Is Guess taking over Scotch & Soda stores?

As the “Rheinische Post” reports, the US brand Guess is apparently planning to take over several Scotch & Soda branches, including the prominent location in Düsseldorf’s old town. According to Rheinischer Post, this information has not been confirmed by either Guess or Scotch & Soda.
According to information from the newspaper, Guess has been looking for central space in Düsseldorf and nationwide for some time. Accordingly, seven to ten former Scotch & Soda locations could be of interest. Guess controls its German business from Düsseldorf. The Scotch & Soda store in Düsseldorf’s old town has been closed since the end of September.

The fashion brand Guess is recording growth: In the 2023/2024 financial year, which ended on February 3, 2024, global sales were 2.8 billion US dollars (2.5 billion euros), an increase of 3%. In Germany, sales increased by 6% compared to the previous financial year, from $188 million (170 million euros) to $199 million (180 million euros), according to the annual report. The proportion between the women’s and men’s collections is 80:20, with the men’s share recently catching up.

According to its own statements, Guess is experiencing robust growth with shoes in Germany and Austria. The company tells schuhkurier that the brand is making progress in both shoe stores and fashion retailers with shoe departments. Guess started in the shoe sector with occasion shoes. These now make up 20% of the shoe business. In terms of price, the shoes are positioned so that they can be docked in the upper mainstream retail or in the lower premium retail.