Kik plans to close stores: Textile discounter under pressure

Bönen. Kik aims to strengthen its competitiveness and is considering extensive changes to its structure. This could include store closures, as the textile discounter announced on Thursday. The company, based in Bönen (North Rhine-Westphalia), emphasized that it intends to continue employing the affected employees within its dense store network.

Kik is part of the Tengelmann Group and currently operates around 4,200 stores in 14 European countries, including approximately 2,400 in Germany. Of the more than 32,000 employees, 19,000 work in Germany.

An initially unconfirmed report in the "Immobilien Zeitung" newspaper mentions up to 400 possible closures in Germany, which would mean approximately one in six branches. The company itself points out that the majority of its locations are profitable and that it intends to continue opening new ones.

The aim of the audit is to identify cost and efficiency potential and to position Kik for the future under difficult market conditions. The company cites persistently high inflation, customer reluctance to buy, disrupted supply chains, and increasing competitive pressure in the retail sector.

The strategic reorganization comes during a period of personnel changes at the top of the company. At the beginning of September 2025, long-time Managing Director Patrick Zahn unexpectedly left the company. Zahn, who had been at the helm since 2014, justified his resignation by saying he wanted to make room for new impulses during a transformation phase. In July, manager Dirk Ankenbrand, who had been with the company since 2021 and a member of the management team since 2023, also resigned for personal reasons. The responsibilities were initially handled internally.

It remains unclear for the time being how Kik's future management will be structured and how the planned adjustments will be implemented. In particular, the question of which regions or branch types could be affected by a potential network streamlining remains open. What is certain, however, is that the restructuring process is likely to take several years and will run parallel to individual new store openings.

Founded in 1994, the textile discounter Kik (“customer is king”) offers not only affordable clothing but also household goods, home textiles, decorative items, gift items and toys.

RND/dpa/pf