Erwin Rutten (Takko Fashion): “Our stores are our best marketing tools”

Takko Fashion positions itself as a “price breaker with style”, but how can a retailer grow so significantly in the Belgian and Dutch markets without much traditional marketing? Their Country Manager Benelux, Erwin Rutten, will reveal how the German retailer does exactly that at the Retail Marketing Day.

Targeted approach

Takko Fashion achieved a record revenue of 1.3 billion euros in its financial year 2024/2025 and plans to open 300 stores by the end of 2028. That would be a remarkable achievement for a clothing discounter that still lacks national brand recognition in Belgium. The retailer relies on a digital marketing strategy to communicate with its customers – alongside a strong presence in local stores.

Even without massive advertising campaigns, Takko Fashion manages to retain customers, Rutten says. “We focus on local visibility and customer loyalty. In our advertising campaigns, we concentrate on special promotional periods and we are extra present for our customers during those times. Our main focus is an unbeatable price-quality ratio, with a targeted, local approach through digital touchpoints and our own channels. This makes us more flexible and sustainable, and allows us to offer exciting deals and promotions every week in our stores, on the Takko Friends app, and in our online shop.”

Physical expansion as a foundation

Unlike many other retailers, Takko Fashion is investing heavily in expansion, growing to 120 stores in the Netherlands and 26 in Belgium at present. In the coming years, Takko Fashion sees potential for five to ten new stores per year in Belgium, all in the Flanders region, and even fifteen to twenty new stores per year in the Netherlands.

The stores themselves remain Takko Fashion’s most important marketing tool. “If you live near one of our stores, then you already know us. If we are not yet in your area, then perhaps fewer people know us at this moment. So we ensure that we are locally visible and attractive. The store is our showcase and experience. We are not only opening new stores, but also renovating existing stores according to our latest concept: inspiring stores with a clear customer journey and modern store design.”

Every customer is a Friend

Takko Fashion operates online stores in five countries, including the Netherlands. In Belgium, this is not yet the case: “50 % of our online customers choose to pick up their orders in-store, so e-commerce works best when there is a very dense store network”, Rutten explains. “If the nearest store is more than a 20-minute drive away, people lose interest in that.”

In addition to POS marketing in local stores, the CRM program will become a central hub of the marketing strategy. Earlier, Takko Fashion launched its loyalty app ‘Takko Friends’ in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands: this allows customers to earn points, indicate preferences and receive personalised offers. “This autumn, the app will be released in Belgium as well”, Rutten confirms. “We want every customer to use our app.”

The app not only serves as a loyalty programme, but also forms the basis for data-driven marketing. “Currently, our communication is still quite general, but the ambition is to strongly personalise it based on purchasing behaviour.”

Inspiration instead of fast fashion

Rutten emphasises that Takko Fashion is “not fast fashion”: “We offer quality fashion at discount prices in an inspiring shopping environment. With outfits on mannequins, accessories, clear price communication and personal service. This means that Takko Fashion has a unique position and combination of price and store atmosphere.”

Store employees play a key role in customer contact: “We call it ‘smart service’, helping customers where needed – for example in explaining promotions, installing the app, or finding the right size. They are crucial for both customer experience and customer loyalty.”

The power of proximity

Rutten attributes Takko Fashion’s success to that unique proposition for the whole family. The strength lies in local proximity thanks to the strong brick-and-mortar business. Takko Fashion is further expanding its presence in retail parks and shopping centres, and is also planning a strategic expansion in city centres to make its product range accessible to even more customers.

In Belgium, for example, the expansion is currently focused on smaller cities, larger village centres and tourist locations in Flanders. The stores range from 400 to 450 sqm, although larger locations in retail parks are possible. “However, we have learned that our new store concept is also successful in city centres. Therefore, we will expand to locations in city centres in the future and complement the existing portfolio at these locations with our Quality Discount Concept”, the Country Manager adds. After recent openings in Oudenaarde and Tongeren, Takko Fashion is currently preparing new store openings in Belgium for 2026.

Discover the quirky marketing strategy of Takko Fashion at the Retail Marketing Day on 25 September. Featuring Primark, Action, and many other keynote speakers, this year’s event is all about discount retail!