The consumer electronics stores Mediamarkt and Saturn have long been part of the cityscape of almost every major German city. But there are growing signs that at least one of the two brands will soon disappear from inner cities.
The MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, which operates both retail chains, has recently brought the brands together more and more. At the beginning of the year, many offers and services as well as the online shop of both chains were merged. Customers can now use the services regardless of whether they are a Saturn or Mediamarkt customer. But that doesn’t seem to be the end of it, the parent company seems to have other plans.
Because the “Saturn” brand is increasingly disappearing from the German market. As reported by Lebensmittel Zeitung, six Saturn stores were renamed Mediamarkt after the branch was renovated. Focus Online wants to know that a total of ten Saturn branches are to be renamed Mediamarkt this year. This procedure is already known from Austria, where the Saturn brand was also gradually replaced before it was finally discontinued in 2020.
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When asked by Lebensmittel Zeitung, a spokesman for the company confirmed the renaming and explained the background. Accordingly, the name changes are based on “extensive environment and market analyses”. All of the company’s locations are currently being reviewed in terms of brand positioning, and Mediamarkt has repeatedly scored points. Therefore, new openings under the Saturn brand are also excluded.
More and more Saturn branches are also closing, with unprofitable locations being closed between 2020 and 2021 alone. And according to Lebensmittel Zeitung, eleven more are to be added in the current financial year.
A spokeswoman for Saturn declines. Although some Saturn stores have been reopened under the other brand and this is also planned for other branches, these are always individual decisions for the location. Still, the spokeswoman said, the added value of the two brands far outweighs potential efficiency gains from one brand.
Analysts see things a little differently, according to Baader Bank, Ceconomy, the parent company behind Mediamarkt and Saturn, is planning to modernize 90 percent of its branches by 2026. In the course of this, a change in strategy towards Mediamarkt as the only brand could also be implemented.
The Mediamarkt and Saturn brands have already been standardized to such an extent that there are hardly any differences for customers. You can read more about this here: Media Markt and Saturn are merging their range and service – which is now changing.
The prices are identical in both markets, and the offers and discounts are also the same. You can also exchange used Saturn products at Mediamarkt or have them repaired, and of course the same works the other way around. At least as long as repairs are still possible: Media Markt and Saturn are closing the current repair service – that comes afterwards.
Apart from the different design of the two markets, there are already no real differences. Accordingly, even if the Saturn brand were to be closed, hardly anything would change for customers.
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