A Question of Personality. Du Nord/Oldenburg

Those who visit Du Nord in Oldenburg feel at home immediately and appreciate the hand-picked product range.

Du Nord/Oldenburg. A veritable top-seller among the brands stocked by Du Nord, you ask? There is no such thing. Instead, Du Nord impresses with a welcoming atmosphere and a product mix that thrills its customers. Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Du Nord A QUESTION OF PERSONALITY

There’s a huge construction site right in front of the store’s door. The “Wassenplatz” has been undergoing extensive rebuilding for quite some time. “Usually that’s a big drawback for a fashion store, but amazingly we have not suffered any losses,” says Sandra Denkena. In 2015, she decided to take a bit of a risk by relocating Du Nord from the hidden “Passage Herbartgang” to this more central location, thus making Du Nord more visible. This step has, however, paid off 100%.

INTO THE LIMELIGHT Du Nord was launched by Helga Denkena, who is Sandra Denkena’s mother-in-law, in 1972. Back then, it stocked exclusive brands such as Les Copains and Aigner. In 1999, Sandra Denkena took over the business in the tranquil city of Oldenburg. She modernised the store, adapted the product range, and restructured the team. “It is important to me that my team consists of a healthy blend of young and older staff. My youngest employee is 20, the oldest is 72,” Sandra Denkena reveals. “It is inspiring to see how the different generations work together. That certainly contributes to our success.” Every customer is always happy to heed the advice of the employees. Du Nord relies heavily on personality and individual advice. The 330-square-metre store’s design is modern and warm. It features concrete, wooden floors, and a cosy yellow sofa in front of a brass wall. 110 square metres of the store are, however, occupied by a Closed franchise

store, which Sandra Denkena opened at the same time due to her long-standing relationship with the brand. It is the perfect solution, because the premises would have been too big for Du Nord alone and Closed appeals to a broader audience. In addition, Du Nord offers an exclusive brand mix including many German collections such as Odeeh. “Both the brand’s fashion and the collaboration with its designers are wonderful,” Sandra Denkena gushes. “I can say the same about Talbot Runhof, Gabriele Frantzen, and my agents. I need to establish a good working relationship with the people behind the collections. At the end of the day, that’s what makes our store successful, because it means that my employees and I believe in what we’re selling.” The same applies to the leather collections Stouls and Utzon, the knitwear labels Suzusan and Wommelsdorff, and the more commercial Roqa collection. “Every single customer leaves our store with a very individual outfit,” Sandra Denkena stresses. “It can be a combination of a silk blouse by Lareida and a pedal pusher by Closed. Maybe add a jacket by Odeeh and shoes by Jil Sander Navy. Only recently, a customer told me that she loves being able to buy all that in a single store. In Berlin, she’d have to visit dozens of stores.”

“We strive to spoil our customers,” says Sandra Denkena, the owner of Du Nord.

Casper Schandorff beweist mit Project 4 ein Gespür für Trends.

Du Nord

Heiligengeistwall 11, 26122 Oldenburg/Germany www.du-nord.com First opening: July 1972 Relaunch after move: July 2015 Owner: Sandra Denkena Employees: 12 Sales area: 330 sqm, of which 110 sqm Closed franchise shop-in-shop Brands for women: Closed, Etro, Gabriele Frantzen, Herno, Jil Sander Navy, Lareida, Lili Radu, Max Mara, Marjana von Berlepsch, Massimo Palomba, Odeeh, Olvis, Roqa, Suzusan, Stouls, Talbot Runhof, Utzon, Wommelsdorff, Yves Salomon Accessories brands: Bois, Casamorati, Compagnie de Provence, Dr. Bronners, Iphoria, Kaell, Le Cord, The Merchant of Venice, Velvet Sock’s, Voluspa