Private company
Logo: Arcandor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4
Holding company
Arcandor AG was a holding company located in Essen, Germany, that oversaw a number of companies operating in the businesses of mail order and internet shopping, department stores and tourism services. It was formed in 1999 by the merger of Karstadt Warenhaus AG, founded in 1920, with Quelle AG, founded in 1927. In 2005, the corporation had about 68,000 employees and annual sales of €15.5 billion.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
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Arcandor AG was a holding company located in Essen, Germany, that oversaw a number of companies operating in the businesses of mail order and internet shopping, department stores and tourism services. It was formed in 1999 by the merger of Karstadt Warenhaus AG, founded in 1920, with Quelle AG, founded in 1927. In 2005, the corporation had about 68,000 employees and annual sales of €15.5 billion. Its stocks were traded on the Mid Cap DAX until September 2009. The company's largest store was Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) in Berlin, and the largest store operated by Karstadt was in Frankfurt.2
Arcandor sits at the top of its group. 7 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.
Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.
What Arcandor reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.
Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1
On 14 May 1881, Rudolph Karstadt founded his first store Tuch-, Manufaktur- und Konfektionsgeschäft Karstadt (Karstadt fabric, factory outlet and ready-to wear store) in Wismar. In 1884, a second store was opened in Lübeck. Soon, 24 stores had been opened in all of Northern Germany. In 1920, the business was turned into a joint stock company.
From Wikipedia’s article on Arcandor, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5
Arcandor was active in the following business segments:
Brick-and-mortar operations:
Department stores: Karstadt, KaDeWe, Wertheim, Alsterhaus, Oberpollinger, WoM (World of Music), Schaulandt, LeBuffet, Fox Markt
Specialty stores: KarstadtSport (athletic equipment, etc.)
Mail-order:
General: neckermann.de (until 2005 known as Neckermann Versand), Quelle
Specialty assortments: Walz, Hess Natur, Fritz Berger, Madeleine, BON'A PARTE, clinic+job-dress, DK Berufsmoden, Simon Jersey
Services:
Tourism: Bucher Reisen, Thomas Cook Group (52% ownership)
Financial services: KarstadtQuelle Bank, KarstadtQuelle Finanz Service
Other services: Customer loyalty scheme (HappyDigits), Itellium, KarstadtQuelle Information Services
From Wikipedia’s article on Arcandor, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5
From Wikidata.1
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