Department Store of the West

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Logo of the Department Store of the West
Department Store of the West, 2013
View of the facade, 1907

The Kaufhaus des Westens ( KaDeWe ) is a department store in Berlin with an upscale range and luxury goods , which was founded by Adolf Jandorf and opened on March 27, 1907. It is located on Tauentzienstrasse on Wittenbergplatz in the Schöneberg district and is the most famous department store in Germany .

In the course of its history, the Kaufhaus des Westens has been expanded and rebuilt several times, the parent company changed seven times (the Central Group since June 2015 ) and once it burned down in World War II . Today the KaDeWe is one of the largest department stores in Europe with 60,000 square meters of retail space . The delicatessen department , the so-called “ Feinschmeckeretage ”, has been a special attraction since the late 1920s . After an expansion, it has been the second largest food department in a department store in the world since 1978.

history

Empire and Weimar Republic: The Jandorf Era

Tietz department store, 1900, Leipziger Strasse

The businessman Adolf Jandorf and his company A. Jandorf & Co. had opened six department stores in Berlin for simple needs by 1905 . Like his competitors with Wertheim Leipziger Strasse (1894) or the Tietz department store (1900), also on Leipziger Strasse , he now wanted to make a representative offer for the high consumer demands of the Wilhelmine elite. Jandorf's seventh branch should now satisfy "the spoiled demands of the top ten thousand, the top one thousand, the top five hundred", as the weekly newspaper Roland von Berlin wrote. With a specially established eponymous GmbH , its partner companies at the MJ Emden Söhne (Hamburg) participated with four percent, Jandorf 1905 began under the name Department Store of the West with the plans for the new house. The designation department store should set itself apart from the usual department store and wholesale warehouse . The abbreviation KaDeWe was in use from the start and, according to a commemorative publication from 1932, was based on the abbreviation of company names that had become common in the USA at the time .

The term West referred to the large urban expansion of Tiergarten , Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf from the time after the establishment of the German Empire in 1871, which were unofficially grouped under the name New West . An important motive for Jandorf's choice of location, in addition to the connection to the tram network, was the additional traffic development of the then still remote area on the eastern edge of Charlottenburg through the Wittenbergplatz train station . This is located directly next to the KaDeWe and was a station on the " main line " of the new elevated and underground railway, which was opened in 1902. The KaDeWe was located in the then still independent city of Charlottenburg and after the formation of Greater Berlin in 1920 in the district of the same name . The Berlin regional reform with effect from April 1, 1938 resulted in numerous straightening of the district boundaries as well as some major changes to the area. The area around Wittenbergplatz with the KaDeWe, which until then belonged to Charlottenburg, was added to the Schöneberg district.

The architect Johann Emil Schaudt was commissioned with the conception and implementation . He designed a five-storey reinforced concrete building with around 24,000 square meters of retail space in a businesslike neoclassical style. The publicist Leo Colze defined the architectural style as a “modernized Italian Renaissance ”. The facade consisted of Franconian shell limestone from Jandorf's homeland. The building was completed within a year. Due to a restriction from the building authorities, the facade was structured horizontally like a residential building, which was interrupted by two central projections . The regulation aimed to prevent the shine of glazed facades like the Tietz department store on Leipziger Strasse, and was part of a campaign initiated by small retailers against the new department store business . The corner rounding of the building, which is common in Jandorf's department stores, was dispensed with; contemporary observers wrote of a “peaceful sight of a nicely structured and, despite its size, quite comfortable main front.” Instead of a glass-roofed atrium across all floors, which has become the standard in large French and German department stores Schaudt decided on a two-storey entrance hall in the middle of the building (22 meters × 23.5 meters). This reduction in measure and proportion was found beneficial by architecture critics after the previous architectural outbidding of Berlin department stores.

Before the opening, full-page picture advertisements by Art Nouveau graphic artist August Hajduk were placed in the daily newspapers for the first time . This completely new form of advertising caused a sensation at the time and was the talk of the town among Berliners. Soon afterwards, other Berlin department stores also emulated this appealing advertising style.

  • Historical advertisements

  • Newspaper advertisement for the opening of KaDeWe on March 27, 1907

  • Advertisement for the fashion department, 1910

  • Advertisement for the fashion department, 1910

  • Advertisement for the lending library, 1907

On March 27, 1907 the opening of the Kaufhaus des Westens took place. Jandorf hoped for an official upgrade for his new department store through the visit of a high representative of the Wilhelmine imperial family, such as the Wertheim department store on Leipziger Strasse by Wilhelm II in January 1910. The imperial visit was a long time coming, but it made for it in August 1907 A two-day stay of the Siamese King Rama V in KaDeWe created the desired impression on the nobility and bourgeoisie .

  • Historical recordings

  • General view, Ansbacher Strasse on the left, 1907

  • Central risalits , 1907

  • Main entrance on Tauentzienstrasse, 1907

  • Entrance hall, yellow-colored Australian moa wood staircase , 1907

  • Wood paneling in the two-story entrance hall, drawing, 1907

  • Haberdashery department, 1910

  • Lamp system above the haberdashery department, 1910

  • Tea room on the second floor, paneling with Swedish birch wood, with a band in the back right, 1907

Jandorf designed his department store based on the model of American department stores by uniting many small specialist shops in 120 departments under one roof. Interior designer Franz Habich , the earlier, the Munich-based department store Oberpollinger had equipped the iron carrier was made to expand with natural stone and with hard Australian Moaholz panel. The interior was perceived as "dignified" and "modern", but not overloaded and equipped with modern technology. An English-made pneumatic tube system connected 150 different pay points in the house with the central cash desk. Due to the high susceptibility to repair of this make, the system with 18 kilometers of piping was replaced by cash registers after a few years . Instead of the widespread gas lighting , there were carbon filament lamps for electric light , additional customer services such as thirteen passenger elevators , a hairdressing salon for men and women, an exchange office, a bank branch of the Deutsche Bank , a lending library, a photo studio and a tea salon increased the attractiveness. This variety of services was also offered by other upscale department stores such as the Berlin department store Wertheim Leipziger Straße (hairdresser, lending library, bank, post office) or the Bochum department store Kortum (café with music band, lending library). The semicircular protruding risalits on both sides of the main entrance contained stairwells; Schaudt placed a small balcony above the entrance, above which hung a bronze clock with a dial three meters in diameter. At a certain time, two gates opened on either side of the clock. The clockwork then circled a bronze Hanse cog with full sails, the symbol of the KaDeWe, like the puppet games on the clocks of the cathedrals and old town halls. The wood-paneled and coffered entrance hall was flanked by two lateral marble portals by the sculptor Georg Wrba to the light shafts or inner courtyards. In each of the two courtyards there was a small garden with a fountain for customers looking for peace and quiet.

  • Marble portal in the entrance hall by Georg Wrba with access to the garden, 1907

  • Grille at the main entrance of the Schulz & Holdefleiss foundry

  • Elevator door on the first floor, 1907

The department store soon became one of the most popular shopping addresses in Berlin thanks to its modern and exquisite range of goods and services. Tauentzienstrasse changed from a purely residential street to a shopping boulevard, with more and more shops renting on the ground floor of the residential buildings. At the same time, the area around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church became internationally interesting: “The cosmopolitan city blows here . Numerous Americans, British, French, Italians and even Asians have settled here and populate the elegant boarding houses and pensions. Theaters are being built. All squares are given features that are the cornerstones of the blossoming of their surroundings. ”The same process from upscale residential area to service center took place in Leipziger Strasse and from 1929 after the new Karstadt department store was built on Hermannplatz . With the rise of the New West, especially from Kleiststrasse, Tauentzienstrasse and parts of Kurfürstendamm , to a new business focus , the initial importance of Potsdamer Strasse and its cross streets declined. The art historian Max Osborn commented on the structural change in the district:

“Here we have an example of the subversive effect that building a new department store can have. First, the imperative change in urban traffic life. Because only from the moment when the KaDeWe was built did the fairytale upswing of the district around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church begin . The consequences of its opening can hardly be described and, even after twenty years, cannot be measured. A new, modern traffic area, a new, modern cityscape was born that has since risen to world fame. The entire further development of Tauentzienstrasse, whose name became a symbol even before the war - because it could only assume its character as a newfangled strolling, strolling and flirting street because it had become a 'shop [p] ing' street - , The entire recent development of the Kurfürstendamm, which is still strongly in flux today, without our being able to say where the development will lead it, has its roots in that courageous establishment of a single department store. "

- Max Osborn , 1928
Aerial photo of Wittenbergplatz , 1920, with KaDeWe (top center)
Ground floor plan, 1907 and 1930 Ground floor plan, 1907 and 1930
Ground floor plan, 1907 and 1930

After Hermann Tietz introduced the White Weeks , the forerunners of summer and winter sales , in his luxurious Tietz department store on Alexanderplatz in Berlin in 1901 , in order to bring customers back to the department stores after the Christmas business in February, the KaDeWe also introduced price-reduced white goods to great approval. The entire store was decorated in light and white tones, and the range of goods was predominantly white. At the same time, the new advertising material for nighttime lighting with chains of light bulbs came into its own at KaDeWe.

Jandorf sold his company on December 2, 1926, and from 1927 A. Jandorf & Co. and KaDeWe belonged to the Hermann Tietz OHG department store group . From 1929 to 1930, renovations and extensions were carried out with two full floors and two attic floors according to the plans of the architects Schaudt and H. Ströming. During the renovation the house was not closed and sales continued. The previous hipped roof was replaced by a mansard roof. A novelty was the installation of a roof garden terrace , where deck chairs were made available for relaxation in the style of ocean passenger ships . The elevators have been renewed with more powerful elevators and expanded from the original nineteen cabins to seventeen passenger and eleven freight elevators. With the extension from 1929 onwards, Tietz had the delicatessen department, which continues to set the standard today, with ventilation equipment. In 1932 the KaDeWe lending library contained 60,000 titles.

National Socialism: expropriation of Tietz

Because of the global economic crisis from 1929 onwards, the Jewish trading company Hermann Tietz OHG also ran into liquidity bottlenecks . Despite an informal promise at the beginning of 1933, after the transfer of power to Hitler in February 1933, a loan of 14.5 million Reichsmarks (adjusted for purchasing power in today's currency: around 64 million euros) was withheld by the Accept and Guarantee Bank (in short: Accept Bank ). This acceptance bank was founded on July 28, 1931, to act as an interface between the private banks and the Reichsbank to overcome liquidity bottlenecks at the banks. In agreement with the Reich Ministry of Economics, the creditor banks summoned the three shareholders and managing directors of the Tietz Group in March 1933. Hugo Zwillenberg and his brothers-in-law Georg and Martin Tietz were confronted with an alleged debt relief plan that resulted in a "cold" expropriation (" Aryanization "). They met at the Hotel Adlon and took away their passports in order to increase the pressure to sell on the terms of the banks and to prevent them from leaving the country. Only under the condition that an “ Aryan ” management board would be appointed, those responsible now declared themselves ready to grant the loan to the Tietz Group.

Due to a nationwide organized boycott of the NSDAP against Jewish department stores, medical practices and law firms (“ Judenboycott ”), the KaDeWe was also closed on April 1, 1933. By the summer of 1933, five hundred “non-Aryan” employees had been laid off. At first it looked like the Tietz group would be broken up. In the current party program, the NSDAP called for the localization of department stores or their dissolution, thus serving the need for protection of small traders from financially strong competition. Hitler therefore did not want to save ailing department stores with loans. Economy Minister Kurt Schmitt was able to dissuade him from this view in July 1933, as too many medium-sized suppliers of goods depend on it. The banks, in the leading position Dresdner Bank, which has been state-controlled since 1932, and Deutsche Bank und Disconto-Gesellschaft , on the other hand, wanted the Hermann Tietz OHG to transition to new owners and managers as "smoothly" as possible so as not to jeopardize their loans. The NS-propagated communalization of all department stores was neither desired nor liquidation of the group through a loss-making sale of the branches, land and the 38 subsidiary companies.

After this fundamental political decision, a so-called dispute agreement was imposed on Hermann Tietz OHG on July 29, 1933 , a division of assets according to inheritance law , which provided for Hugo Zwillenberg's immediate resignation . In his place, the newly founded Hertie Kaufhaus-Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mbH (short: Hertie GmbH ) stepped in without a capital contribution, but with a majority share of the vote. At the same time, at the request of the banks, the head of central textile purchasing at Hermann Tietz OHG , Georg Karg , came in with 50,000  Reichsmark and, with the lawyer Trabart von und zu der Tann and Wilhelm Hermsdorf, offered the desired "Aryan [.] Overweight [.] In of the management ". The sons of Oscar Tietz , Georg and Martin Tietz were only tolerated as the other personally liable partners by the banks, the NSDAP leadership and the Reich Ministry of Economics in order to await the investigation of possible foreign assets and to keep them “as long as possible in liability leave ”, […] because“ otherwise the banks would be the bearers of the business ”.

With the threat of loan cancellations, the banks finally forced Georg and Martin Tietz to give up. On August 18, 1934, the departure of all shareholders and the takeover of Hermann Tietz OHG by Hertie GmbH was contractually concluded. Another dispute agreement stipulated that for a systematically undervalued total assets of Hermann Tietz OHG in the amount of 21 million Reichsmarks, only 1.5 million Reichsmarks were reimbursed to the Tietz family. At the same time, the banks converted their claims into shares in the new company. Ladwig-Winters sums up this "smooth change of ownership" as an "extraordinary phenomenon", since "banks, party offices, the Reich Ministry of Economics rarely acted unanimously and unbureaucratically".

Georg Karg later bought the banks' shares in Hertie GmbH in two installments, in 1936 against payment of 2.5 million Reichsmarks partly on credit and a further 50 percent in June 1940. At the same time, Karg took over the debts of Hertie GmbH in the amount of 129 Million Reichsmarks. Despite these liabilities Ladwig-Winters estimates the Tietz Group at that time not as a " bankrupt companies", but as a "economically extremely strong". With the word mark Hertie from the initials of its namesake Her man Tie tz, the Group was one of the few department store operator, whose name was still visible after the "Aryanization".

After the Second World War: reconstruction and extensions

Kadewe signet from 1927 as roof advertising - fluorescent tube
KaDeWe with flat roof, March 1970
KaDeWe in Christmas decorations, 1988

During the Second World War , on November 23, 1943, an American fighter plane crashed into the attic, which largely burned the department store out. The in-house archive was also destroyed. Only a few of the valuable furnishings were preserved. Until the reopening, an emergency sale took place in the Femina-Tanzpalast on Nürnberger Straße. In 1949, Karg compensated the Tietz heirs with the branches in Munich, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, which they continued to submit to the Hertie Group in return for payment of a turnover rent. They later sold these houses back to Karg.

After the end of the war, the first two floors were rebuilt in 1950 "based on old plans, but considerably simplified" under the direction of the Frankfurt architect Hans Soll. An ERP loan of 1.8 million marks financed the construction. On the opening day, July 3, 1950, 180,000 visitors coveted admission, the most common were fat and sausages. During the post-war period , the department store mainly covered the basic needs. In 1956 the reconstruction was completed and the house was provided with two small halls. To the east of Wittenbergplatz , Soll built the eight-story Hertie headquarters in 1955/1956 with two sales floors, where the furniture department was temporarily housed. Because of the construction of the Berlin Wall and the sudden closure of West Berlin from its surrounding area on August 13, 1961, several hundred shop assistants from the GDR were no longer able to work in the KaDeWe. After the customers from the GDR, many wealthy families from Dahlem and Zehlendorf also dropped out as customers when they moved away from Berlin. The Bonn government supported the West Berlin enclave with financial aid ( Berlin allowance ), tax breaks and subsidies so that a building boom could be set in motion. The 86-meter-high Europa Center was built near KaDeWe, and a rotating Mercedes star has been shining on its roof since 1965 as a symbol of the free and prosperous West.

From 1967 to 1978 further renovations and expansions took place, the department store now had 44,000 square meters of sales area. It was not until the 1970s that luxury goods were increasingly offered again, and in 1977, according to a Spiegel article, the KaDeWe was just “an upscale grocery store with a rather staid department store annex ”. However, the expansion and complete renovation, which was completed on April 6, 1978, brought the KaDeWe closer to Europe's top shop Harrods in London in terms of interior and volume. Unfortunately, it still [had] to make do with far less cosmopolitan walk-in customers. ”This renovation took two years, cost 130 million marks and marked a leap in quality in the range and interior design, which raised the KaDeWe to the high level of its founding years. A multi-storey car park was added, from which a covered bridge over Passauer Strasse leads to the third floor of the KaDeWe. The participation of the then Federal President Walter Scheel at the opening gala politically upgraded the KaDeWe - in the sense that West Berlin belonged to the Federal Republic . Since then, the KaDeWe has been recommended as a sight in every travel guide. For the 75th anniversary in 1982, a large part of the department store was converted into a stage from September 29 to October 9. All sixteen West Berlin theaters and operas appeared there with their stage stars in plays, rehearsals, readings, talks and book signings.

Immediately after the political change , the shopping magnet experienced another big rush for several days from November 10, 1989. Up to 200,000 GDR citizens a day marveled at the famous temple of consumption and largely paralyzed sales. From 1991 to 1996, the KaDeWe was increased by another 16,000 square meters with a seventh floor. A restaurant with a glass dome on a T-shaped floor plan was built here according to plans by architects Harald Ströming, Ernsting & Partner in 1993. A total of 464 million marks were invested for this .

