Following the success of the K Town pilot project in Göttingen, Karstadt opened a second K Town store in Cologne on 14 September. This new shop concept forms a key part of the "Karstadt 2015" strategy. K Town will contribute further to the modernisation and differentiation of Karstadt.
"With our trendy, lifestyle-oriented K Town concept, we are targeting totally new, modern customers with a very young lifestyle. The K Town pilot in Göttingen has received great feedback from customers and suppliers and now, after a year full of exciting experiences, it is ready for the market. Therefore, it is now time to roll out our pilot project and start the expansion of K Town", says André Maeder, Chief Retail Officer at Karstadt.
The K Town concept combines attractive, trendy brands in fashion, shoes and accessories with a trendy and modern atmosphere. Unlike in Göttingen, the Cologne K Town is not a separate store but with 2,000 square metres integrated into the ground floor of the Cologne Karstadt department store. "Karstadt has great potential in the field of modern, young and trendy fashion and we will exploit this at many different levels - with new stores and changes to existing stores", says André Maeder. "It is incredible what you can make out of a department store."
The design of the Cologne K TOWN is reminiscent of a modern art gallery, with screens, lighting installations beneath an open, more than 5-metre-high ceiling and display stands that seem like works of art all creating a unique atmosphere. At the heart of the store is the lounge area where customers can relax with stylish drinks and snacks. Touch pads integrated into the tables offer customers multimedia entertainment during their shopping break.
"Our K Town pilot project in Göttingen has clearly shown that customers come to us not just to buy a product but also to enjoy the shopping experience. Fulfilling this wish is our top priority and we are taking an important step with K Town", says André Maeder.
The women's fashion brands at the Cologne K TOWN include Desigual, Mavi, One Green Elephant and the hip Scandinavian label Gestuz. For men there are brands such as G-Star, Blend, Scotch & Soda and Superdry. The area of shoes displays the latest trends from Lacoste, Camper, UGG and other top brands, and finally, customers can find the perfect accessory for their new outfit from Pieces, Liebeskind or George, Gina & Lucy.
The first K TOWN store was opened as a pilot project in Göttingen in September 2011. It was already selected as "Store of the Month" in December 2011 by trade magazine TM and has also been nominated for Retail Week's "International Department Store of the Year Award".
Source: Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH
