Saturn, Ingolstadt, DE

Location: Ingolstadt, DE

Opened: November 2016

Virtual Reality, Drones, Robots, Smart Home, & Co.:

Redesigned Saturn Ingolstadt sets the standards for experiencing technology trends in German retail

It is the most innovative, most digital, and most inspiring specialized store for consumer electronics in Germany: After being completely redesigned for several months, Saturn Ingolstadt is since November 2016 presenting an innovative store concept for the consumer electronics trade of the future. Visitors to the store are welcomed by Paul, Germany’s first robot assistant in the CE trade, who leads customers directly to the products they are looking for. A huge Gaming and Virtual Reality area with VR game stations from various manufacturers and a “Drone Flight Zone,” in which customers can fly drones, invites shoppers to experience and interact. Europe’s first Samsung Galaxy World with comprehensive product testing capabilities as well as a fully equipped Smart Home living room are yet other store highlights. The service area with a glass workshop for making immediate repairs on smartphones also sets new standards.

The extensive reconstruction work has created presentation areas for new product innovations and now dedicates even more space to the service area.

Saturn Ingolstadt_Eingang1

Robots, hover boards and green electricity

The ‘wow’ experience starts already when you enter the store. The robot Paul is there to welcome customers and, if necessary, guides them right to the product in the store that they are interested in. And if a customer is in need of advice, Paul calls an employee to help the customer via Voice over IP. There is also a presentation on the trend topic of electric mobility that shows a selection of the latest hover boards and smart scooters in the entrance area of the store. Special areas also provide information on environmentally friendly products featured in the range as well as the photovoltaic system on the roof of the store that generates green electricity.

Saturn, Am Westpark, Ingolstadt. 27.09.2016

Live demos of VR systems and drones

The store presents its customers the trend topic of the year, Virtual Reality (VR), in its own spacious area. In the VR and gaming department, they’ll find the latest VR trailers and games that they can immediately try out. “Everyone is talking about the new technology. It is amazing how deceptively real the artificial game and adventure worlds can be that you can immerse yourself in with Virtual Reality systems,” says Dirk Huffert. The leading products from the world of VR such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR are also presented at the store in Ingolstadt. The store has also staged the demonstration of drones, which are also among the trend products of the year, in an impressive way. Customers can fly the aircraft themselves in an extra protected “Drone Flight Zone.”.

Saturn Ingolstadt_Virtual Reality

European premiere of the Samsung Galaxy World

The Samsung Galaxy World, a branded shop based on a rather exceptional concept that celebrates its European premiere here, represents a rather special highlight of the new presentation space in the Saturn store in Ingolstadt. On a round, 80 square foot futuristically designed space, customers will find the latest Samsung products and can try them out right away. Besides the latest smartphones, smart watches and fitness trackers, the VR glasses Samsung Gear is the main focus. With it, you can even experience virtual roller coaster rides or a journey around the world inside the store. Specially designed armchairs, which also transmit the visual simulation to the whole body as movements, thus provide a perfect illusion.

Saturn, Am Westpark, Ingolstadt. 27.09.2016

More security and comfort for Smart Homes

The benefits of intelligent home networking are demonstrated by a redesigned space on the trend topic of Smart Home with a fully equipped Smart Home living room. Companies like Bosch and Telekom present their many innovative products on the subjects of security and comfort here. The range spans from 360-degree indoor and outdoor cameras to intelligent air quality sensor and smoke detectors. The new presentation makes it clear how easily these systems can be used and controlled. The topic of music streaming with modern multi-room audio systems from Bose and Sonos as well as the entertainment portal JUKE are also part of the Smart Home presentation.

Saturn Ingolstadt_Smart Home

Immediate repairs for smartphones

The store has also introduced a number of innovations in the area of service. The services for smartphones and mobile devices are particularly practical and range from immediate repairs in the new glass workshop to customized printing of cell phone covers. During the waiting period, customers can look around the store or spend time in the lounge that is equipped with tablets and chargers.

Saturn Ingolstadt_Drone Flight Zone

Technology for living a smart life

Other redesigned areas are just waiting to be discovered in many areas of the store, including the TV department and kitchen appliances, which are presented in a show kitchen, among other places. The entertainment department that offers discerning music fans an even wider selection of records and record players is also worth a visit.

Related Projects

Choose and apply for nominations (you can apply to one, two or all three awards)

Category Specialist Award Technology Innovation Award Sustainability Award

Category Specialist Award

This award is specifically tailored to Category Specialists. Thus, brands which are active in one specific head category (i.e. not across multiple head categories) or even only in a subcategory. Category Specialists can often be trendsetters. Head categories are Appliances (MDA&SDA), CE (TV, photo), IT, Gaming, Wearables, Well-being.

The past year was massively influenced by the aftermath of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine resulting in rising costs, supply shortages, cooling economies and decreasing consumer confidence.