After reunification: The Karstadt era

Medium risk of the KaDeWe facade , 2007
KaDeWe logo from 2010 to 2016
Lichthof, 2007

From 1994 onwards, through the Hertie takeover, KaDeWe belonged to Karstadt Warenhaus AG , renamed KarstadtQuelle AG in 1999, and Arcandor AG since 2007 . From 2004 onwards, the KaDeWe was preparing for its centenary, which is why another phase of renovation and modernization took place for the entire house, which was completed in autumn 2007. The group management invested a total of 46 million euros for this conversion. An anniversary catalog was sent to 40,000 customers across Germany in 2007. At the beginning of the 100th company anniversary on March 1, 2007, a six and a half meter high, seven-tier cake made of marzipan , Sacher cake and sand cake was presented in the atrium as a symbol for the KaDeWe. All customers of the day received a piece of the cake and a glass of Prosecco free of charge . The conclusion and highlight of the KaDeWe anniversary celebrations was a gala night with over 1,500 celebrities from the fields of politics, media and culture on October 12, 2007, including the family of the then Arcandor majority shareholder Madeleine Schickedanz . Patrice Wagner (* 1967), who came from the Berlin Galeries-Lafayette branch, had managed and modernized the KaDeWe since October 2002. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary celebration in 2007, he summarized his ideas and efforts:

“We wanted to become more international because Berlin is the capital, has many diplomats and attracts international visitors. The second goal was more luxury. This can now be clearly seen, even if the KaDeWe has not become a pure luxury department store. We don't make our money with millionaires or just rich people, but above all with normal people. We also offer them a dream. The third goal is to concentrate on the core business. We removed a few things, such as the Viennese café or the sports department. That was partly painful, but absolutely right. Fourth, we have clearly become more fashionable. And fifth, we've gotten younger. A 60-year-old buys very differently today than 20 years ago. He no longer wants to be seen as old. He feels young, he has time and he has money. "

- Patrice Wagner, 2007, managing director of KaDeWe 2002–2009

The KaDeWe was the flagship of the Karstadt department stores. Since February 2006, 13 of the 91 Karstadt department stores were originally supposed to be merged into the Karstadt Premium Group and restructured to the level of KaDeWe under the leadership of the then KaDeWe managing director Patrice Wagner. Thomas Middelhoff's restructuring plan was part of a reorganization of the Karstadt department store portfolio , which was divided into three groups: After the “Premium Group”, the department store infrastructure of the lower category “Boulevard” (24 locations) and the middle class “Boulevard Plus” should later be added “(53 locations). The Premium Group included Wertheim on Berlin's Kurfürstendamm and in Steglitzer Schloßstraße , the Alsterhaus in Hamburg and Karstadt in Dresden , Düsseldorf , Limbecker Platz in Essen , Frankfurt - Zeil , Breite Straße in Cologne , at the Lorenzkirche in Nuremberg and Karstadt Stuttgart and Oberpollinger in Munich . Karstadt's entry into the luxury segment with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton , Dior and Chanel in 2004 should help end the decline in sales of its houses. These efforts were partially withdrawn in 2008 after a bad financial year, so that the houses in Frankfurt am Main (Zeil) and Dresden were only counted as candidates for the Premium Group . After all, so much money was spent on upgrading the four best stores (KaDeWe, Alsterhaus, Oberpollinger, Essen Limbecker Platz) that hardly any funds remained for the other department stores.

On the night of January 26, 2009, three thieves broke into the KaDeWe and stole jewelry and watches from the KaDeWe-based jewelery chain Christ worth over four million euros. The perpetrators were very well informed about the KaDeWe security measures. They broke in on the first floor through a window on Ansbacher Strasse, which was presumably open from the inside, and by rappelling in the atrium bypassed the light barriers or motion detectors that had previously been installed on all escalators and some passages. The KaDeWe is one of the best protected department stores in Europe; employees are also subject to protective measures. At the end of work they leave the house through the overpass over Passauer Straße. In doing so, they pass a random generator, on whose signal the bags and sacks carried are checked.

In January 2009, Wagner was replaced by Ursula Vierkötter (* 1966), previously head of the Karstadt-Haus in Cologne. According to the Financial Times Deutschland , Wagner was “too independent” for his new supervisor and purchasing manager, Stefan Herzberg (* 1965), and had no longer received any protection from Arcandor boss Thomas Middelhoff , as he was also leaving Arcandor. Wagner had set up a flexible and fast purchasing facility for sub-ranges at KaDeWe. Vierkötter continued this strategy. In addition to the "A-brands", the goods of high quality, awareness and sales, Vierkötter set up so-called multi-label areas on various floors , where she can "bring trends into the house quickly".

The Arcandor AG had on 9 June 2009 Insolvency Register due to decades of neglect of the department store business, after a continuous decline in sales and ultimately for excessive claims for rent of the real estate consortium Highstreet with Hauptkonsorten Goldman Sachs and German bank . In contrast to the then 132 (currently: 119) other Karstadt branches, according to representatives of the retail trade, the future of KaDeWe was definitely secure. After long and difficult negotiations with the creditors and consorts of Highstreet , the Berggruen Holdings of the investor Nicolas Berggruen were finally able to take over the management of Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH on October 1, 2010 . KaDeWe was one of the first words Berggruen could say in German as a child. KaDeWe worked so well for him that he didn't want to change its concept.

In May 2010, after 103 years, the Silberterrasse restaurant on the fifth floor was closed due to inefficiency. In a separate KPM room , the dishes were served on a porcelain plate from the Königliche Porzellanmanufaktur Berlin . As a result of the division of Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH into three companies, there was a separate advertising department for the "premium stores" Oberpollinger , Alsterhaus and KaDeWe since October 2011 . In January 2012, free childcare for children between the ages of two and ten was abolished at KaDeWe.

At the end of December 2012, Highstreet Holding sold its KaDeWe property for a rumored 500 million euros as well as the Munich Oberpollinger and fifteen other Karstadt buildings for a further 600 million euros to the Austrian real estate company Signa Holding .

On January 28, 2013 Ursula Vierkötter was replaced as managing director by Petra Fladenhofer, the long-time KaDeWe press spokeswoman and marketing director of the Karstadt Premium Group .

Takeover by Signa and Central Group

On September 16, 2013, announced that the Austrian Signa Holding of René Benko KaDeWe with the other two department stores Karstadt Premium Group wanted to take over and the 28 Karstadt sports stores majority with 75.1 percent. The Federal Cartel Office gave its approval at the end of October . The proceeds were to be reinvested in the restructuring of the remaining Karstadt stores.

On January 1, 2014, the former Karstadt sales director André Maeder and Roland Armbruster, the former head of the Karstadt strategy department, were appointed as the new managing directors of Karstadt Premium GmbH. Thus each company within the Karstadt Group had its own management team. On August 21, 2014, the Federal Cartel Office approved the complete sale of the Karstadt group of Berggruen Holdings to Signa Holding .

Since October 2014, the stores of Karstadt Premium GmbH (KaDeWe, Oberpollinger in Munich and Alsterhaus in Hamburg) have been operating under the name The KaDeWe Group , because they were now organizationally separated from the other Karstadt department stores, and to emphasize their departure from Karstadt. At the same time, a new head office with around 150 employees from all three buildings in the Tiergarten district of Berlin was moved into. The areas of logistics, finance, merchandise management and IT, which were previously managed from the Karstadt headquarters in Essen, have been merged with the purchasing and marketing departments already located at KaDeWe at the new location on Katharina-Heinroth-Ufer .

Police at the side exit of the KaDeWe shortly after the robbery in 2014

On December 20, 2014, four masked perpetrators raided the branches of Tiffany and Chopard in the KaDeWe luxury boulevard and stole jewelry, probably worth a six-figure euro amount. They fired gas pistol shots, injuring 15 people with irritant gas . After a few minutes they left the house and fled in a car. The Arab perpetrators, who belong to the extended Miri and al-Zein families, were caught, brought to justice and some of them confessed.

In June 2015 Signa sold the majority stake (50.1%) to the Italian department store chain La Rinascente , which in turn is part of the Thai Central Group . However, strategic decisions should be made together with Signa . Vittorio Radice, the chairman of the board of directors of La Rinascente , announced that he would invest around 180 million euros in the redesign of the KaDeWe.

On January 18, 2016, the most far-reaching renovation plans of the KaDeWe so far were presented, for which the Dutch architecture office OMA by Rem Koolhaas is responsible. The building is divided into four quarters, which are grouped around four differently designed atriums with escalators. The creative division of the business areas, each with their own entrances, will serve to improve customer orientation. The respective offer will be tailored to four different customer groups.

The view of the restaurant on the top floor is to be extended by a glass and steel beam facade. After business hours, the restaurant is to be open until midnight and on Sundays and will be accessible by external lifts. A large terrace is planned in the middle of the roof, which is also intended for events. The entire renovation with ongoing operations should be completed in 2022. The new redesign should offer an extraordinary experience and entertainment.

Sales areas

Exhibition hall on the ground floor, 2010
Lichthof, 2009

Employee

The sales staff has been trained to deal with wealthy customers. A separate department for training and further education is responsible for the qualification measures of the workforce. In addition to product knowledge , which the manufacturers carry out at the request of KaDeWe, employees are trained in rhetoric and sales, business basics, product presentation and color and style advice . A bond between the salespeople and their company is evident from the long service life averaging 14.5 years. 70 percent of the sales force are women (as of 2005). The department heads at KaDeWe are - in contrast to most of the other department heads in German retail - not just salespeople, but also independent buyers.

