KaDeWe news and archive

Emotional resonance: Art of shopkeeping in digital age

As the World Retail Congress (WRC) 2026 unfolds against the backdrop of ‘Retail’s Roadmap to 2030’, a high-level panel of industry veterans today asserted that the survival of physical retail depends not on matching the efficiency of algorithms, but on mastering the ‘art’ of the human connection. Leaders from KaDeWe and Coach as wel as the...

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Pierluigi Cocchini appointed new European CEO of Central Group

Pierluigi Cocchini, chief executive officer of Rinascente since 2017, is the new European chief executive officer of Central Group. The company operates in seven European countries through Rinascente (Italy); KaDeWe (Germany); Globus (Switzerland); Illum (Denmark); and Selfridges Group (Selfridges – UK, De Bijenkorf, Netherlands and Brown Thomas...

Retail

Fabletics opens shop-in-shop in Berlin's KaDeWe

US activewear brand Fabletics is further expanding its presence in Germany. On Thursday, the company announced a “groundbreaking partnership” with the Berlin luxury department store KaDeWe. The brand will now open its own shop-in-shop space on the fourth floor. The opening, planned for the spring, holds special significance for the sportswear...

Retail|In pictures

Wrstbhvr opens permanent retail space at KaDeWe

Berlin-based label Wrstbhvr has secured its own retail space at KaDeWe. The brand is opening its permanent location on the fourth floor of the Berlin luxury department store, Wrstbhvr announced. Spanning approximately 70 square metres, the retail space follows previous collaborations with KaDeWe. These included pop-ups and a presence in the...

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Former PVH executive Sandra Swiderski joins KaDeWe as general manager

Sandra Swiderski is taking on the role of general manager of KaDeWe in Berlin, KaDeWe GmbH announced on Thursday. KaDeWe is the operator of the luxury department stores KaDeWe, Alsterhaus and Oberpollinger. She will report to Norman Plattner, director of stores at KaDeWe GmbH. The new general manager joins from the US fashion group PVH...

Retail

Sweden's Stylein expands into the UK and Germany

Stylein is continuing its European expansion. Following its UK launch with luxury retailers such as Selfridges, Harrods and Liberty, the brand is now entering Germany, it announced on Monday. The initial launch will be in stores belonging to the Berlin-based luxury department store operator, KaDeWe Group, including KaDeWe in Berlin, Alsterhaus...

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Business

Central Group takes over business operations of the KaDeWe Group

The business operations of the luxury German department stores KaDeWe (Berlin), Oberpollinger (Munich) and Alsterhaus (Hamburg) are being sold to the Thai Central Group. According to information from the German Press Agency, a corresponding contract with the KaDeWe Group was signed on Friday. A purchase price was not initially disclosed....

Thai fashion group acquires German landmark store KaDeWe

Berlin's renowned KaDeWe department store has changed hands, with Thai conglomerate Central Group, also the owner of Selfridges, taking over ownership from the insolvent Austrian company Signa. Central Group, which has been actively acquiring European luxury stores, including Italy's Rinascente, Ireland's Brown Thomas, and Denmark's Illum,...

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Business

Germany's KaDeWe Group files for insolvency

The KaDeWe Group, which operates the luxury department stores KaDeWe (Berlin), Oberpollinger (Munich) and Alsterhaus (Hamburg), has filed for insolvency. However, the stores will continue to operate, the company told the German Press Agency on Monday. Insolvency proceedings under self-administration have been applied for. The retail company...

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Selfridges Group appoints KaDeWe Group chief executive as new CEO

André Maeder has been named as the new CEO of Selfridges Group following its acquisition last year. Maeder will take on the role from the spring after stepping down from his current position as chief executive and managing director of KaDeWe Group on November 1. KaDeWe Group is also owned by Selfridges Group’s parent company, Central Group....

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Business

KaDeWe buying director: “The trend is moving toward going out again”

The pandemic has inspired a desire for events and dressing up. For the fashion industry, this means a tense balancing act between body-conscious sexiness and the mega-trend of sustainability. How are buyers dealing with the situation? We talked to Simone Heift, buying director of The German KaDeWe Group, about which trends she is focusing on for...

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Fashion |INTERVIEW

Drones and ugly sneakers: The future of buying at luxury chain The KaDeWe Group

As streetwear blends with luxury and functional become fashionable, the lines between office and leisure wear are blurring. As a fashion buyer, capturing this evolution is the job of Colin Göbel-Thoma. In April, he started as buyer for Urban Sports at German luxury chain KaDeWe Group, which operates three of the most iconic German department...