Deichmann
SE is the largest footwear retailer in Europe which is headquartered in
Essen
Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Company structure
Deichmann SE is a wholly owned family company. Among other countries, the company's stores are called Dosenbach in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and Van Haren in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
History
Founding years 1913–1940
Heinrich Deichmann, born in 1888, opened a shoemaker's shop, called ''Schuhreparatur Elektra'', in 1913 at the age of 25 in what is now Johannes-Brokamp-Straße in
Borbeck, which was incorporated into the city of Essen two years later. At first, his customers were mainly miners from the then up-and-coming
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
area who needed inexpensive shoe repairs, being part of the lower income bracket. After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Deichmann and his shoemakers produced their own shoes for the first time. Soon afterwards, Heinrich Deichmann bought cheap new goods from shoe factories to resell them to his own customers. Heinrich Deichmann opened the first large shoe shop at Borbecker Markt in 1936. His wife, Julie, took over the business after his death in 1940.
After World War II
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Deichmann improvised by making 50,000 pairs of shoes out of poplar wood and parachute harnesses. In addition, a swap shop was set up for used shoes, quickly growing to a total of 5,000 customers on file. Early on, their son Heinz-Horst Deichmann helped out in the company, opening the first shop outside Essen on Ackerstraße in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
in the late 1940s. He studied theology, received his doctorate in medicine and continued to run the small family business together with his mother. He gave up his career as a doctor in 1956 to fully take over management of the shoe business, buying out his four older sisters. By 1963, the company was operating 16 shops along the Rhine and in the Ruhr. Under Heinz-Horst Deichmann's management, the company grew to become the market leader in the German and European shoe retail trade. Deichmann was the first to introduce the display stands and later the rack-room concept in Germany, where shoes are presented in boxes for customers to try on directly.
International expansion and acquisitions
The company acquired the Dosenbach shoe chain in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in 1973, followed by shoe and sports chain Ochsner in 1992. The two chains were merged to form Dosenbach-Ochsner. Their names are still used today for the branches located in Switzerland. The company expanded to the
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 1984, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in 1985,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in 1992 and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in 1997. Heinz-Horst Deichmann's son Heinrich Otto took over as chairman of the board in 1999. His sisters do not work for the company. In 2001, branches were opened in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. This was followed by
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
and the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
in 2003,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
in 2004,
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
and
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
in 2006,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
in 2007 and
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
in 2009. Germany's thousandth branch was opened in 2006. The company was legally changed to a Societas Europaea company on 1 January 2010. Deichmann opened its first stores in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
in 2017. The group had a total of 4,205 branches worldwide in 2019.
In the US, Deichmann SE completed the largest acquisition in the company's history by purchasing the KicksUSA chain in 2018 with over 60 stores in the streetwear and athletic shoe sector. China also began activities on the Chinese market in 2019 and opened its first branches in
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
and
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
.
Deichmann was the first company to set up an
online shop
Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the ...
for shoes in 2000. The company currently runs 40 (2017: 36) online shops internationally and is working to expand its Omnichannel concept.
Market positioning
During the 2019 fiscal year, the Deichmann Group sold around 183 million pairs of shoes worldwide, some 40% of which in Germany. As of 31 December 2019, the group employed around 43,000 employees in 30 countries and is the European shoe retail market leader.
Deichmann does not produce its own shoes, instead purchasing shoes in about 40 countries. Its primary purchasing market is Asia.
Deichmann purchased traditional brands Gallus and Elefanten-Schuh in May 2005. Gallus is a shoe factory founded by
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...
shoemaker Heinrich Vogels in 1880, which was based in
Dülken
Dülken is a town located in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany. It has a population of about 20,000. It is a borough of the municipality of Viersen. It received its town charter in 1364 thus being the oldest part of the municipality of Vi ...
until 1997. The name Gallus goes back to the Hahn family of manufacturers in Göttingen (Latin: Gallus), from whom Heinrich Vogels acquired the rights to the brand in the 1930s. Elefanten-Schuh (
Kleve
Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...
) was closed down by English shoe manufacturer Clarks in late 2004 after failing to find a suitable investor. Since then, shoes that Deichmann purchases from suppliers have been sold under the brand names Elefanten and Gallus. Deichmann does not produce its own shoes.
''
The Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe ...
'' collaborated with Deichmann on testimonial advertisements, beginning in March 2006. Extreme athlete and musician
Joey Kelly
Joseph Maria Kelly (born 20 December 1972) is a musician, songwriter, and athlete of Irish-American descent.
Kelly became known as a member of the Kelly Family, however, during the band's hiatus, he appeared primarily as an amateur athlete and ...
appeared in advertising for Deichmann's Victory brand of running shoes. The
Sugababes
Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011.
Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...
collection was released in the spring of 2008, with their song "Denial" used in the campaign's television advertising. American supermodel
Cindy Crawford
Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model, actress and television personality. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, as well as fash ...
brought her own shoe collection to market exclusively for Deichmann under the 5th Avenue label in 2009.
