Douglas’ digital boss is leaving the company.
(Photo: Private)
Dusseldorf She was the key figure in the conversion from the perfumery chain to the online retailer, now digital boss Vanessa Stützle is leaving Douglas. The company announced this on Tuesday in Düsseldorf. “Vanessa has done a lot for us,” wrote Douglas boss Tina Müller on the career network LinkedIn. “It’s particularly difficult to let go.”
In fact, Stützle, 44, has consistently expanded the company’s digital business. When she joined Douglas in 2018, the e-commerce business accounted for twelve percent of sales – today it is over 40 percent. The Handelsblatt honored Stützle for her achievements in autumn 2021 as “Innovator of the Year”.
Stützle was most recently a member of the three-man management team at Douglas. The promotion, which was planned anyway, was brought forward in May 2020 because Douglas boss Müller was out due to an emergency operation. Until Müller’s return, Stützle managed the company together with CFO Matthias Born. “I had a great time at Douglas. I am very grateful for this experience,” said Stützle.
The business graduate will switch to the online lamp retailer Luqom Group in September. The IT expert takes over the top position there. The head of Luqom’s operational business, Christian Korte, also worked for Douglas for several years and has now been working for the Berlin e-commerce company for several months.
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The company, which was founded in 2017, recently generated sales of over 230 million euros in 27 countries with 60 online shops such as the website Lampenwelt.de. For comparison: Douglas comes to 3.1 billion euros. Until her change, Stützle will continue to “fully perform her duties at Douglas”.
Douglas boss Tina Müller must now quickly find a replacement
CEO Müller must now quickly find a replacement. The Douglas boss has prescribed a digitization strategy for the company since she took office four years ago: she expanded sales via digital channels while at the same time reducing the branch network. This paid off during the pandemic: Significant declines in the branches were compensated for by an almost 50 percent increase in online business.
Douglas wants to go public, the growing digital business serves as an important argument to attract investors. Douglas recently took over the online pharmacy retailer Disapo.
Stützle has more than 16 years of experience in the field of digitization in retail. Before joining Douglas, she worked for the fashion chain s.Oliver for almost seven years, most recently as head of digital.
More: Beauty driver Vanessa Stützle: “I tended between an astronaut and Ronja the robber’s daughter”