9. April 2025. Essen-based family-owned company DEICHMANN continues its run of success
in the anniversary year 2024 and makes record future investments in 2025

„Our company anniversary last year marked over a century of continuous positive development and success. That’s why we remain optimistic about the future despite the tough market conditions,” emphasised Heinrich Deichmann, Chairman of the Management Board of DEICHMANN SE. “We made it our mission to retail the latest shoe trends for the entire family and brand quality at great-value prices in our stores and online, and to offer a friendly service. That’s what sets DEICHMANN apart. It’s our unique selling proposition and the foundation for our success – particularly in a challenging economic environment and in all of our markets. This mission is at the heart of everything we do.”

In the 2024 financial year the DEICHMANN Group generated gross revenue of around 8.7 billion euros (7.5 billion euros net, 2023: 8.5 billion euros gross). Currency-adjusted growth in revenue was 2.3 per cent. Good sales of higher-priced brand models have driven up the average price of the models sold. Over 180 million pairs of shoes were again retailed worldwide in the stores and the online shops.

With a market presence in more than 30 countries today, the group generated around 68 per cent of its revenue internationally. On 31 December 2024 DEICHMANN SE was operating approximately 4,700 stores, which is on a par with the number of stores in the previous year, as well as around 40 online shops. At the year-end DEICHMANN SE had approximately 49,900 employees worldwide (2023: around 49,000).

Last year, the market environment was particularly challenging also for Europe’s number one shoe retailer as consumer spending declined in many markets. People are feeling uncertain, to some extent as a result of the geopolitical crises, and they also have less disposable income due to the continuously rising cost of living. Although the year was a difficult one for the fashion retail trade on the whole, the DEICHMANN concept of retailing quality footwear at great-value prices once again paid off. In Europe, the DEICHMANN concept achieved growth in revenue of more than 5 per cent.

Heinrich Deichmann: “It is crucial for us to offer outstanding value for money, together with attractive footwear fashions and strong brands. We want everyone to be able to afford good shoes – and that’s been our family-owned company’s mission for generations.” Besides a broad selection of established sports brands such as Adidas, Nike, Puma and Fila, the extensive DEICHMANN range also includes top brands such as New Balance. The Essen-based company has also acquired the Esprit shoe brand rights and the Kappa and s.Oliver licences. Additional well-known brands such as Rieker, Buffalo and Bugatti have also been added to the comprehensive portfolio. These and other popular brands such as Crocs, Skechers, Tom Tailor, Bench and Dockers complement the diverse footwear offering.

Consumer spending was down in Germany in 2024, which was also the case in other European countries, and this development also negatively impacted the footwear industry. The BTE trade association for textiles, shoes and leather goods recently announced that, according to its projections, revenue of shoes in Germany fell by 0.8 per cent or 90 million euros to 11.62 billion euros (gross) last year. ¹

DEICHMANN managed to hold up well in this challenging sector environment. Group revenue in Germany was on a par with the previous year at 2.7 billion euros net (2.3 billion euros gross). The company achieved 1.5 per cent growth in Germany in 2024 based on the key performance indicator of like-for-like development – i.e. based on the same number of stores as in the previous year. Around 67 million pairs of shoes were sold at the group’s stores throughout Germany and in the online shops. Here too, customers tended to purchase higher-priced products. The company employed around 16,500 people and operated around 1,300 stores in Germany at the end of the year.

The discontinuation of the MyShoes concept in 2024 marked the completion of a change process in the group that had been announced and initiated in 2023. MyShoes was withdrawn from the German and Austrian markets as part of the profitability assessment process and measures to raise the group’s profile. All of the stores and the online shops there have been closed since November 2024.

The sneaker and streetwear retailer, which is part of the DEICHMANN Group, recorded a 5 per cent increase in revenue in Europe and 4 per cent growth in revenue for the entire SNIPES Group. The Cologne-based company was thus able to contribute over 1.8 billion euros to group revenue last year. Dennis Schröder was appointed as the new CEO for Europe as of January 2024. SNIPES has been the “Official Culture & Community Partner” of top French football club Paris Saint-Germain as part of a special partnership that started last year, and the company’s logo will now appear on the back of all the men’s football team shirts and at all first division matches for a three-year period. The aim of the partnership is to go beyond traditional sponsorship by deeply embedding SNIPES’ cultural roots in the club’s activities and community initiatives.

SNIPES currently operates around 800 stores in Europe and the USA, of which around 350 are in the United States and 150 in Germany. Further stores are located in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Poland, France, Portugal, Switzerland and Croatia.