Entrance areas

In the basement or the so-called "eighth floor", not only cars could be parked in the underground car park until 2017, but dogs could also be accommodated in special boxes. This offer for dogs has existed at KaDeWe since the beginning. With the closure of the underground car park, the KaDeWe also gave up the dog crate offer due to falling demand. The stationery and handicraft department (“Kreativmarkt”) has been located here since 2007, and attention is drawn to this with an artistically designed neon sign on the external parking garage in Passauer Straße. The historic, artistically forged grille from 1907 in front of the main portal sinks into the ground at the start of business. In the forecourt of the main entrance, customers were greeted from 1995 to 2010 by Karl-Heinz Richter (* 1955), the only department store porter in Germany, in livery and gray top hat. Richter provided information about the location of the goods sought in seven languages. To date, there has only been a declaration of intent from KaDeWe Group manager André Maeder to hire a successor for Richter.

ground floor

In a bright, 400 square meter exhibition hall in the entrance area, elaborately designed product presentations or decorations are the first eye-catchers. The central atrium, which is flanked by glass elevators, offers another opportunity for product promotions. To celebrate the company's 100th anniversary on March 1, 2007, a six and a half meter high cake was presented here.

In connection with the renovation work, the perfume and cosmetics department on the ground floor was redesigned in 2004. Among other things, over 1500 fragrance bottles are offered on 3000 m² of space for cosmetics . Furthermore, jewelry and watches are presented on a luxury boulevard on the ground floor . Since the manufacturers of luxury goods almost never offer their goods for sale in department stores, their participation could only be achieved through this spatial exclusivity within the KaDeWe. The management continues to focus on increasing the proportion of luxury goods in the overall range. So was 2008 Luxury Avenue on the ground floor by offers of Tiffany , Chopard or Prada and Fendi further upgraded. After the initial difficulties in winning manufacturers of luxury goods for the KaDeWe, there are now (2009) more interested parties than offers. In 2012, the luxury boulevard was expanded with additional branches from international suppliers and 80 shop-in-shops were redesigned.

Fashion and shoes

In 2005 the Kaufhaus des Westens received three new fashion floors with a total of 20,000 m² of retail space, laid out in black and white, straight segments. Some of these areas are reserved exclusively for premium brand goods. KaDeWe is the only department store in Germany to have a department for the designer brand Dolce & Gabbana . Now only fashion from the upper to the highest quality category is offered on around 40 percent of its space. The expansion of the fashion range went hand in hand with a concentration on the core business. Some departments such as the Viennese café or the sporting goods department have been removed. A Dior Homme boutique has been located on the first floor since 2007 .

The third floor was remodeled in 2012 and opened in September as a new shoe department for luxury women's shoes, accessories, leather goods and lingerie (The Loft) . With this, KaDeWe followed a new trend, according to which “the retail trade in the stagnating fashion market is now more oriented towards accessories”.

Gourmet floor

Feinschmeckeretage, 2006
Conservatory, 2005

The sixth of the total of seven floors, the so-called Feinschmeckeretage , with a huge range of international delicacies and exclusive snacks , is particularly well-known . It is currently (as of 2009) the largest delicatessen department in Europe with 34,000 items and 7,000 m². The “ Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi” department store in Tokyo has the world's largest food department in a department store (followed by KaDeWe). 500 employees are employed here, of which around 110 cooks, 40 confectioners and bakers prepare dishes and baked goods for customers. The cakes have been made according to the recipes of the French fine bakery Lenôtre since 1975 . The flour for the Lenôtre bakery and confectionery is specially imported from France. From the cellar, the flour is pumped through pipes to the seventh floor, which is unique in Germany. There are three silos for a total of twelve tons of flour, and another four tons are stored in the basement. This stock of flour is enough for three and a half weeks. The bakery is a day about 1,000 rolls, 300 baguette Rods and 600 loaves ago, leftover bread are added to the Berlin panel from. In chocolate studio make chocolate makers ahead of the customer chocolate and chocolate specialties. The Lenôtre confectionery department is also of particular importance, where not only cakes but also petits fours specialties are prepared. Culinary specialties from all over the world are prepared at more than 30 cooking stands (“ gourmet stands ”). The oyster bar is a particular attraction . With more than 1000 seats on this floor, the KaDeWe is the largest restaurant in town.

The wine department offers over 3400 wines from the world's most important wineries, which are selected and purchased by a sommelier . 60,000 bottles of champagne are sold every year, around 12,000 of them before Christmas, and around 223,000 glasses of champagne are consumed by customers at the gourmet stands. The cheese department has 1,300 international cheeses on offer, including 400 from France, 200 from Germany and 100 from the Peck delicatessen in Milan . Furthermore, the KaDeWe 1200 different sausage and ham specialties to choose from. The fish department receives fresh fish (around 100 species) and other marine animals from overseas four times a week. Invisible air suction devices prevent odors from developing in the various food counters. Over 70 scales on the Feinschmecker floor are PC- based scales that send their data to the cash register via radio. From 1988 to 2011 the merchant and gourmet Norbert Könnecke headed the grocery department at KaDeWe. A large part of the fresh delicacies is selected and ordered by an agent from KaDeWe in the Rungis wholesale market near Paris, and a 20-ton truck transports the goods to Berlin twice a week. Another part of the food is obtained from Karstadt Feinkost . In addition to selling and preparing food, KaDeWe is also active in the catering business, where the kitchen can serve up to 1,000 guests with warm dishes and prepare up to 5,000 cold dishes.

Seventh floor

In 2006, the restaurant area on the seventh floor with its glass dome (winter garden) was renovated for 2.5 million euros. Guests can watch their dishes being prepared using fresh ingredients, and prepared menus are offered for customers in a hurry. The restaurant operator is Le Buffet Restaurant & Café GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH.

In addition, the goods receiving department, the food store, a fire alarm and health station and parts of the administration are located on this level. Since the warehouse does not offer much space, an interim storage facility was set up in Oranienburg , from which a semitrailer truck delivers to the KaDeWe three to five times a day .

Data

Since the department store was founded, the management has been relying on what they consider to be an attractive mix of upscale products and pure luxury goods. In 2005 luxury items should bring in a maximum of 10 to 15 percent of total sales. Twenty percent of the sales area is sublet to fashion designers and luxury providers. The department store currently has over 380,000 different items on offer on 60,000 m² of sales area , which corresponds to around nine football fields , especially in the upscale and luxury segment. In terms of sales area, it is therefore the second largest department store in Europe after Harrods in London with 92,000 m². Between 40,000 and 50,000 guests visit the exclusive department store every day, and up to 100,000 customers in the run-up to Christmas. After the Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate, the KaDeWe is the third most popular tourist attraction in Berlin. That is why KaDeWe offers guided tours through the department store for those interested. The floor plans on the stairs have now been translated into 18 languages. 64 escalators and 26 elevators run between the floors. In contrast to the other department stores in the center of Berlin, the KaDeWe only has a longer opening time on Fridays until 9 p.m.

The main target group today are middle-class customers who like to shop in a modern and exclusive way, as well as wealthy tourists who make up 40 percent of the clientele. In the meantime (2009) almost every second customer is a foreigner.

The average time customers spend at KaDeWe is very high compared to other department stores; in 2000 it was three and a half hours, according to managing director Ulrich Schmidt, and this time was mentioned again in the press in 2002. In 1996 the length of stay was four to five hours and in 1995 it was four hours. An average of one hour of this is spent on the gourmet floor.

In 2007, an average of 50,000 customers visited KaDeWe every day. KaDeWe employed more than 2,000 people in the 2008 financial year, including around 1,600 of its own employees and around 500 employees from external companies ( luxury boulevard , Lenôtre, etc.) and generated sales of 300 million euros.

Economic history

Tietz department store, Alexanderplatz , atrium in the 2nd extension, 1911

The Kaufhaus des Westens is the only remaining luxury department store from the early days of department stores in Berlin in the two decades before and after 1900. Merchant families from the provinces invested in multi-storey sales centers in the German metropolises, of which the architecturally most sophisticated buildings had a continuous atrium. You skipped the development from a single shop to several shops in a glass-roofed passage like in Paris or in a bazaar in the Middle East. The Berlin philosopher and cultural critic Walter Benjamin considered this development in the commercial sector to be sociologically significant, since he identified it as the new social type of the flaneur , an easily distracted idler with little ability to socialize. Other authors, however, emphasized the democratization through sales, which treated the customers from the upper and lower classes in the same way in front of the shop counter:

“The women of the different social classes feel equally the attraction that the department store exerts in this regard; the noble civil servants from the west of Berlin or from Charlottenburg indulge in the hustle and bustle just as willingly as the artisan or worker wives from the east and north, who always put on their 'good clothes' when they go to Wertheim . "

- Gustav Stresemann , 1900

The expanding economic power of the German Reich after its founding in 1871 was documented in the retail sector in the spatial concentration of sales in multi-storey, hall-shaped buildings with several thousand to ten thousand square meters of sales area in the middle of residential areas. The exterior and interior design equipment exceeded the expense of sacred buildings in some cases. The catchphrase of the cathedrals of consumption or commerce caught on, as the Berlin luxury department stores in particular relied on an aesthetic that was overwhelming. “Above the entrance [of the Tietz department store on Leipziger Strasse] an arched window, interrupted by balconies, reached 26 meters high. Four gigantic figures, the 'seasons', stretched their knees far into the street. Above everything shone a four and a half meter thick globe with the equator inscription 'Tietz'. "

After the end of the war, the KaDeWe has become inconspicuous from an architectural point of view, but since the 1970s it has again contained a range of goods that are of high to highest quality by international standards. The general manager of the Berlin-Brandenburg trade association and Jandorf biographer Nils Busch-Petersen counted the house among the best in the world in 2007, “even before Harrods in London”.

“It's the old mixture of awe and forlorn that is on shoppers' faces, and the boards on either side of the escalators listing the specialty departments of the house don't really dispel that feeling. They do not serve, at least not alone, for orientation. They can also be read as encyclopedias of the world of goods, as the promise to find all the treasures of the earth on six floors. The gray sandstone building with the massive glass dome in the roof is a Wunderkammer , replete with art and clutter, knickknacks and calories, half square, half museum. [...] The department stores were always exhibition halls in which the bourgeois world tried to overwhelm itself with its sheer limitless potency. "

- Heinrich Wefing , FAZ , February 24, 2007
Date of acquisition KaDeWe holding companies owner
March 27, 1907 A. Jandorf & Co. Adolf Jandorf
0January 1, 1927 Hermann Tietz OHG Georg and Martin Tietz, Hugo Zwillenberg
0August 18, 1934 Hertie Kaufhaus-Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mbH Dresdner Bank , Deutsche Bank , Commerzbank u. a.
0000001936 Hertie Waren- und Kaufhaus GmbH Georg Karg
February 24, 1994 Karstadt Warenhaus AG Arcandor AG (KarstadtQuelle AG)
0October 1, 2010 Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH Karstadt Holding GmbH ( Nicolas Berggruen )
0October 1, 2011 Karstadt Premium GmbH Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH
0October 1, 2013 Karstadt Premium GmbH / The KaDeWe Group Signa Holding 75.1%, Karstadt Holding 24.9%
0June 9, 2015 The KaDeWe Group Signa Holding 49.9%, Central Group 50.1%

Reception and self-image

KaDeWe symbol, 1932 Tietz department store, portal with globe
KaDeWe symbol, 1932
Tietz department store, portal with globe
Advertisement for the 1936 Olympic Games
Emblem on the facade next to the main entrance, 2011

Right from the start, the Kaufhaus des Westens relied on internationality and cosmopolitanism in addition to high quality goods and many other services . It was the aim of the Berlin luxury department stores to demonstrate cosmopolitanism and cosmopolitanism with an international range of goods and also to attract an international audience. At the turn of the 20th century, Berlin had risen to become a cosmopolitan city in political and economic terms . This self-confidence was also expressed in the symbols of the department stores: Tietz used a globe and Jandorf a Hanse cog . Because of the economic depression in the period after the First World War up to the currency reform, the proportion of foreign customers temporarily outweighed the Germans:

“In the showcases, arranged by the hands of the decorators, soft silks are graded (from blue to lemon yellow or from bright orange to deep purple), where wax beauties gracefully present their toilets; the revolving doors of the flashing KaDeWe push in masses of fashion-hungry ladies and dashing gentlemen from morning to evening, whom the elevator hurries to all four of the huge floors; smart saleswomen spread the goods in front of them; Among the nations gathered here, the Poles, Czechoslovaks, Chinese, Japanese and Russians, one is missing: the German. She prefers the more distant, cheaper department stores around Alexanderplatz and Stettiner Bahnhof ; the KaDeWe is too expensive for the Germans; and it even turns out: Charlottengrad [meaning Charlottenburg ] is too expensive for them; it is especially something for Russians. "

- Andrei Bely , 1921/1922

After the Second World War, the KaDeWe adapted to the general need for basic services . The former luxury department store was soon seen as a “symbol of the German economic miracle ” and as a synonym or epitome of the “free West” in the “front city” of West Berlin . The KaDeWe has been available to international celebrities for an advertising presence since the 1950s and has thus become a “showcase of the West”. After the reconstruction and the restoration of a basic supply, the KaDeWe developed into a luxury department store again at the end of the 1970s. The principle already introduced by Jandorf, Wertheim and Tietz of a certain proportion of high quality and luxury goods in the overall range led to a democratization of luxury. Luxury should and should be there for everyone, especially as an incentive for the average earner.

“As I understand it, luxury is also defined by the fact that I cannot afford it every day. This is precisely where the attraction of the special and the extraordinary lies for me. I have to work out the objects of my dreams, also spare them. Luxury that I could have every day is boring. But I am already enjoying the anticipation. "

- Patrice Wagner, October 2004, Managing Director of KaDeWe 2002–2009

For many visitors, the department store is still an attractive symbol and incentive for a better life.

The Kaufhaus des Westens has long been compared with foreign luxury department stores and is also measured against important international department store companies with luxury department stores. These include Galeries Lafayette , Harrods , Selfridges , GUM , Macy’s , Bloomingdale’s and Takashimaya .

Visitors

The Kaufhaus des Westens always increased its prestige and reputation through visits from national and international celebrities. Since the 1950s, celebrities have been invited to visit for a read or something similar, an advertising medium that is beneficial for both parties in business terms. At the beginning of Advent , the management of the KaDeWe has also been inviting Berlin journalists to a meal with presents and music every year since the early 1950s. There are also prominent KaDeWe visitors who have a very personal relationship with the department store.

From 1922 to 1937 the Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov lived with his wife Véra in Berlin and often visited the KaDeWe. In his second novel König, Dame, Bube (original: Korol, Dama, Valet , 1928), an exclusive Berlin department store is at the center of the action. The initials KDV in the Russian book title allude to KaDeWe. The KaDeWe is mentioned again in the novel Die Gabe (1937/1952).

During his eight stays in Berlin in the 1920s, the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky always stayed at the Kurfürsten Hotel, which was located on Ansbacher Strasse on the corner of Kurfürstenstrasse near the KaDeWe. The KaDeWe was one of Mayakowski's favorite places in Berlin. After his readings or lectures, he made bulk purchases there for his lover Lilja Brik and for Moscow friends.

The British historian Eric Hobsbawm spent between 1931 and 1933 in Berlin what he said was the decisive years of his life. Before he emigrated to England in 1933, Hobsbawm often went to the books department at KaDeWe, where all books were openly accessible and not stored in cupboards and shelves behind a counter.

See also

literature

Reports

Movies

  • Department Store of the West. Chronicle of a department store. Documentation, Germany, 1994, 30 min., Script and direction: Sabine Degebrodt, script: Hanne Schön-Muanda, production: Deutsche Welle TV, broadcast: January 17, 1995.
  • Welcome, bienvenue, welcome: The Kaufhaus des Westens in Berlin. Documentation, Germany, 1995, script and direction: Daniela Schmidt, production: ZDF , series: Kathedralen des Konsums , first broadcast: arte , December 10, 1995.
  • Picture book Germany - Berlin-Schöneberg. Documentary, Germany, 2003, 44:18 min., Script and direction: Sabine Carbon , production: 24pictures, RBB , first broadcast: June 8, 2003 on ARD .
    To be seen in the cosmetics and fish department of the KaDeWe what the Romanian writer Carmen Francesca Banciu from their narrative Berlin is my Paris reads, and the entertainer Romy Haag before Pâtisserietheke of Lenôtre .
  • Supermarket - the courted customers. Documentary, Switzerland, 2005, 30:24 min., Script and direction: Ursula Bischof Scherer, production: NZZ Format , first broadcast: April 24, 2005 on SRF 1 , summary by NZZ, ( memento from June 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) , online video from NZZ format.
  • A department store is lifted. New shine for the KaDeWe. TV report, Germany, 2005, 92 min., Written and directed by Nadja Kölling, production: Spiegel TV , first broadcast: November 3, 2005, film information from Spiegel online .
    On the occasion of a further modernization of the KaDeWe in 2005, customers, salespeople, decorators, craftsmen, confectioners and cooks are asked about their activities. The department heads for women's clothing (DOB), bags and shoes can be seen with their external orders.
  • 100 years of KaDeWe. TV report, Germany, 2007, 1:50 min., Production: Welt -TV, February 28, 2007, cake cut.
  • 100 years of KaDeWe. Television feature, Germany, 2007, 5:58 min., Production: RBB , zibb , March 1, 2007, (with newsreel excerpts).
  • Classy addresses. The KaDeWe - 100 years of shopping spree. Documentation, Germany, 2007, 45 min., Script and direction: Stephan Düfel, production: RBB , first broadcast March 29, 2007, table of contents .
  • Always chic in the KaDeWe - a department store becomes a legend. Documentation, Germany, 2007, 30 min., Script and director: Sibylle Trost , production: ZDF , series: Kultur , first broadcast: August 28, 2007 on ZDF, film data .
  • Official presentation video . of KaDeWe, 2007, 4:05 min.
  • Symbol for better times - the KaDeWe opens again ( Memento from March 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (Flash plug-in required), July 3, 1950, newsreel and interview, Germany, 1950/2009, 1:50 min., Production: rbb , bpb , series: 60 × Germany .
  • Cathedral of Consumption. Behind the scenes at KaDeWe. Documentary, Germany, 2015, 43:23 min., Script and direction: Sherin Al-Khannak and Ole Apitius, production: ZDFinfo , first broadcast: August 20, 2015 on ZDFinfo. available on YouTube .
  • The big dream department stores - KaDeWe, Berlin. Documentary film, Germany, 2017, 52:30 min., Script and direction: André Meier, production: Telekult, rbb , arte , series: Die große Traumkaufhäuser , first broadcast: February 19, 2017 on arte, summary by ARD , with many and rarely archive recordings shown.
  • Mysterious places: the KaDeWe. Documentary, Germany, 2017, 43:47 min., Script and director: André Meier, production: Telekult, rbb , series: Mysterious Places , first broadcast: September 11, 2017 by Das Erste , table of contents - U. a. with Vittorio Radice (KaDeWe), Petra Fladenhofer (KaDeWe), Simone Ladwig-Winters (historian), Katja Roeckner (historian) and many archive recordings.

