KiK

  • Heinz Speet (CEO)
  • Darius Kauthe
  • Mechthild Gottkehaskamp
  • Michael Arretz

KiK Textiles and Non-Food GmbH is a German textile discounter based in Bonen, which was founded in 1994 by Stefan Heinig together with the Tengelmann Group. Effective 1 January 2012 Heinig gave the management from Heinz Speet. The company is the largest textile discount chain in Germany and has about 3,200 stores in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia and Poland.

KiK is an acronym meaning " customer is king".

Business

In 1996 there was in Germany a branch network of 225 stores. Four years after founding the company expanded KiK to Austria, where KiK end of 2005, over 230 branches. The attempt to conquer the Danish market from the year 2000, suggested in 2004 failed. It was planned further expansion to 5000 stores. In 2007, the expansion in Slovenia and the Czech Republic and Hungary and Slovakia in 2008 was extended.

In fiscal year 2009 the company claims to be a sales income of 1.63 billion euros. On 30 November 2010 KiK opened in Berlin in the three thousandth store. 2011, the first branch was opened in Croatia. In Poland, where it was opened the first store in Sroda Wielkopolska in March 2012 100 stores are planned. In the medium term, the company intends to increase the number of branches from 3200 to 4000.

Training

KiK has trained since the company a total of approximately 6,000 men and women. Overall, the textile discounter offers 16 different educational backgrounds, including training as an office clerk for a retail merchant, the tested trading assistant or as a draftsman. Besides the classical professions, there are other training opportunities to the professional storekeeper or personnel service clerk. KiK annually a between 700 and 1000 new apprentices.

Sponsorship and Advertising

In the seasons 2002/ 03 and 2003/ 04 KiK was the main sponsor of the football club Arminia Bielefeld and then 2004/ 05 and 2005/ 06 the main sponsor of the Bundesliga football club Werder Bremen. In the season 2007/ 08 KiK was the main sponsor of the Bundesliga side Hansa Rostock and VfL Bochum ( 2.5 million euros per season), whose main sponsor they were in the season 2008 /09. For the duration of the World Handball Championship 2009 in Croatia KiK was also the main sponsor of the German national handball team of men.

In Austria KiK sponsoring the Austrian football referee and since the beginning of 2011 the main sponsor of the Graz club GAK tradition.

Furthermore, promoted for years the German boxing and the hockey club EHC Dortmund. Also the FC Brünninghausen is sponsored by KiK.

Under the slogan " Better than how to think " KiK launched on 30 August 2009 his campaign with the company's new testimonial Verona Pooth in Germany and Austria.

In October 2011, KiK launched an image campaign to rid itself as an employer of bad reputation. For the image campaign of the textile discounter 's own staff has made testimonials. With positive statements such as "The work here is really fun ", but also the questionable statement "Dear real career as false ideals " advertise Kik employees in red shirts in print and online advertisements for their company.

Criticism

Corporate criticism

2007 had brought in Austria a council election concluded employees of KiK Textiles and Non-Food GmbH & Co. KG. The top candidate and his list but were not approved by the majority of business-related Electoral Commission, as they claimed that they support explanations of 15 could not read 3 and these were therefore invalid. The leading candidate, Andreas Fillei, was dismissed two days after tender of choice without giving reasons. At the same time he received in all KiK - branches house ban. The Labour and Social Court of Vienna had recognized the dismissal was unlawful and the ban had to be withdrawn. The campaigning remaining list was drawn up by KiK Management Austria and Germany. After the election of the members of this list have not accepted the election. Thus KiK Austria has no works.

The discount clothing had set for months against council elections to fight back. After the dismissal of the top candidates about 300 employees and union members demonstrated in front of the KiK headquarters in Vienna. It is alleged that on- and theses are not paid at least an hour a day despite low salaries and working hours were extremely moved at short notice.

Charge because of wage dumping

On 9 October 2007, the union filed a complaint against Verdi KiK. She accuses the textile discounter wage dumping. The Dortmund prosecutor's office has dropped its case against KiK for wage dumping on 26 November 2007. It could not be established that criminal evidence. In a non- final judgment (case 4 Ca 274/ 08), the Labour Court Dortmund downgraded the payment of a part-time staff as an immoral. In August 2010 the company announced that all employees to pay a minimum wage of 7.50 euros as of October 1, 2010. This decision must be viewed against the background of a long-term change in strategy.

Spying on staff

In May 2009, the prosecutor determined for violations of the Federal Data Protection Act, since the company since January 2008 his inventory employees can check at the credit reporting agency Credit Reform four times a year. In total, over 49,000 information requests have been made. The prosecutor closed the case, since they could not prove systematic sifting of employees, but tested in July 2010, if the initial suspicion of a new procedure yields, after the former district manager Guido Hagelstede testified that the company used this information to employees to dismiss with financial difficulties.

After researching the ARD magazine Panorama, whose results were published in the broadcast of 22 July 2010, confirmed the allegations. In said post including former district manager Guido Hagelstede comes to word that confirms the scheme of spying in detail and testified that this practice was instructed by the KiK - line staff.

Criticism of working conditions in supplier countries

KiK buys directly through its own offices and through distributors. Neither countries nor the name and number of suppliers per country are published. What is known is that KiK purchases including China and Bangladesh. The Clean Clothes Campaign was able to make three suppliers in Bangladesh locate and demonstrate massive workers' rights violations.

Due to criticism KiK has revised its code of conduct, but also in the new code of conduct will be given to workers are not living wage. Only the statutory minimum wage is conceded to them. This is located in Bangladesh at around 18-24 euros per month. It is complained that there was no right to freedom of association in the supplier factories. There are no written employment contracts, working hours are exceeded massively in part and the pay is not transparent. According to a report of the NDR on 7 April 2010, nothing has changed in the criticized conditions in spite of the promise of improvement by KiK.

In another NDR report of 5 August 2010, the NDR documented again the situation in Bangladesh. From the report it is clear inter alia, that the promise of the Promised KiK to the improvement of working conditions were not met.

KiK demanded its suppliers in Bangladesh in 2010 to become " invariably implement the wage increases since November 1. " The same called KiK claims to subcontractors for its local partners.

In September 2012, it came in Pakistan in a textile mill, which supplied KiK, a fire, died in the more than 250 people. The number of casualties was so high because of the labor protection has not been complied with. It was in this factory no emergency exits, windows were barred.

In April 2013 came the collapse of a textile factory in Bangladesh, while more than 1,000 people died. In the ruins of KiK also textiles were found.

Quality defects

In recent years RAPEX has been repeatedly warned of dangerous products from the range of KiK in the European rapid alert system. Elevated levels of lead, banned azo dyes and formaldehyde in children's toys and clothing, as well as biocide in shoes are just some of the examples listed there. A communication of these hazards shall take place as well as not.

Image with customers

In April 2011 the IFH Cologne created the first time an empirical study called " CSR Tracker ". It surveyed a total of 3,145 consumers to their opinions and perceptions of CSR six dimensions:

  • Sincerity in the public information
  • Commitment to the preservation of the environment
  • Fair competition
  • Employee treatment
  • Social & Ecological values ​​in the product range
  • Responsibility towards Society & Culture

It also judgments for 46 trading companies in the fields of Lebensmitteileinzelhandel, DIY, drugstores, Textile trade, furniture and mail order were raised. Laggards these 46 companies were KiK and Schlecker.

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