are taking everything in stride and doing whatever it takes to minimize the impact of the weather.