Web links

Commons : Kaufhaus des Westens  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

photos

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AP / DPA / chm: 100 years of KaDeWe: Pure luxury on 60,000 square meters . In: stern , March 1st, 2007: “You name it in the same breath as Harrods in London or the Galeries Lafayette in Paris: the Berlin Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe). Germany's most famous department store will be 100 years old this year . ”
    Birgitt Eltzel: The KaDeWe is being lifted. Karstadt Group wants to convert Germany's most famous department store     - and win over younger customers . In: Berliner Zeitung , January 23, 2004.
    Pssst! KaDeWe, Germany's most famous department store, is 95 years old . In: Die Welt , April 20, 2002.
  2. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 years of KaDeWe . Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 121. The Japanese department store " Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi" in Tokyo has the largest food department in a department store in the world. Pictures: Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi and on Flickr
  3. ^ Peter Stürzebecher: The Berlin department store. Berlin 1979, pp. 84-85.
  4. ^ Image: Tietz department store, Leipziger Strasse .
  5. ↑ Caro Maurer: Economy - shopping frenzy between palm trees . In: General-Anzeiger (Bonn) , December 31, 1998.
  6. ^ Max Osborn , Franz Arnholz: Kaufhaus des Westens - KaDeWe 1907-1932. (Anniversary publication, 25 years), Berlin 1932, p. 8.
  7. ↑ Leo Colze: Berlin department stores. Fannei & Walz, Berlin 1989, reprint of the first edition by Verlag Hermann Seemann Nachf., Berlin & Leipzig 1908, ISBN 3-927574-03-1 , p. 22.
  8. ^ Nils Busch-Petersen : Adolf Jandorf. From Volkswarenhaus to KaDeWe , Hentrich & Hentrich, Berlin 2008, p. 44.
  9. ↑ Busch-Petersen, 2008, 48.
  10. ↑ Quoted from Peter Stürzebecher: Das Berliner Warenhaus , Berlin 1979, p. 35.
  11. ↑ Peter Stürzebecher: Das Berliner Warenhaus , Berlin 1979, p. 17 f.
  12. ^ Max Creutz: The department store of the west. In: Berliner Architekturwelt , 1908, p. 83, kobv.de (PDF; 12.1 MB)
       Leo Colze: Berliner Warenhäuser. Fannei & Walz, Berlin 1989, p. 22.
  13. ↑ Leo Colze: Berlin department stores , Fannei & roll, Berlin 1989, p 78th
  14. ^ H .: The two new department stores in Munich . (PDF; 18.9 MB) In: Deutsche Bauzeitung , July 15, 1905, vol. 39, no. 56, pp. 325-341, p. 339.
  15. ^ In: Antonia Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 37
  16. ↑ a b c Barry Graves : The consumer temple of bliss . In: Der Spiegel . No. 12 , 1977, pp. 190-198 ( online ).
  17. ↑ Bochum city picture book. In: stadtbilderbuch.de. Retrieved December 14, 2018 .
  18. ↑ Leo Colze: Berlin department stores. Fannei & Walz, Berlin 1989, reprint of the first edition by Verlag Hermann Seemann Nachf., Berlin & Leipzig 1908, p. 23.
  19. ^ Max Creutz: The department store of the west. In: Berliner Architekturwelt , 1908, p. 82, kobv.de (PDF; 12.1 MB)
  20. ↑ Harry Jandorf: Memories of my father Adolf Jandorf . In: Leo Baeck Institute , 1967, (typescript, PDF; 7 p., 4.7 MB), temporary session link is under Find out more , p. 3: “… a wonderful entrance gate”.
  21. ↑ Leo Colze: Berlin department stores . In: Großstadtdokumente , Volume 47. Verlag Hermann Seemann Nachf., Berlin / Leipzig 1908, p. 12, reprinted by Verlag Fannei & Walz, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-927574-03-1 , p. 15, ghi-dc.org (PDF; 52 kB) pp. 9–13.
  22. ↑ Peter Stürzebecher: Das Berliner Warenhaus , Berlin 1979, p. 49.
  23. ^ Peter Stürzebecher: The Berlin department store . Berlin 1979, p. 19.
  24. ↑ Max Osborn: Problems of the department store , Berlin 1928, p. 9, quoted from Peter Stürzebecher: Das Berliner Warenhaus , Berlin 1979, p. 49.
  25. ^ Image: "White Weeks" in the Tietz department store . In: one day from June 4, 2009.
  26. ↑ Dagmar Rosenfeld: White Weeks of Modernity . In: Der Tagesspiegel , May 22, 2005.
       Cay Dobberke: With luxury out of the crisis . In: Der Tagesspiegel , August 6, 2008.
  27. ↑ A. Meiners: 100 years of KaDeWe. Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 59.
  28. ^ Hainer Weißpflug: Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) . In: Hans-Jürgen Mende , Kurt Wernicke (Hrsg.): Berliner Bezirkslexikon, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf . Luisenstadt educational association . Haude and Spener / Edition Luisenstadt, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-7759-0479-4 ( luise-berlin.de - as of October 7, 2009).
  29. ↑ a b Photo: Roof garden, 1932 with the KaDeWe logo as a neon sign.
  30. ^ Max Osborn: Kaufhaus des Westens - KaDeWe 1907-1932 , Berlin 1932, pp. 118 ff.
  31. ^ Max Osborn: Kaufhaus des Westens - KaDeWe 1907–1932 , p. 108.
  32. ^ Simone Ladwig-Winters: Wertheim - a department store company and its owners. An example of the development of Berlin department stores up to "Aryanization" . Lit-Verlag , Münster 1997, ISBN 3-8258-3062-4 , p. 151.
  33. ↑ The predecessor of the “Bad Bank”: The “Acceptance and Guarantee Bank” . (PDF; 90 kB) Scientific Services of the German Bundestag , No. 46/09, May 28, 2009.
  34. ^ Ingo Köhler: The "Aryanization" of the private banks in the Third Reich: repression, elimination and the question of reparation. C. H. Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 978-3-406-53200-9 , p. 48.
  35. ↑ Simone Ladwig-Winters quoted in: Helmut Frei: Braune shadows in the heart of Berlin - Karstadt and the Lehrstück Wertheim . In: SWR2 , Radio-Feature , September 28, 2006, p. 7.
  36. ↑ a b c d Inge Braun, Helmut Huber: Seduction on seven floors - The department store of the West and its history . In: RBB , DLF , Radio-Feature , August 2007.
  37. ^ Walther Hofer : National Socialism - Documents 1933-1945 . Fischer TB, Frankfurt a. M. 1977, ISBN 3-596-26084-1 , p. 29, § 16.
  38. ↑ a b Hans Otto Eglau : Georg Karg. The Herr von Hertie . In: Ders .: The cash register has to be right. So they succeeded in trading . Econ, Düsseldorf 1972, p. 41.
  39. ↑ A brown ribbon of sympathy. ( Memento of October 13, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Documentary, 45 min., Script and direction: Dagmar Christmann, Thomas Rautenberg, production: Hessischer Rundfunk , first broadcast: March 5, 2004.
  40. ↑ a b c Ladwig-Winters, 1997, p. 182.
  41. ↑ Ladwig-Winters, 1997, p. 178f.
  42. ↑ Inheritance dispute - who gets which part of the inheritance? anwalt.org; accessed on November 16, 2017.
  43. ↑ a b Ladwig-Winters, 1997, p. 151.
  44. ↑ Ladwig-Winters, 1997, p. 156.
  45. ↑ Ladwig-Winters, 1997, p. 157.
  46. ^ Friedrich W. Köhler: On the history of department stores. Distress and sinking of the Hertie group. Haag + Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-86137-544-3 , p. 22.
  47. ↑ a b Ladwig-Winters, 1997, p. 181.
  48. ^ HO Eglau: Georg Karg. Der Herr von Hertie , p. 43.
  49. ↑ Well in the picture. Antonia Meiners researched the KaDeWe history and made a book out of it . In: Der Tagesspiegel , March 28, 2007.
  50. ↑ sales rent. ( Memento from March 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ). In: handelswissen.de
  51. ^ HO Eglau: Georg Karg. Der Herr von Hertie , p. 45.
  52. ^ Peter Stürzebecher: The Berlin department store. Berlin 1979, p. 36.
  53. ↑ a b Hans Aschenbrenner: July 3, 1950: The KaDeWe is back . In: Berlin monthly magazine ( Luisenstädtischer Bildungsverein ) . Issue 3, 2001, ISSN  0944-5560 , p. 126–129 ( luise-berlin.de - here p. 128).
  54. ↑ A. Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 110.
  55. ↑ a b c Thorkit Treichel: Symbol of the West . In: Berliner Zeitung , February 27, 2007.
  56. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 123.
  57. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 123 ff.
  58. ^ Elisabeth Binder: Time tunnel in the history of consumption . In: Der Tagesspiegel , September 2007.
  59. ↑ The story . In: kadewe.de , 2010/17.
