Media Markt Steals the Show, Swapping More Saturn Stores in Germany
Saturn Shrinks: Media Markt Expands Its Retail Footprint by Acquiring Additional Stores - Saturn Shrinks: Media Market Expands Its Reach Across Multiple Sectors
Get ready to shop under a different name when you visit once familiar Saturn stores in various German cities. This change is taking place in North Rhine-Westphalian cities like Neuss, Hilden, Cologne, and Aachen.
The transformation is already happening in several locations. Initially, there were around 150 Saturn stores in Germany. By fall 2024, that number dropped to 87, as per Ceconomy, the common parent company of both chains. Since the start of this year, Media Markt has swooped in, taking over 14 more Saturn outposts, according to a spokesperson. More changes are on the horizon. Media Markt now boasts over 300 stores.
Merging Bonus Programs
Ceconomy attributes the trend to customers failing to distinguish between the two brands. The company is focusing on enhancing and modernizing its stores. "We've indeed reopened some Saturn stores as Media Markets, and this will continue," the spokesperson admitted.
The company hasn't released the current store count or the number of additional Saturn locations that will be converted. However, the spokesperson confirmed that Saturn won't be disappearing and remains a vital part of their overall strategy.
For those impacted customers, changes won't be drastic: both store inventory and offers will remain similar. Offers and advertising will stay identical. In the upcoming week, the bonus programs will be combined. Shoppers will be able to accumulate points and redeem them at both chains. All earlier points will also be automatically merged.
As of the end of March, Ceconomy operated over 1,000 stores across Europe in 11 countries. In countries like Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Poland, Saturn stores have been shut down or converted to Media Markt in recent years.
The first Saturn store opened in Cologne in 1961, while the first Media Markt store took root in Munich in 1979. Media Markt eventually acquired its rival Saturn in 1990. For a few years, Metro AG held a majority stake in both brands. In 2017, Ceconomy, which now includes the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, was spun off from Metro.
- Retail Consolidation
- Brand Merger
- Cologne
- Düsseldorf
- Neuss
- Hilden
- Aachen
- European Expansion
- The consolidation in the retail industry continues as Ceconomy, the parent company of both Media Markt and Saturn, is modernizing its stores by swapping more Saturn outposts with Media Markt locations, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalian cities like Neuss, Hilden, Cologne, and Aachen.
- In the finance sector, Ceconomy's strategic business move involves merging the bonus programs of Media Markt and Saturn, allowing shoppers to collect points and redeem them at either chain, creating a seamless customer experience across both industries and retail locations in Europe.
