Monday, November 8th, 2021
2022 in Germany
Saturn mother plans 35 mega stores in Europe
The Ceconomy Group wants to expand its network of electronics stores across Europe in the coming years. The flagship stores should guarantee customers shorter delivery times, and the visit itself should become an “experience”.
The parent company of the electronics stores Saturn and Media Markt, Ceconomy, intends to open 35 mega stores in Europe in the coming years. “In principle, all large cities are suitable for such a format,” said Ceconomy boss Karsten Wildberger to the “Handelsblatt”.
“Next year we will also open the first lighthouse in Germany.” It has not yet been decided whether it will be called “Saturn” or “Media Markt”. The first of these stores was opened in Milan last year, the second store is due to open in Rotterdam this month. Ceconomy used the corona crisis to expand logistics, Wildberger told the newspaper.
A network of a new national distribution center and regional warehouses enables short delivery times. “Our goal is that we can deliver to customers who order from us on the same day,” said Wildberger to the “Handelsblatt”. Customers can already collect their order from the store within 30 minutes.
Ceconomy is pursuing “the clear goal of building a leading European omnichannel platform,” said Wildberger. “We don’t need to hide. A relevant platform company from Europe – I think there is strong demand for it.”
The Lighthouse projects are “technology experience centers”, said Wildberger. The sales area is between 5000 and 6000 square meters. Media Markt and Saturn operate a total of around 1000 stores in 13 European countries, which are internally assigned to four different formats.