A very special company 6,500 employees whose passion is fashion, trends and our customers.

FACTS AND HISTORY

Breuninger in numbers

Over 140 years of Breuninger

The most important place to the start is the start: When Eduard Breuninger opened his retail shop in 1881 with just three members of staff, he can hardly have imagined that it would one day become one of the most successful fashion and lifestyle businesses in Germany.

13 stores and 1 online shop

We attract our customers today with 13 stores and an online shop. In addition to our flagship stores in Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, we also offer you a very special shopping experience in the following locations: Ludwigsburg, Sindelfingen, Nuremberg, Freiburg, Erfurt, Leipzig, MTZ, Karlsruhe, Munich and Reutlingen as well as Luxemburg.

1,500 brands

From A for amazing and E for exquisite through to T for timeless and all the way to Z, we offer all of the big name brands as well as promising newcomer labels.

25 Restaurants, Bars & Confectioneries

With Breuninger, even the breaks from shopping are moments to be treasured, say, at (karls) kitchen in Stuttgart, the Sansibar by Breuninger restaurant in Düsseldorf, the Eduard's by Breuninger bar in Nuremberg or one of our in-house confectioners.

6,500 employees

What makes our employees special is their enthusiasm for their work – regardless of whether they work on the sales floor, drive the excellence of our ranges forward with their insightful purchasing or concentrate on fulfilling the wishes, large and small, of our customers in the Service department.

15 high-class services

We do everything for our customers: The Customer Service section in each of our stores acts as the personal contact point for you should you have any concerns or questions. We also offer you a shuttle service, personal shopping and many other unique service options.

The success story – from 1868 to today

2016

135 years of Breuninger
To mark our 135th birthday, we take our customers on a trip through time in the fashion world. What becomes clear is that we really don't look our age!

2014

Breuninger goes mobile
The Breuninger app lets you discover the finer things in life whenever you want and shop online at any time ,day or night. The app also gives you an overview of all your Breuninger Card purchases and information on major events and the Breuninger stores.

2014

Double accolade
Breuninger receives the 2014 Forum Prize awarded by the renowned trade journal TextilWirtschaft for being the best German department store. At almost the same time, Breuninger wins second prize at the 'Global Department Store Summit' in Singapore in the category 'Best Department Store in the World 2014'.

2013

Department store in Düsseldorf
With a major red-carpet event attracting plenty of international guests on 16 October 2013, Breuninger opens its exclusive department store in regional capital Düsseldorf, with a sales area of over 15,000 square metres.

2012

Best Fashion Retailer Award 2012
WeAr Global Magazine chooses the Breuninger flagship store as 'Best Fashion Retailer of the World' for 2012. The other winners are the Webster concept store in Miami and Selfridges in London. Breuninger is thus seen to be a player in the league of the world's most prestigious fashion and lifestyle businesses, setting standards in Germany.

2012

Willy Oergel
In September, Willy Oergel becomes the Head of the Company Management Team, acting as the successor to Willem G. van Agtmael.

2008

www.breuninger.com
With its online shop, Breuninger opens one of the most successful premium designer and trend online shops.

2006

Flagship store
The premium world of luxury accessories opens its doors at the flagship store in Stuttgart.

1991

Distinguished
For the first time, Breuninger is given first place in the listing of department stores in Avis' 'Best of Germany'.

1975

Willem G. van Agtmael
Heinz Breuninger nominates Willem G. van Agtmael as his successor. The Dutchman was already making a name for himself as the youngest director of an international hotel chain.

1973

'Shopping Centre'
Breuningerland Ludwigsburg opens – a development of the American concept of a shopping centre, with extended opening hours, particularly at weekends.

1959

Germany's first store card
Breuninger is the first company in Europe to introduce cashless payment for customers by means of a store card. Heinz Breuninger proves to be a visionary in many more respects. With a kindergarten, car parking facilities and a series of high-quality restaurants, he offers his customers an exceptional shopping experience even at this time.

1950

New York, Detroit and Chicago
Inspired by the many department stores in the United States, Heinz Breuninger makes speed and friendly customer service his key selling points. Breuninger is the first department store in Germany to have escalators and lifts and it has the largest alterations service.

1929

50 years of Breuninger
From 1929, the men's fashion building is built at Marktstraße 3, and this building is connected to the present-day sales areas both below and above ground – a total of 9 floors above ground covering a total area of 14,140 m².

1916

E. Breuninger AG
During the First World War, the young company is brought to the marketplace and converted to a stock corporation.

1912

The first employee newsletter
On 1 August 1912, the first issue of the employee newsletter, 'Breuninger Monatsblätter' is released. Today's newsletter, 'der interne', is thus one of Germany's oldest employee newsletters.

1908

Opening of the second store
The company is growing steadily and Eduard Breuninger decides to invest in a new building and a second store building, with its front on Sporerstraße, opens its doors. The company founder affirms his credo: "To win and retain the trust of our customers through a tasteful selection of good, fresh goods at excellent value for money, combined with attentive, accommodating service, must be and remain the foremost principle of the company."

1896

First post mailing
A list of products and a price list, together with a map of the regional capital, is sent to households.

1888

Breuninger seeks staff
Even as an established businessman, Eduard Breuninger does not stop coming up with new ideas. He acquires the property at Münzstraße 7 – the former 'Zum Grossfürsten' inn – and opens a new business premises under the name E. Breuninger zum Grossfürsten. Still it is not long before there is a lack of space. New staff and more space are needed.

1881

The first shop opens
Eduard Breuninger opens his shop on Münzstraße, Stuttgart on 1 March 1881 and creates a mini sensation from the outset by opening with a sale.

1868

The apprenticeship period
Even Breuninger started small: When Eduard Breuninger starts his commercial apprenticeship in his home town of Backnang at the age of 14, he lays the foundations for his future company.

PHILOSOPHY

Our self-image

Since 1881, our corporate culture has been inspired by a spirit of breaking new ground, assuming our entrepreneurial responsibility with courage and commitment, and thereby of honouring the traditional values of a family business.

We are the fashion and lifestyle brand. We aim to win our customers over again every day by serving them as a host, attracting them and inspiring them.

Our employees play a crucial part in determining our success. Only together can we achieve our objectives. The basis of our success is that we set performance-orientated goals and systematically support and encourage our employees. We stand out from the crowd thanks to our expertise and high level of professionalism.

We are fair and reliable partners. We are socially engaged in our immediate surroundings and we address social and environmental questions with a strong sense of responsibility.