In 2024, value for money, brand diversity and fashion expertise were once again key topics for DEICHMANN, and the company continued to make progress at various levels in these areas. Heinrich Deichmann is satisfied with the group’s overall development in the past year: “We achieved major goals and made important progress in 2024. For example, we optimised our brand portfolio and acquired the Esprit shoe brand rights for Europe and the USA. We also added even more attractive brands, such as Kappa, Bugatti, s.Oliver, Rieker, Crocs and Buffalo, to diversify our product assortment.”

Heinrich Deichmann still sees the company’s profits at a satisfactory level. “We can retain our future commercial independence and finance our growth without external investors,” explained Deichmann. “The past few years have consolidated our belief that aiming for targeted growth in a step-by-step process is the right strategy for our family-owned company,” he emphasised.

Heinrich Deichmann also believes that the company’s employees make a decisive contribution to its business success. “Our teams at the stores, in logistics and in administration roles did another great job in our anniversary year. For that reason our success is again very much their success, and for that I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”

The US fashion retail sector had a difficult year last year, particularly in the mid-price segment, and its effects were also felt by Rack Room Shoes, the DEICHMANN Group’s family concept in the USA. SNIPES, too, was affected by the general trend, although it achieved 3 per cent growth in revenue in the USA.

After making substantial investments last year – in the area of logistics, for example, with new distribution centres in Switzerland and the USA – DEICHMANN is planning to invest around 420 million euros in the current year – which is the highest level of investment in the company’s history. 136 million euros of total investments are earmarked for Germany. DEICHMANN remains committed to stationary trade and will be focusing its efforts on the further remodelling of its store network. As in the previous year, around 450 new stores and existing store modernisations are planned across the group. DEICHMANN also remains committed to modern store design and services to provide an attractive shopping experience.

Thus, the company made significant investments in enhancing the attractiveness of its store network in 2024 and opened new stores in various countries. Last year, around 100 DEICHMANN stores in Germany were opened or reopened after being remodelled to bring them into line with the modern concept. The company’s level of investments in new buildings and store conversions in Germany will remain unchanged in 2025.

Innovations and services such as “ship to home” or “click & collect” play an important role. Many stores have introduced and will introduce digital foot measuring devices for the fast and precise determination of shoe sizes. They significantly enhance the customer shopping experience and have the practical feature of a “measurement reminder” for parents that tells them when it’s time to get their children’s feet measured again. Customers who are looking for reassurance on sizes can now have their feet measured digitally at over 320 DEICHMANN stores throughout Germany.

Investments in omnichannel activities are also being stepped up. A key focus in this area of investment is the vision of the DEICHMANN customer app, which combines simple e-commerce shopping with a customer loyalty program, digital foot measurement and inspiring fashion content. All brochures, as well as the popular customer magazine ShoeFashion, were digitised and made available in the app in 2024. DEICHMANN is consistently optimising its cross-channel business with its new digital omnichannel platform, which is already in use in 17 countries. The high-performance digital platform’s roll-out is being successively implemented.

“Our company’s positive journey is also reflected in our campus,” emphasised Heinrich Deichmann. DEICHMANN SE is headquartered in Essen, right next to the shoemaker’s workshop that has been the nucleus of the company since 1913. Last year, the company pushed ahead with the construction of the new main building and the modernisation of the existing buildings at its head office site. “The new DEICHMANN Campus is an investment in the future of our family-owned company and it affirms our commitment to our traditional home base,” said Heinrich Deichmann. The modern new build has five storeys and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2025.

The brand proposition of value for money, brand diversity and fashion expertise is underpinned by cooperations with famous faces. In 2024, for example, the company ran two adidas campaigns: “Für das Echte” (For the Real Thing) with pop icon Sarah Connor and a campaign with professional footballer Ridle Baku, who already wore DEICHMANN shoes as a child. There was also a Puma campaign featuring Jana Ina and Giovanni Zarella with the motto “Made for Joy” and a cooperation with “Germany’s Next Topmodel” featuring the licensed brand Fila.

Throughout the year, the marketing team remained focused on reinforcing and positioning the DEICHMANN brand and brand identity with inspiring, creative, state-of-the-art fashion and brand campaigns, most of which were produced in-house. These include the umbrella brand campaign as well as the “Retro Looks of Sports”, “Back to School” and “Your Summer, Your Crocs” campaigns.

Heinrich Deichmann: “With our special campaigns and stylish events, such as those held during the Berlin International Film Festival, we have once again reinforced our trailblazer image and raised our social media profile.” DEICHMANN continues to break new ground with its social media campaigns. A prominent example in 2024 was the successful launch of the PAW Patrol sneakers for adults. This limited collection was developed in close collaboration with Paramount Global in response to demand from the community. The sneakers were available in a limited edition of 1,000 and proved very popular with customers. In fact, the special edition model sold out in just 15 minutes.

