Deichmann, the biggest footwear retailer in Europe, reached 5.8 billion euros, in terms of revenues, at the end of 2018 (+2% compared to 2017), by selling 178 million pairs of shoes: sales increased by 1.4 million pairs compared to the previous year. The German group’s exports accounted for 60% of their turnover. At the end of 2018, the group was running a network of 4,053 shops, there were 3,989 in 2017, and 40 online stores (+4 compared to last year); they were hiring nearly 40,700 employees (16,721 in Germany). Last year the group’s employees amounted to 39,600 units. Sticking to tradition, the family-run company did not give out any further details. Chief executive officer Heinrich Deichmann briefly commented about 2018 financial statements, which he considers “still rewarding”. The company is planning to invest, throughout 2019, 285 million euros: they are going to use 102 of them to open 30 new stores and refurbish 110 more in Germany. They will use the remaining 183 million euros to open 229 new shops in several markets, such as China, Dubai, Latvia, Estonia and Poland; on top of that, they will renovate 146 stores. In the meantime, in the United States, Deichmann have successfully carried out the buyout of Kicks USA, which currently run 64 stores in the eastern area of the country. That is the most important acquisition in the history of the company.
Deichmann’s big figures: nearly 6 billion euros in 2018, 178 million pairs of shoes, over 4,000 stores, 40,700 employees