Halle Berry
Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Mis ...
appeared in advertising for Deichmann in 2012.
Sylvie Meis
Sylvie Françoise Meis (born 13 April 1978), known for sometime as Sylvie van der Vaart, is a Dutch television personality and model based in Germany.
Career
Netherlands
Born in Breda, Netherlands, Meis is partly of Dutch East Indies origin ...
presented her first Deichmann shoe collection in 2015, with additional collections released in 2016 and 2017.
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
also released her own collection for Deichmann in 2017. Deichmann collaborated with singer
Rita Ora
Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...
to release a collection of 40 women's shoe designs in 2019.
Dosenbach took over title sponsorship of the second highest level football league in Switzerland for one season, which was called the Dosenbach
Challenge League during that time.
Public perception
2003: Founding member of the amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative)
Deichmann is a member of the BSCI. More than 2,400 retailers and companies from 46 countries are part of the initiative. They pursue common goals, including improving working conditions in factories, helping suppliers adapt to national laws and international guidelines, and facilitating socially responsible behaviour in the globalised economy.
2012–2014: Chromium (VI) oxide pollution
According to RAPEX, the EU rapid alert system for unsafe consumer products and consumer protection, there were multiple reports of leather shoes produced under the company's own 5th Avenue brand being contaminated by
chromium trioxide
Chromium trioxide (also known as chromium(VI) oxide or chromic anhydride) is an inorganic compound with the formula CrO3. It is the acidic anhydride of chromic acid, and is sometimes marketed under the same name.
This compound is a dark-purple ...
between 2012 and 2014.
2018: Member of the Cads association
Deichmann SE is a member of the Cads association (cooperation for assuring defined standards for shoe and leather goods production). In 2018, the initiative, which was launched in 2007, became a registered association with some 80 members. These include companies from the footwear and leather goods industry, brands, retailers, test laboratories and chemical manufacturers. Cads is committed to sustainable development in the footwear and leather goods industry along the entire value chain. All members agree to abide by jointly defined production and environmental standards.
Member of the Leather Working Group
Deichmann SE is a member of the Leather Working Group, which was founded in 2005. The multi-stakeholder initiative brings together brands, manufacturers, retailers and leading technical experts from the leather industry and non-governmental organisations. Its aim is to make the production chain in leather processing more transparent. In addition, it aims to bring about sustainable changes to processing in tanneries and through distributors, including by reducing water and energy consumption. In addition, it calls for occupational health and safety in factories to be monitored using a specially developed audit protocol.
Social engagement
Deichmann Sponsorship Award
Deichmann is committed to the professional integration of disadvantaged children and young people. The Sponsorship Award, which was launched by Heinrich Deichmann in 2005, rewards initiatives that develop creative, sustainable efforts to integrate people with an immigrant background into professional life and society.
The Sponsorship Award comes with a total of 100,000 euros of prize money and is awarded in three categories:
* Professional support by companies, associations and public initiatives
* Professional support by associations and public initiatives
* School-based preventive programmes
Actress and television presenter
Fernanda Brandão
Fernanda Brandão Gonçalves da Silva (born 3 May 1983) is a Brazilian singer and dancer based in Munich, Germany. She became famous under her stage name Laava, then with Latin pop trio, .
Early life
Brandão was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, ...
became a patron of the Sponsorship Award in 2019.
"Wort und Tat" foundation
Heinz-Horst Deichmann founded the "Wort und Tat" foundation in 1977. The organisation has maintained DZI Seal of Approval status since 1992. The foundation is active in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
,
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and Germany. In collaboration with local partners, needy people receive support in matters of
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
,
health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
,
sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
and emergency aid.
Among others, major projects include:
* Moldova: Help for poor segments of the population (project launched in 2007)
* Greece: Help for refugees and poor Greeks (project launched in 1980)
* India: Help for people in rural areas (project launched in 1988)
* Tanzania: Help for a population group in the south (project launched in 1996)
Deichmann-Stiftung
The Dr. Heinz-Horst Deichmann-Stiftung promotes various social and welfare-based projects in Germany and abroad. The projects are based in the fields of child and youth welfare, development aid and development cooperation, emergency aid and disaster relief, art and culture, education, science and research, health, public health and public healthcare.
The projects receiving support in Germany include ''Stern im Norden e.V.'', which provides assistance in the socially deprived area of Dortmund's Nordstadt district. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Deichmann-Stiftung engaged in multiple initiatives, including donating one million face masks to the Caritas organisation in the Archdiocese of Berlin in May 2020.
International engagement
Deichmann subsidiaries in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Austria, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States support numerous social projects in each of these countries. Children's homes, hospices and educational projects receive support, primarily through donations.
Further reading
*
References
External links
Deichmann official websiteDeichmann corporate site in new English version"Wort und Tat" foundation website
{{Authority control
Companies based in Essen
Footwear retailers
Retail companies established in 1913
Shoe companies of Germany
1913 establishments in Germany