A Simple Little German Brand...

First a few facts…Lets see if you can guess the brand...

Founded: 
15 March 1949 
Headquarters: 
Hamburg, Germany 
Industry:
Consumer Goods and retail
Revenues: 
€3.5 billion in 2013
Employees: 
Over 12,450 worldwide, of which 8,500 in Germany

Market leader in roasted coffee (as of 2013):
Germany, Austria, Poland and Czech Republic 
Shops: 
Germany: approx. 700, over 500 of them with integrated Coffee Bar.
International: approx. 300 with Coffee Bar (Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey).
Depots at retailers and supermarkets:
Germany: approx. 20,500, of which 8,300 also sell Non Food 
Online shops:
No.5 by Unique Visitors (source: lz-net.de)
Separate Web shops in Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey

Have you guessed yet??

Yes, of course the brand is: TCHIBO…

The brand was founded right after the second world war in Germany (do any of you history buffs remember how trying those years were for Germany?!) and since then the brand has evolved into an international retail and roasted coffee giant. What an accomplishment!

The company's logo is one of the most unattractive I have seen in a long while and initially I refused to go into Tchibo stores for about fours years after their arrival in Turkey in 2005 because their logo was so unappealing and their concept looked too messy and weird from afar. 

Tchibo sells coffee, coffee machines, baked goods, underwear, dog toys, salt and pepper shakers, bookcases, tweezers, snow pants, tents, bike locks, christmas decorations, glue guns, jeans, sheets, stain remover, bath mats...the list is very very long.  But what makes these little stores absolutely splendid is that it doesn't sell all of these things at once. The coffee and coffee makers are the mainstay of the store but the brilliance of TCHIBO is that it brings in brand new product range or two around one unifying theme EVERY WEEK.

Every week arrives literally dozens of products that are perfectly complementary, coordinated, novel, and very very appealing at their low prices. Those who have been bit by the TCHIBO bug will attest to the fact that the store and it's weekly campaigns become addictive. Men don't often get TCHIBO and they especially don't get their wives' TCHIBO related spending sprees…

Let me summarize by saying this…does one really ever need a TCHIBO item…in truth…not really…(unless there is a snow storm and four little three year olds need snow jackets and snow pants right away and TCHIBO is the only place that happens to have them on sale that week). But novel items such as TCHIBO's coordinated arts and crafts supplies and cleaning/kitchen/gardening gadgets are to die for…and one can never have enough glitter glue, right?

These simple everyday products are so well chosen and styled that you really cannot help yourself.  And almost all of the products are so simple and sturdy that you are rarely displeased with the quality of a TCHIBO product. Also their sales staff is absolutely great…kind, knowledgable and patient (as the store does mostly appeal as a hangout for the +65 crowd)…basically a Lucca for great-grandmas….

Take a look at some of the lovelies on offer this week at TCHIBO…
What are your thoughts on this store??