Bilka
Bilka was a low-price department store chain founded by the German department store group Hertie . In its prime (1986) it comprised 53 branches in the Federal Republic and in Berlin (West). Bilka department stores existed from 1952 to 1996. "Bilka" is a acronym of " Bil lig- Ka ufhaus".
history
The first branch opened on June 27, 1952 in Berlin . Bilka was designed as a department store for districts and small towns and was also making a profit until the early 1970s. In 1972 a positive balance could be presented for the last time, after which the chain was no longer able to show significant profits. In the 1980s, Bilka parted with a total of 13 branches (including 4 Bilka textiles). This left only 33 Bilka (textile) and 7 Preisland SBs.
In 1989, the parent company, Hertie, decided to sell the loss-making chain. 30 of the remaining 40 branches were sold. Five Berlin branches were not for sale and were converted into Hertie at great expense between 1990 and 1994. With the takeover by Karstadt AG, there were no further reallocations to Hertie. The 30 branches were divided between Woolworth (16 branches) and Kaufhalle (14 branches). All seven branches of the recently founded Preisland SB were also among the branches sold.
One branch was integrated into the Karstadt low-price chain " FOX ", three branches were converted into " Karstadt Sport ". The last Bilka branch was closed in 1996. This ended the existence of this department store chain after more than 40 years of history.
The three areas of the bilka
Bilka (1952-1996)
Bilka was the full-range variant of the low-price chain, the houses often had more than just one sales floor, and quite a few had been "real" Hertie department stores before their conversion to Bilka. Most, however, had been founded as Bilka. The name Bilka existed from 1952 to 1996.
Bilka-Textil (1960–1990)
Bilka-Textil was a somewhat smaller branch that mainly sold textiles.
Preisland-City-SB (1986–1990)
The Preisland-City-SB division was founded in 1986 by Hertie Waren- und Kaufhaus GmbH, Frankfurt ; it was a question of Bilka and Hertie branches, where the customer could shop almost entirely in self-service. The Preisland City self-service concept was Hertie's inner-city answer to the self-service department stores that are being built just outside the city gates , such as Allkauf . A total of seven houses were converted into the Preisland City self-service concept. The branch in Oldenburg was the only one to reopen as a Hertie department store in December 1990, but closed again on July 31, 1993. Today the City Center Oldenburg exists there.
literature
- Friedrich W. Köhler: On the history of department stores. Distress and sinking of the Hertie group. Haag and Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-86137-544-3 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bilka: The Bilka story began in 1952 with the first branch in Berlin. In its heyday, the low-cost department store chain | 3. Retrieved January 18, 2020 .
- ↑ Hertie separates from Bilka , in: Der Spiegel 43/1989 of October 23, 1989