Tchibo is a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
chain of
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
shops and
caféA café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s, also known for its weekly-changing range of other products. The latter includes: clothing, household items, electronics and electrical appliances. In Germany, Tchibo's slogan is "Every week a new world" ; its UK slogan is "Add a little O to your life".
Recently Tchibo expanded its product range, and is now selling services such as travel and insurance. With over 1000 shops, Tchibo is one of Germany's biggest shop chains. The company is based in
Hamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Tchibo's
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
is sold in supermarkets in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
,
RomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
,
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
,
HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
,
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
,
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
,
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
,
JordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
,
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. On the
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
in the UK,
ShopriteShoprite Ltd. is a supermarket chain currently trading in the Isle of Man. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Isle of Man Enterprises plc . The company shares are traded on the PLUS Stock Exchange though will be delisted from 3rd January 2012...
sells its coffee as well as clothing, household items, electronics and electrical appliances.
Corporate structure
The Tchibo holding company, which in 2007 changed its name from
Tchibo Holding AG to
maxingvest ag, is owned by the Herz family, one of the wealthiest families in Germany. It holds 100 percent of Tchibo GmbH and is the largest shareholder of the listed company
BeiersdorfBeiersdorf AG is a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany, manufacturing personal care products. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin , Labello, and Nivea....
.
In 2002, Tchibo held 850 shops and 22,000 so-called
Frische-Depots in bread shops and supermarkets, where shelves bearing the company's "brand" sell non-food articles, like bicycles, towels, and outerware.
History
Tchibo was founded in 1949 in
Hamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
by Carl Tchilling-Hiryan and Max Herz and still maintains its headquarters in the north of the city. The name Tchibo is an abbreviation for Tchilling and
Bohnen (beans, i.e. coffee beans). During its formative years, Tchibo concentrated on a mail order service of freshly roasted coffee beans, processed in the company's own roasting facility in the Hamburg district of Hoheluft.
In 1977, Tchibo purchased shares of
BeiersdorfBeiersdorf AG is a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany, manufacturing personal care products. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin , Labello, and Nivea....
and in 1980, the company became the majority shareholder of the Hamburg cigarette producer
ReemtsmaReemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH is one of the biggest tobacco and cigarette producers in Europe and a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco. The company's headquarter is in Hamburg, Germany.- History :...
. The shares were sold in 2002 to
Imperial TobaccoImperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
for €5.2 billion. After buying its rival Eduscho in 1997, Tchibo became market leader in Germany with 20%. In the 1990s, Tchibo began to expand to countries outside Germany, and it now has shops in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Entry into the US market was planned in early 2000s, but was later cancelled.
Tchibo sold the cigarette brand
DavidoffDavidoff is a Swiss luxury tobacco goods brand name, which is carried by a range of products including cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobaccos. Its cigarette brand is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco but the company is otherwise independently owned....
to the UK-based company Imperial Tobacco for €540 mil. in 2006, the rights for the brand
Davidoff café remained with Tchibo.
Market reorganization
The company’s reorientation program was presented to Tchibo employees at a staff meeting on 7 December 2007. The new motto "Stärken stärken 2010" ("Strengthen our strengths in 2010") is intended to convey that all changes associated with the programme are to be concluded by 2010, by when 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 from 11 directors to four.
On 26 November 2008, a Tchibo spokesman announced that the concessions in Somerfield and Sainsbury's would close in 2009 and blamed difficult macroeconomic conditions in Britain. Tchibo's lack of success in the British market was summarized in the
Retail Week, 14 February 2008 issue, in which Tchibo was described as "a glorified pound shop". It has since been confirmed that Tchibo GB would leave the UK market 'as soon as possible'; all of the Tchibo GB stores were closed by the end of October 2009.
Tchibo has started distribution of its brand
Davidoff café to the US.