Signa aims to boost online sales with new division

Austrian retail group Signa Retail (the owner of German department store chains Karstadt and Galeria Kaufhof) has founded a New Business branch, that should bring about more digital competences and innovation.

Looking for digital innovation

Carmen Spielmann, who will be the first head of New Business, is described as “an expert with a digital DNA”. She founded and headed car sharing platform Sharoo and was venture adviser for Swiss innovation platform Kickstart, which aims to further international technology startups.

The new business hub is set up to identify new business models and will focus first on Signa Sports United, the company’s e-commerce platform that is experiencing tremendous growth. Moreover, the new branch should help the Central-European retail giant to discover, adapt to and profit from new trends and developments in the markets.