Breuninger

In terms of privately owned department stores, Breuninger's head office outlet in Stuttgart is the second largest in Europe (after Harrods).

In 1989, the company's head office outlet in Stuttgart was extended such that it now embraces a pedestrian zone which runs through the centre of the shop and is still open to the public after closing.

Breuninger is a household name in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg – beyond that it has gradually expanded its presence to other major German cities in the past 2 decades.

The number of customers visiting the store from outside Stuttgart had been declining for years so the retailer expanded its range to adapt to changing demands.

In the 1970s, the owner at the time, Heinz Breuninger started to groom the newly appointed Willem G. van Agtmael as his successor.

Van Agtmael forged ahead with expansion plans with the first Breuninger outlets after the fall of the Berlin Wall in Dresden and Leipzig.