A recent highlight in early 2025 was the “Beat the Brand” live battle with six brands in Cologne as the culmination of a large-scale social media campaign that generated over 200 million views in recent months and several million interactions on various social media channels. In addition to the 300 spectators on-site, over 400,000 users followed the innovative live game show on TikTok, Twitch, Instagram and YouTube over the entire event period. With this campaign, DEICHMANN brought the brand beef out of the digital comment sections and into the real world.

Community involvement, particularly via the DEICHMANN Foundation, has always been an important part of DEICHMANN’s DNA. For over 50 years, the foundation has been supporting numerous social and humanitarian projects as well as initiatives to promote social participation in Germany and abroad.

One of the approximately 200 projects supported in 2024 deserves special mention – an initiative launched to help the people of the island nation of Madagascar address their most urgent problems. Aid projects include, for example, a project to supply about 300,000 of the island’s population with drinking water via large-scale well systems, a comprehensive range of training opportunities via own agricultural schools and targeted medical care with all-terrain vehicles and mobile clinics. Madagascar is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world.

Another focus area is the general support of children in Germany and other countries who are at risk of poverty. Poor educational opportunities and participation options as well as a lack of social integration often result in young people being left behind – a vicious circle that the DEICHMANN Foundation would like to break with targeted funding: starting with pregnancy, early support, assistance with educational offers, social integration and vocational orientation in the world of work.

In Tanzania, for example, children from financially disadvantaged families are given access to secondary school education through the KIUMA project, especially in places where the parents are unable to afford the regular school fees. In Madagascar, the poorest single mothers, trapped in precarious and low-paid day labour with their children, are supported and guided on the path to dignified and sustainable self-employment. In Germany, for example, children in socially challenged neighbourhoods in the Ruhr area receive targeted support to prepare them for school or help with their homework from the afternoon care staff at the many FamilienTISCH centres. In addition, young people who are about to graduate from high school receive technical training to ensure they are optimally prepared for internships or their future careers. The DEICHMANN Foundation was supported in its work in 2024 by social influencer and Miss Germany 2023 Kira Geiss.

Another important event in the past year – especially in light of the company’s anniversary – was the launch of the “DEICHMANN moves” purpose initiative. DEICHMANN isn’t just about shoes. DEICHMANN stands for change as a company that is “socially committed”, “modern” and “for everyone”. Heinrich Deichmann: “This initiative represents our dedication to improving the lives of our customers, employees and people in need. It complements the community projects we run via the DEICHMANN Foundation. “The 2024 purpose idea was brought to life within the organisation and externally by three campaigns: “Germany’s Fittest Primary School”, “Heart’s Desires” and “DEICHMANN Trailblazers”.

The “DEICHMANN moves” initiative: “Germany’s Fittest Primary School” is being continued this year after a great response and it has already been running for a few weeks now. This campaign aims to combat the lack of exercise in primary school children and encourage them to be more physically active. “We want to motivate and support children throughout Germany with a specially developed exercise programme and a nationwide competition,” explained Heinrich Deichmann. More than 27,000 pupils – some with the active support of their teachers – completed over 350,000 exercise units last year. “We are very impressed by the enormous commitment shown by the children and their teachers and hope to motivate even more schools to participate this year,” said Heinrich Deichmann.

¹https://www.bte.de/bte-pressemeldung-zur-shoes-pressekonferenz-am-03.02.2025/

Links to further information:
www.deichmann-stiftung.de
www.deichmann-bewegt.de

Media contact:
DEICHMANN SE
Unternehmenskommunikation
Christian Hinkel
Tel.: +49 (0) 201 / 8676 – 960
christian_hinkel@deichmann.com

Sonja Schröder
Tel.: +49 (0) 201 / 8676 – 962
sonja_schroeder@deichmann.com

DEICHMANN SE, which is headquartered in Essen, Germany, was founded in 1913 and is still a wholly-owned family company. The corporate group is the European footwear retail market leader with operations in more than 30 countries worldwide. It employs over 49,900 people and operates more than 4,700 stores and 40 online shops. In addition to the DEICHMANN stores, the company owns Dosenbach, Ochsner Shoes and Ochsner Sport in Switzerland, vanHaren in the Netherlands and Belgium and Rack Room Shoes in the USA. It also owns the SNIPES Group with stores and online shops in Europe and the USA. For many decades, the company has been involved in a variety of social projects, for example through the DEICHMANN Foundation.