Tchibo
Tchibo is a German chain of coffee shops/cafés, but is better known for its weekly changing range[citation needed]. Typical specials are clothing, household items, electronics and electrical appliances. Tchibo's German slogan is Jede Woche eine neue Welt (German for: Every week a new world), and in The UK Tchibo also has the slogan Add a little O to your life. Recently Tchibo expanded its product range, now selling services such as travel and insurance too. With over 1000 shops Tchibo is one of Germany's biggest shop chains. The company is based in Hamburg.
Its coffee is sold in supermarkets in Romania, Hungary, the Ukraine, Russia and Poland. Shoprite sells coffee and Tchibo's clothing, household items, electronics and electrical appliances in the Isle of Man.
History
Tchibo was founded in 1949 in Hamburg by Carl Tchilling-Hiryan and Max Herz and still maintains its headquarters in the city's North. The name Tchibo is an abbreviation for Tchilling and Bohnen (beans, meaning coffee beans). During the formative years Tchibo concentrated on a mail order service of freshly roasted coffee beans. These were produced in the company's own roasting facility in the Hamburg district of Hoheluft.
In the Nineties Tchibo began to expand to countries outside of Germany, and it currently has shops in Switzerland, Austria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey. Entry in the United States market was planned in early '00s, but cancelled.
The company’s reorientation concept was presented to Tchibo employees at a staff meeting on December 7 2007. The name "Stärken stärken 2010" ("Strengthen Strengths 2010") expresses that all changes associated with the programme are to be concluded by 2010, at which point the company hopes to have returned to its traditional strengths and growth.
In the UK, following a consultation period Tchibo GB decided to close half of its existing retail stores and re-structure the head office and field teams. The UK board was streamlined to 4 having at one time had 11 'directors'.
26 November 2008, it was announced by a Tchibo spokesman that the concessions in both Somerfield and Sainsbury's would close in 2009 blaming the difficult macroeconomic conditions in Britain.
It has since been confirmed that Tchibo GB would exit the UK marketplace 'as soon as possible'.
In Retail Week, 14 February 2008, Tchibo was described as 'a glorified pound shop'
External links
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