Store analysis: These clothing retailers dominate Germany's major cities
Economic uncertainties, rising rents and changing consumer behavior: The German retail sector is in crisis. More and more retailers are withdrawing from the traditional store business and focusing on online business. But what is the current situation regarding the presence of textile and fashion companies in major German cities?
In our latest analysis, we at Localyzer examined the locations of leading textile retailers. We analyzed the stores of 20 top-selling fashion companies (as of 2022) in the 20 largest cities in Germany. It is clear that textile retailers are pursuing different strategies when selecting locations. Some focus more on large city centers, while others specifically want to be represented in smaller cities, towns or suburban areas.
In large German cities, the textile discounter KiK is the most frequently represented in our survey with 245 stores. When it comes to store density per square kilometer, the capital of Bavaria is in first place. Bremen, on the other hand, has the most stores per 1,000 inhabitants.
Textile company KiK can shine with 245 branches
The fact that Germany is an important market for the Westphalian textile company KiK is reflected in the number of stores, among other things. With an impressive 245 locations, KiK secured first place in the survey. No other company has such a presence in Germany’s major cities. KiK is most widespread in the cities of Hamburg and Berlin, where customers can look forward to 20 stores each. In second place is Ersting’s Family, which currently has 226 stores, with Hamburg being the absolute hotspot with 22 branches. But shoe retailer Deichmann is also frequently found in large cities: 151 stores are operated, putting the company in third place.
Residents can also look forward to a large number of Tchibo, H&M and Takko stores. There are a total of 129 Tchibo stores in Germany’s major cities – in fourth place. H&M currently operates 92 stores, while Takko has 78 stores.
Stradivarius, Zara Home and Breuninger finish in last place
The Spanish fashion chain Stradivarius opened its first store in Stuttgart in November last year, followed shortly afterwards by Dresden. So far, however, these are the only two stores in Germany, which puts Stradivarius in last place. It is also likely to be difficult for shoppers looking for a local Zara home. There are currently only four stores in the 20 largest cities, followed by the Breuninger department store with a total of five stores.
The store density of the top 20 retailers is highest in Munich
The top 20 textile retailers in Germany have a total of 103 branches in Munich. With a city area of around 310.6 km², this corresponds to around 0.33 stores per square kilometer – first place in a city comparison. Essen is in second place with 0.28 stores per square kilometer (59 stores in total), followed by Düsseldorf. The number in the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia is 56 (0.26 branches per square kilometer). However, retailers are also represented comparatively often in Nuremberg, Bochum and Frankfurt: The figure here is 0.25 stores. Berlin has the highest number of stores in the entire study at 199. However, the density is 0.22, which puts the capital in sixth place.
Bremen has the largest presence per 1,000 residents
However, when it comes to store density per 1,000 inhabitants, Bremen comes in first place with 0.12 branches. Dresden is in second place, with 0.11 stores per 1,000 inhabitants. Four cities – Dortmund, Bielefeld, Essen and Bochum – came in third place with a density of 0.1 per 1,000 inhabitants. This means that stores are significantly more present in cities with fewer inhabitants.
About the study
For the study, the stores of 20 leading textile retailers from 2022 in the 20 largest cities in Germany were analyzed. The data was taken from the respective company websites; the cut-off date was 31.01.2024. The brands of the Inditex Group were presented individually in the study, including Stradivarius and Zara Home.
