German textile chain KIK is on its way to Antwerp. The discounter is currently mostly active in Eastern Europe, but aims to expand a lot over the next few years, with Belgium as a potential growth area.
Kunde ist König
The chain was only founded in 1994, but already has more than 3,200 stores. Over the next five years, the company intends to add another 1,500, including one in Antwerp. Ghent, Brussels and Courtrai are also possible KIK (Kunde ist König) locations, a major step forward as the chain has already been active in the Netherlands for several years, but failed to move into Belgium, until now.
KIK will have to compete against chains like Zeeman and Wibra, even though the German chain’s price range and product range are slightly above of its two local competitors. Over the past fiscal year, KIK managed a 1.7 billion euro turnover, up 7 % compared to the year before. Its major expansion plans should help boost that growth even more.