Have you, as category specialist, impressed your retail partner through outstanding collaboration or performance and how would you describe this extraordinary achievement? This could be share increase within their respective category, margin achievement, punctual delivery and in full despite a whole host of challenges (production, logistics etc.), professional collaborative forecasting, jointly aligned activities across all sales channels (online/in-store/social media), product innovation, sales growth, etc.

Technology Innovation Award

Over the past year, which of your brand´s technology innovations made the biggest difference for your retail partner, exciting the shoppers and demonstrating the new technology to them in the best way?

This could be any innovation: a feature, a product, new product design or the creation of a whole new category. It could also be the reinvention or shifting of a whole category, e.g. creating higher value for the whole category.

Sustainability Award

The TCG retail industry is increasingly conscious of its environmental responsibilities. It is clear that consumer and legislative pressures are also building and are encouraging, or even forcing businesses and manufacturers to take dramatic steps to improve sustainability. This category focuses on concrete measurements, strategic decisions made, binding action plans completed to support the company's determination in the field of sustainability.

Do you measure sustainability (CO2 footprint) at all and how?
Is there a defined and concrete reduction target and what does it say?
Is there a clear, approved action plan for this? In which areas and with which targets do you aim to achieve the set sustainability targets? Can you submit a top-line summary of it?
Have you initiated or are in process of cooperation models with selected brands? Can you submit specific examples?
In the area of sustainability, would you like to mention or submit any other achievement that enforces your application?

Please answer each of the questions 1-5 in the field below.

Support your listed success, concept or milestones with evidence (facts and figures, videos, infographics, statistics) to underpin your achievement. Be precise and concise and relate concretely to the respective question. Uploading generic information material such as the latest annual report/latest sustainability report is not desired and rather counterproductive

Retailer of the Year Award

2022 was characterized by a whole host of challenges (post-pandemic, war in Ukraine, soaring costs, energy crisis, etc.)

Do you, as a retailer, have demonstrated readiness for this new era in adopting your operating model? In which ways have you catered to the following areas:

Experience commerce
Innovation
Sustainability

In addition to the information below, please fill in this form.

Support your listed success, concept or milestones with evidence (facts and figures, videos, infographics, statistics) to underpin your achievements. Be precise and concise and relate concretely to the respective question. Uploading generic information material such as the latest annual report/latest sustainability report is not desired and rather counterproductive.

Anna Ohlsson-Leijon is currently Head of Commercial & Consumer Journey, Executive Vice President of AB Electrolux. Anna Ohlsson-Leijon began her career in 1993 at PricewaterhouseCoopers where she held various positions advising high-tech, industrial and media companies. In 2000, she joined Kimoda, an e-commerce platform, as Chief Financial Officer, before joining in 2001 AB Electrolux (Sweden) as Director of Project Management. Anna Ohlsson-Leijon then held various senior positions in corporate functions including Director Internal Audit & Global Program Manager Sarbanes-Oxley Act from 2003 to 2005, Head of Management Assurance & Special Assignments until 2008, Group Treasurer until 2011, Head of Corporate Control & Services until 2013 and Chief Financial Officer Major Appliance EMEA thereafter. She was then promoted to Chief Financial Officer of AB Electrolux in 2016. In 2018 she took over as CEO of the Business area Europe and as of July this year she got promoted to her current position of Head of Commercial & Consumer Journey, Executive Vice President of AB Electrolux leading the commercial agenda globally.
Anna Ohlsson-Leijon holds a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Business Administration and Economics from Linköping University (Sweden). Director of Atlas Copco AB and Schneider Electric.

Emmanuel Fromont, Corporate Vice President, was appointed as President of Acer’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) Operations in January 2015. He has extensive experience in the EMEA market having served in this region prior to his stint in the U.S. From 2011 to 2014 Fromont led Acer’s Pan America team to strengthen the company’s prominence and market share in the region, and was responsible for the highly successful launch of Chromebooks in the U.S. market. From 2008 to 2010, Fromont served as Vice President of Acer’s EMEA Packard Bell Division, and credited with doubling PC shipments while contributing to the successful integration of Packard Bell into the Acer Group. Prior to joining Acer, Emmanuel held marketing and sales positions at well-known companies and brands such as IBM, HP and Packard Bell.

Ulrik is Head of International Key Account Management at BSH since April 2014. Prior to this, Ulrik worked for BSH in various positions and locations in Germany and abroad since 2000. During 22yrs at BSH, he has held management roles in Business & Strategy development, Marketing and Sales. Before BSH, Ulrik worked as Key Account Manager at Sixt Leasing AG and was responsible for Microsoft in Germany. Ulrik has an university diploma and holds degrees in European Management, European Community Law and Marketing.

