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"German consumers love the shops," says industry expert Joachim Stumpf of the BBE distributor in Munich. "German consumers are very satisfied with price-based concepts." In fact, more than half of those surveyed in a recent survey conducted by the Allensbach Institute on behalf of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung" have stated that they were buying clothes.
This is probably the reason why more and more established retailers are trying to follow the cheap trend with their own outlets. The parent company Kaufhof, HBC, launched the Saks Off chain store in Germany some time ago with great ambitions. Karstadt's parent company, Signa, has completed its department store offering with dress-for-less online designer. And now, the textile giant H & M also wants to go shopping with its own chain of stores.
The H & M chain of stores is only available in Sweden up to now. By 2020, she should also come to Germany.
H & M opened this month the first stores of its new Afound brand in Stockholm and Malmö. At the same time, the online store was launched in Sweden. At Afound, at discounted prices, there is not only clothes, shoes and accessories from the H & M group brands that, besides H & M, also include chains such as & Other Stories, Monki or Cos. Also available are branded products from other manufacturers such as Puma or Tiger of Sweden
There is always only one in Sweden. However, according to the information of the sectoral magazine "Textilwirtschaft", international expansion is expected to start in the coming year. Germany is on the plan for 2020.
H & M urgently needs a new impetus
Afound is H & M's answer to the trend of bargain hunting, Stumpf said. The Swedish company, which for years with its innovative sales concept, the industry was rising, needs a boost, as it was the last in the fierce competition against Primark, Zara and Co. must pluck. Because the bargain segment is now fiercely contested on the German fashion market. Not only are outlet centers and chains like TK-Maxx or Saks Off 5th in city centers looking for energy-efficient furs and reduced merchandise. Textile discounters are also playing an increasingly important role in the German textile market.
"Discounters are in the limelight", recently described the magazine "Textilwirtschaft". In recent years, textile discounters such as Primark, Kik, Takko, Zeeman or NKD have increased their sales in Germany by almost a quarter and have done much better than the overall textile trade.
Aldi and Lidl have also entered the textile industry. 19659023] Discounters Aldi and Lidl have significantly improved their special offers with textiles in recent years. Lidl started selling the fourth Heide Klum fashion collection a few days ago. Aldi Süd recently promoted customers with a children's fashion collection designed by designer Dana Schweiger.
"It is very likely that the market share of textile discounters will continue to increase in the foreseeable future," say experts in the textile industry. Because there is a high proportion of consumers, regardless of their income when they buy pragmatic clothing and put little value on a label or store.
The predictions of industry experts for the Swedes' prospects of success are rather cautious: The H & M The Afound girl is expecting a "shark tank" in Germany.
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