5 Questions with Simon Engelhorn

28 April 2021

Ida Lorenz

Simon Engelhorn has been strengthening the management of the family-run retail company with 131 years of corporate history for 8 years. The eight stores with more than 38,000 square metres of retail space include excellent restaurants with award-winning star cuisine. As COO, Simon Engelhorn is committed to creating a unique shopping experience. He is 37 years old and has a degree in business administration with an Executive MBA from Mannheim Business School.

How do you manage to digitally transform your family business without neglecting your traditional values?

As a family and shareholder in the 4th generation, we have a duty to set up the company in a long-term and sustainable manner for future generations, which is what drives us to remain modern and innovative.

How is digitalisation changing the logistics of a retailer like engelhorn?

The importance of logistics is increasing enormously. Speed and perfection are hygiene factors for customer satisfaction, which means that logistical complexity is also increasing above average.

What impact does this have on your customers?

Customer satisfaction is our main focus. Exceeding their expectations is what drives us. This is a big challenge as customers today are much better informed and do not differentiate between different touch points and the omnichannel processes are very complex.

How do managers get their team excited about digital transformation?

We try to make the added values of digitalisation experienceable, so that an incentive and a goal become concrete and tangible.

Which topics and trends do you consider to be particularly important in your industry to remain competitive in the upcoming years?

Convenience, consultation and experience are the decisive customer needs. The technical implementation of these at the specific customer touch points remains the ongoing task.

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