  60. ↑ Photos: Winter garden of the KaDeWe . In: stern.de and KaDeWe Wintergarten . In: pbase.com , 2014.
  61. ^ A b Franz Michael Rohm: 100 years of KaDeWe. The history of a Berlin institution . In: Deutschlandradio , March 27, 2007.
  62. ↑ AP : 100 years of KaDeWe. Pure luxury on 60,000 square meters . In: Stern , March 1, 2007.
  63. ↑ Kirsten Reinhold: In the beginning there was the Elephant Order. ( Memento from September 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). In: TextilWirtschaft , October 4, 2007.
  64. ↑ a b Thorkit Treichel: The employees . In: Berliner Zeitung , February 27, 2007.
  65. ↑ Elisabeth Binder: A cake for a birthday - six meters high . In: Der Tagesspiegel , February 28, 2007.
  66. ↑ F. v. Mutius, B. Jänichen: 1500 guests celebrate gala night at KaDeWe . In: Die Welt , October 12, 2007.
  67. ↑ a b The KaDeWe is part of the history of Berlin . In: Der Tagesspiegel , February 28, 2007, interview with the then managing director Patrice Wagner.
  68. ↑ Michael Blumenthal : More than a gourmet temple . In: The World , October 14, 2007: "Today there are so these three major department store chains in Berlin that once belonged to Jewish owners - Jandorf, Tietz and Wertheim - under the umbrella of Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH, whose flagship is the KaDeWe."
    Mik / AP: State aid. Guttenberg defends himself against pre-fixing at Arcandor . In: Spiegel Online , June 1, 2009: "Karstadt flagship KaDeWe."
  69. ↑ Karstadt founds Premium Group. ( Memento of September 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). In: horizont.net , February 16, 2006.
  70. ↑ Hagen Seidel: Arcandors crash. How to ruin a billionaire company: Madeleine Schickedanz, Thomas Middelhoff, Sal. Oppenheim and KarstadtQuelle. Campus, Frankfurt am Main 2010, ISBN 978-3-593-39249-3 , pp. 104 f .; Hagen Seidel: Luxury houses are supposed to save Karstadt . In: Die Welt , April 18, 2006.
  71. ↑ a b Hagen Seidel: Luxury houses are supposed to save Karstadt . In: Die Welt , April 18, 2006.
  72. ↑ Karstadt still lacks an international audience . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger , October 5, 2006.
  73. ↑ With the KaDeWe, Karstadt in Germany is testing re-entry into high-quality business . In: Wirtschaftswoche , November 1, 2004.
    Heik Afheldt : KaDeWe captain Patrice Wagner . In: Der Tagesspiegel , August 18, 2005.
  74. ↑ a b c Katja Wilke: Power struggle. Head of Karstadt's luxury stores resigns. ( Memento from February 25, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) In: Financial Times Deutschland , January 17, 2009.
  75. ↑ Hagen Seidel: Arcandors crash. 2010, p. 192.
  76. ^ Jörn Hasselmann, Stefan Jacobs: KaDeWe-Einbruch. The coup . In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 28, 2009 and Die Juwelenddie even came twice . In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 29, 2009.
    Stefan Berg: The riddle of the million fraction . In: Der Spiegel . No. 18 , 2009, p. 68-71 ( online ).
  77. ↑ KaDeWe thieves had no peace. ( Memento of September 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). In: dpa / Netzeitung , January 28, 2009.
  78. ↑ Bernd Matthies : KaDeWe boss leaves . In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 15, 2009.
  79. ↑ Sören Jensen: Changeover. The mercenary . In: manager magazin , January 30, 2007.
  80. ^ Moritz Döbler, Lorenz Maroldt, Gerd Nowakowski: Nobody would close the KaDeWe . In: Der Tagesspiegel , September 21, 2009, interview with Ursula Vierkötter
    Vierkötter: “The modern customer wants innovations, and fast. How quickly we have the new products on the premises is very important. Today customers are also on the Internet. We have to offer orientation. "
  81. ^ Gregor Mayntz: Leichlingen: KaDeWe boss from the Bergisch . In: Rheinische Post , March 31, 2010.
  82. ↑ Hagen Seidel, Arcandors Fall , 2010, p. 18 f.
  83. ^ David C. Lerch: Karstadt. Middelhoff's legacy . In: Der Tagesspiegel , June 20, 2010.
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  86. ↑ Steffen Gerth: Karstadt boss Fox in an interview: "Karstadt doesn't need a revolution" . In: Der Handel , October 1, 2010.
  87. ↑ Jochen Schuster, Tanja Treser: "I'm a late bloomer". Investor with a glamor factor . In: Focus , July 19, 2010.
  88. ↑ Corinna Visser: Karstadt is a living organism . In: Der Tagesspiegel , July 9, 2010, interview with Berggruen.
  89. ↑ Traditional department store . Silver terrace in the KaDeWe closes . In: Der Tagesspiegel , May 20, 2010.
  90. ↑ Doreen Wilken: Karstadt reveals marketing strategy ( memento of October 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: fabeau.de , October 21, 2011.
  91. ↑ Services. Kindergarten. ( Memento from December 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: kadewe.de , December 2011.
      Services. ( Memento from January 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) In: kadewe.de , January 2012.
  92. ↑ Bernd Matthies : Investor confirms acquisition. KaDeWe building sold . In: Der Tagesspiegel , December 22, 2012.
  93. ↑ Bernd Matthies, Jahel Mielke: Change of bosses at KaDeWe. Ursula Vierkötter resigns . In: Der Tagesspiegel , February 1, 2013.
  94. ↑ René Gribnitz: Austrians buy the KaDeWe from Karstadt . In: Berliner Morgenpost , September 16, 2013.
  95. ↑ dpa : To Austrian real estate investors: Cartel Office approves the sale of Karstadt houses . In: Rheinische Post , October 29, 2013.
  96. ^ Maris Hubschmid: More independence from Karstadt. Two new bosses for KaDeWe . In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 8, 2013.
  97. ↑ Anke Prokasky: Karstadt: Federal Cartel Office approves acquisition. ( Memento from April 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive ). In: TextilWirtschaft , August 21, 2014.
  98. ^ Brigitte Schmiemann: KaDeWe Group. The headquarters of the luxury houses move to City West . In: Die Welt , September 29, 2014.
  99. ↑ Lightning attack in the KaDeWe: 15 people injured with irritant gas. In: Der Tagesspiegel , December 20, 2014.
  100. ^ Michael Behrendt : Raid in Berlin. The clan hadn't expected this blow . In: Die Welt , April 12, 2016.
  101. ↑ Ulf Morling: Defendant makes confession in the KaDeWe trial. ( Memento from January 27, 2016 in the web archive archive.today ). In: rbb , December 2, 2015.
  102. ↑ New co-owner also wants KaDeWes in Vienna and Prague - half of KaDeWe is sold to Italian group. ( Memento from June 12, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ). In: rbb , June 9, 2015.
  103. ^ Thomas Thieme: KaDeWe Group - Karstadt owner forges premium alliance . In: Stuttgarter Zeitung , June 9, 2015.
  104. ↑ a b Regina Kerner: The KaDeWe is to become a luxurious resort . In: Berliner Zeitung , June 22, 2015.
  105. ↑ Lucas Negroni: Renovator Vittorio Radice. These are his new plans for the KaDeWe . In: BZ , June 19, 2015, interview.
  106. ^ Jk: Escalator Quartet. OMA is rebuilding the KaDeWe . In: BauNetz , January 19, 2016, with picture gallery.
  107. ^ Alfons Kaiser : Shopping in Berlin. The KaDeWe is divided into four . In: FAZ , January 19, 2016.
  108. ↑ a b Robin Avram: Complete redesign from April - everything new at KaDeWe. ( Memento from January 27, 2016 in the web archive archive.today ) In: rbb , January 21, 2016.
  109. ↑ Elmar Schütze: 180 million euros investment: New escalators and spectacular outside elevators for the KaDeWe . In: Berliner Zeitung , January 19, 2016.
  110. ↑ a b c supermarket - courted customers. Film text. ( Memento from June 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: NZZ Format , 2005, 30:24 Min.
  111. ↑ a b Michael Hutner:  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: KaDeWe completes metamorphosis. Traditional Berlin department store relies on premium consultants . ) (PDF) In: Hutner Journal , No. 2, 2007, pp. 4–5.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.hutner.eu
  112. ↑ Thorsten Denkler: 100 years of KaDeWe - a portrait. Warrior's toy . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , March 27, 2007.
