My career in retail started in 2007…. No, that's not how we start this here.

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NEXXT IN RETAIL wants to be different, special, outside the box, because that's how I am, too. You will look in vain for linearity in my CV. Whether as a spring chicken in the luxury section at The Corner Berlin or as a trainee and department manager at Peek & Cloppenburg - I learned retail from scratch. On the floor. Directly with the customer.

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Later I was drawn into the big world of real estate, to one of the largest corporations in the industry - Jones Lang LaSalle – without knowing what and with whom I was getting involved. “We also do retail here” they said, and I was already convinced. The brokerage of retail space, the market entry of international brands, many market analyses and, of course, lots of successful lease negotiations were my staff of life. Five years and one position at BNP Paribas REAL ESTATE later, the landlord side attracted me with an exciting job offer – Retail Asset Management at TRIUVA and off I went. I developed scoring models for retail locations throughout Europe and acted as an international contact for all retail tenants in the portfolio.

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In 2016 everything was about to change. I had done retail "B to C", was with the large real estate companies and on the landlord side. TESLA, which was much less known at that time, was looking for a real estate manager for its showroom, work place and service expansion in the DACH region. “Me and cars” I thought at first, but I immediately got involved in the tech adventure and the roller coaster ride began. When I am asked today what it was like to start with such a company, I am happy to say: "I was never thrown at a deeper end, but swimming has never been more fun either!" Over the years I was allowed to not only work in the DACH region but got to look after all Southern Europe and the entire Middle East. This time formed me, challenged me and allowed me to grow like no other in my professional career.

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Even great things come to an end at some point, so I returned to the world of fashion and was able to accompany an entire restructuring process at WOLFORD (LANVIN GROUP) as Global Head of Real Estate. We turned a 70-year-old store portfolio of almost 200 stores inside out and scrutinized each store. I have closed over 30 locations, renegotiated 120+ leases, relocated individual stores and opened a few new ones, especially in the US. The project was completed at the beginning of 2022 and the brand was back on track like it had not been in 10 years.

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Therefore, the time felt right when my old colleagues from TESLA reached out and convinced me to help the first car manufacturer from Vietnam, VINFAST, to enter the European market. As Director Showroom Development, I was able to set up the Real Estate, Store Design & Construction team for Europe and ended up leading a team of eight. It was an exciting time, a cultural challenge and another tremendous growth for my personal development.

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Hard to believe, but that's more than 15 years of professional experience in retail, in expansion, in portfolio management and restructuring, both in the premium fashion industry and in the world of electro mobility which I now bring together at

NEXXT IN RETAIL. My Europe-wide network, my passion for brick-and-mortar retail and my ability to find innovative and creative solutions drive me to always create added value for my clients and projects and to support their success.

 

All of this is me. All of this is NEXXT.

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Are you, too?

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Christian Alexander Kuntze