Ragıp Balcıoğlu started his professional life in 1990 as a Marketing Manager before joining Arçelik Group in 1992. Mr. Balcıoğlu, who worked as the Import Material Purchasing and planning Specialist at Arçelik, was appointed in 1996 as the Commercial Manager in Beko UK. Spending time in the UK for about 19 years, Mr. Balcıoğlu worked in several positions at Beko plc, such as Product Marketing Director, Product Management and Supply Director, and Sales Director before being appointed Managing Director in 2011. After leading UK and Ireland operations between 2011 and 2015, Mr. Balcıoğlu returned to Istanbul Global Headquarters as the Chief Commercial Officer responsible for Arçelik Group’s international operations. He is an Industrial Engineer with an Executive MBA, graduated respectively from Istanbul TU in 1989 and Koç University in 1996. Having completed the Advanced Management Program in 2019, Mr. Balcıoğlu is also a Harvard Business School alumnus.

Stejara Pircan, Senior VP eMAG, has been leading the commercial strategy of the company for several years in Romania and the CEE region and played a significant role to business initiatives that eMAG launched during the past couple of years to respond the fast evolution of ecommerce as well as the challenges generated by the pandemic with a strong focus on customers’ needs, from expanding the range of products with new categories to developing new tools to facilitate a better customer journey. Stejara has a deep understanding of the business after leading multiple projects in various areas from customer engagement and trade marketing to supply chain. She holds a BA in International Economic Relations from the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj Napoca and an MA degree in the Administration and Management and SMEs from the University of Clermont-Ferrand, Economic Institute, France. She has also completed an Executive Program for Growing Companies, Business Administration and Management, granted by Stanford University

Marta Gnjatovic graduated in 2011 from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and has a Master’s Degree in Marketing Management. She started her career at Sanoma Media Publishing as Marketer for several print magazines. Since 2013 she has been with Coolblue. Marta started as Trade Marketer for the Home Appliances categories and moved on to managing the central team of Media Consultancy & Advertising. For the last 4,5 years she has been leading the Commercial Teams department (300+ FTE) where purchasing and sales for all consumer electronics categories come together.

Remko Rijnders (1978) is currently General Managing Director for Benelux. He started his career in 2004 as a trainee at Lidl, and moved to Kruidvat as district manager within a year. There he experienced Kruidvat’s transition from family business to operating company of the A.S. Watson Group. In the summer of 2008, Rijnders joined MediaMarkt. After four years in China, he was asked to work for MediaMarkt Turkey as Regional Director then COO. After five years at MediaMarkt, Rijnders moved back to Germany as CCO then VP International Procurement. In 2020, he returned to the Netherlands to lead Benelux operations, coordinating across the three countries.

My career journey started in management consultancy positions in world’s leading companies mainly focusing on finance and retail sectors and continued with leadership positions in various companies both in Retail, Loyalty Solutions and Financial Services. My general management experience started in 2011, first I was the CEO of Turkey’s leading loyalty solutions company between 2011 and 2017 followed by my founding CEO and Board member role in Sabancı Group’s E-money company. I actively work in various
NGOs focusing on gender equality in workforce. I am the Board member of one of the leading Educational Foundation’s of Turkey since 2016 and also one of the founding members of Women in Technology Association and Women in Board of Directors Association in Turkey. I am the first, only female member of the board of Euronics, Europe's largest electronics purchasing group and also a board member of Chain Stores Association. I have been working as the General Manager of Teknosa since September 2021.

Alyona Babushkina took the position of Consumer Channel Sales Director for Central and Eastern Europe at Microsoft Consumer Sales Organization Microsoft on July 1, 2019. In this role she leading sales of Microsoft consumer products such as Surface, Microsoft 365, Xbox and Windows, as well as developing the partner channel ecosystem with top CEE Retailers and Distributors. Alyona has extensive experience in sales and marketing in the consumer segment. She has been working at Microsoft since 2007 in various managerial roles, and during this time she has repeatedly proven her exceptional leadership qualities and focus on results. Alyona started her career at the corporation as the Director of Retail Sales for Russia and prior to taking up her current position as Channel Sales Director for CEE she served as Consumer Segment Business Group Director for Russia and CIS.

Hans Carpels is in retail management for more than 30 years, and can show a strong entrepreneurial career heading and then growing, via merger as well as through organic growth, a national Belgian chain in consumer electronics. He co-founded an international retail group in TCG and became its president, position which he holds now since 2010. Recently this group became the number one omni-channel retailer in EMEA-region. Hans Carpels focuses on added value strategies and his long involvement, provides him with a unique viewpoint of the retail sector within Europe, and beyond.

Safety-first: The safety and health of our customers and staff is our highest priority. To ensure a safe and fruitful summit, we will strictly follow all Covid-19 virus regulations and recommendations put forth by the Federal Government. All delegates and staff in Vienna must be in possession of either a valid certificate or a negative PCR test result which must have been issued no more than 48 hours prior the start of the conference.

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Application for:

Category Specialist Award

Technology Innovation Award

Sustainability Award

Retailer of the Year Award