  113. ↑ Photo: KaDeWe. The dog boxes at the rear exit . In: Yelp , September 5, 2017.
  114. ^ Max Osborn : Kaufhaus des Westens - KaDeWe 1907-1932 , p. 185.
  115. ↑ Kriss Rudolph: My fur nose would love to be a shopping queen . In: Bild , March 30, 2018: "... the KaDeWe got rid of the dog boxes last year".
  116. ↑ Elisabeth Binder: Enjoyment in a hundred languages . In: Der Tagesspiegel , February 27, 2007.
  117. ↑ idea. Facade at the KaDeWe . In: Room Division , September 26, 2006.
  118. ↑ KaDeWe main portal . In: Tagesspiegel , June 2, 2007.
  119. ↑ Kerstin Decker : Golden scales . In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 1, 2004.
  120. ↑ a b Cay Dobberke and Katja Gartz: Language skills. Berliner Schnauze goes international . In: Der Tagesspiegel , July 1, 2009.
  121. ↑ Porter portrait .
  122. ^ Noble addresses: The KaDeWe . In: BZ , March 29, 2007.
  123. ↑ Claudia Lehnen: Lighthouse in the sea of ​​customers. Karl-Heinz Richter is a department store porter at KaDeWe: He has no professional colleagues anywhere in Germany . In: Berliner Zeitung , January 6, 2003.
  124. ↑ Completely detached… . In: Bunte , September 18, 2014.
  125. ↑ a b Thorkit Treichel: A city in itself . In: Berliner Zeitung , October 10, 2007.
  126. ↑ We want to surprise our customers . In: Der Tagesspiegel , April 9, 2008.
  127. ↑ a b Alexandra Maschewski: KaDeWe wants to offer even more luxury and service . In: Die Welt , April 9, 2008, interview with Patrice Wagner.
  128. ↑ Alexandra Maschewski, René Gribnitz: The KaDeWe wants to grow in the crisis . In: Die Welt , September 20, 2009, interview with Ursula Vierkötter:
    “The KaDeWe has such a great national and international reputation that we cannot actually meet the demand that we have at the moment. You really stand in line with us, but that's nice because it allows us to think about what will further strengthen our position. "
  129. ↑ Luxury Boulevard. ( Memento from June 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). In: kadewe.de .
  130. ↑ a b Judith Luig: Berliner KaDeWe is getting an upgrade . In: Berliner Morgenpost , September 22, 2012.
  131. ↑ Gaby Reynolds in: 100 Years of KaDeWe. The history of a Berlin institution . In: Deutschlandradio , March 27, 2007: “As you can see here, the color scheme for the next ten years is light, white, light gray, black, extremely bright light. Straight lines, no playful details. "
  132. ^ Alfons Kaiser : Kaufhaus des Westens. The new world of luxury department stores . In: FAZ , September 27, 2012.
  133. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 years of KaDeWe . Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 121.
  134. ↑ a b c Alexandra Maschewski: Like clockwork - behind the scenes at KaDeWe. ( Memento of March 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) In: Berliner Morgenpost , February 28, 2007.
  135. ↑ Joachim Bessing: In the confectionery above the roofs of the city . In: Welt am Sonntag , July 19, 2009.
  136. ↑ KaDeWe. ( Memento from June 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: EU Traveler , 2009, (German).
  137. ↑ Roger Boyes : O you KaDeWe! In: Die Zeit , No. 51, December 15, 2005.
  138. ↑ KaDeWe sets a technological milestone on the gourmet floor. ( Memento from February 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ; PDF; 895 kB) September 2001.
  139. ↑ Gudrun Sonnenberg: N. Könnecke, delicatessen chef at KaDeWe . In: Berliner Zeitung , March 28, 1998.
  140. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 154.
  141. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 155.
  142. ↑ Catering service . In: kadewe.de , 2017.
  143. ↑ KaDeWe: Everything fresh on the 7th floor . In: Der Tagesspiegel , September 14, 2006.
  144. ↑ Thorkit Treichel: Department store logistics: KaDeWe never sleeps . In: Berliner Zeitung , March 25, 2013.
  145. ↑ a b Lorenz Maroldt, Moritz Döbler: We democratize luxury . In: Der Tagesspiegel , September 22, 2005.
  146. ↑ Cay Dobberke: Karstadt saves - KaDeWe invests . In: Der Tagesspiegel , October 2, 2004.
  147. ↑ a b Specials. ( Memento of October 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive ; PDF; 6.4 MB). In: KaDeWe , 2007, p. 5.
  148. ↑ The KaDeWe ABC #International . In: BZ , February 24, 2007.
  149. ↑ Konrad Mrusek: Christmas shopping in KaDeWe. Stronghold of consumption . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , December 20, 2008.
  150. ^ SAD: The Queen in Berlin: Department Store of the Diplomats - Where the Queen's entourage goes shopping . In: Der Tagesspiegel from July 17, 2000.
  151. ^ Dirk Krampitz: Berlin flights of fancy . In: Welt am Sonntag , November 3, 2002.
  152. ↑ Lost overview . In: Der Spiegel . No. 32 , 1996 ( online ).
  153. ↑ mg: largest goods temple on the continent. ( Memento from June 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: TextilWirtschaft , May 25, 1995, beginning of article, quotation .
  154. ↑ smz / ddp : KaDeWe employees are fighting for their jobs with a vigil . In: Der Tagesspiegel , June 6, 2009.
  155. ↑ Alexandra Maschewski: KaDeWe should get a new boss . In: Berliner Morgenpost , January 14, 2009.
  156. ^ Walter Benjamin : Collected writings - Volume V: Das Passagen-Werk . 2 volumes. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 1982, ISBN 978-3-518-28535-0 .
  157. ^ Gustav Stresemann : The department stores. Their origin, development and economic significance . In: Journal for the entire political science , Berlin 1900, p. 714, quoted from Peter Stürzebecher: Das Berliner Warenhaus , Berlin 1979, p. 21.
    see also: A. Meiners: 100 years KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 42 .
  158. ↑ Werner Hegemann: Das steinerne Berlin , Berlin 1930, p. 252, quoted from Peter Stürzebecher: Das Berliner Warenhaus , Berlin 1979, p. 25.
  159. ↑ Cathedrals of Consumption . In: Der Spiegel . No. 51 , 1979, pp. 166-170 ( online ).
  160. ^ Heinrich Wefing : More Vegas, less Wilmersdorf . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 24, 2007, p. Z4.
  161. ↑ enn .: The Cartel Office requires commitments from Karstadt and Hertie. Department store merger approved. ( Memento from September 11, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 25, 1994, No. 47, p. 19.
  162. ↑ Andrej Bely : How nice it is in Berlin . In: Fritz Mierau (ed.): Russians in Berlin. Literature - Painting - Theater - Film 1918–1933. Leipzig 1987, pp. 57–58, quoted in Thomas Urban : Philosophy and Foxtrott. Andrei Bely . In: Ders .: Russian writers in Berlin in the twenties . Nicolai, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-89479-097-0 , pp. 78-99, 84.
  163. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, pp. 99–117, chap. Showcase of the West 1950–1977 .
  164. ↑ Antonia Meiners: 100 Years of KaDeWe , Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 121.
  165. ^ Wagner in: Antonia Meiners: 100 years of KaDeWe. Nicolai, Berlin 2007, p. 140.
  166. ↑ Gabriele Strehle : The preciousness of the moment . In: Welt am Sonntag , October 16, 2007.
  167. ↑ In the sixth heaven . (PDF; 620 kB) In: Christophorus. The Porsche magazine , no. 326, June / July 2007, pp 84-94.
  168. ↑ IG: Advent brunch in the traditional department store . In: Die Welt , November 29, 2002.
  169. ↑ Maximilian Wladarz: "Berlins darftige delicacy" - a chronicle of Nabokov's German biography .
  170. ↑ Harald Olkus: Unloved, inspiring city . In: Der Tagesspiegel , April 28, 2005.
  171. ↑ Thomas Urban : Revolution and KaDeWe. Vladimir Mayakovsky . In: ders .: Russian writers in Berlin in the twenties . Nicolai, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-89479-097-0 , pp. 166-193, 190.
  172. ↑ Malte Herwig : I am a travel guide to history . In: one day , November 29, 2007, interview with Eric Hobsbawm .
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on October 23, 2010 in this version .


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