- Dr Ulrich Hanfeld to assume newly created role of Executive Chairman. He will be responsible for strategic corporate development and growth
- Alexander Schmökel, currently Chief Purchasing Officer, will take over as CEO from 1st January 2022
- Diversified growth strategy: 150 new stores per year from 2022 – further internationalization of store network – new service offerings and closer integration of online and offline shopping
NKD Group kicks off 2022 with changes to its management board. The new management line-up sets up the structure needed to further develop and implement NKD’s growth strategy. As of January 2022, Dr Ulrich Hanfeld, CEO of NKD Group GmbH, will assume the newly created role of Executive Chairman of Pegasus Group Holding GmbH, NKD Group’s parent company. In his new role, Dr Hanfeld will be identifying strategic growth opportunities for NKD and supporting the management team in the group’s development. The focus will be on further international expansion and new business areas.
The position of CEO will be filled from the ranks of the current management team. Alexander Schmökel, Chief Purchasing Officer and responsible for purchasing, marketing and logistics since 2017, will lead the operational business of NKD Group GmbH as CEO from 1st January 2022.
The other positions on the Management Board will remain unchanged. Christian Welles, Chief Sales Officer and member of the NKD Management Board since 2014, will continue to be responsible for the portfolio of more than 2,000 stores in Germany and Central Europe, as well as the expansion of the store network. Stefan Macheleidt, Chief Financial Officer since July 2021, continues to be responsible for HR, IT and Legal/Compliance in addition to Finance.
Dr Ulrich Hanfeld: “In the past six years, we have put NKD on a robust and profitable growth path in a challenging market environment. The pandemic has led to major changes in shopping behaviour with far-reaching effects on the retail sector.
Identifying new strategic growth opportunities for NKD during this transformation and providing creative input for new business areas and business models is a very exciting task. I am very much looking forward to shaping NKD’s future together with our experienced management team, which has been contributing to our success for many years.”
Alexander Schmökel: “After the lockdowns in the first half of the year, the need for consumers to catch up is generating a great deal of momentum in the retail sector. With the new line-up in NKD Group’s management, we are creating the capacity to fully focus on the day-to-day operational business while making the strategic decisions for sustainable growth. I look forward to driving business development in our core markets and to continue our international expansion together.”
NKD celebrated the opening of its 2,000th store in September 2021, continuing its growth despite the Corona crisis. For 2022 and the following years, the textile discounter is planning around 150 new store openings per year. In addition to new locations, which increasingly include larger sales areas in specialist stores and shopping centres, NKD plans to extend its one-stop shopping concept with additional service offerings in stores and to enhance the online shopping experience.
