Long-standing Kik's kitchen head, Dent, departs from the textile discount retailer.
In a surprising turn of events, Kik's long-standing CEO, Patrick Zahn, has unexpectedly left the company. According to Zahn's own statements on LinkedIn, he has been at the helm of Kik since early 2014.
The announcement was made in Boone, North Rhine-Westphalia, and was preceded by reports from the newspaper "Handelsblatt" about Zahn's departure due to strategic differences with Tengelmann owner Christian Haub. The textile discounter Kik, as you may know, belongs to the Tengelmann group.
In a letter to close business friends, Zahn expressed the need for trusting cooperation and maximum unity in strategic questions between management and shareholders, especially in challenging times. He requested the dissolution of his contract, and his departure is at his own request and ends his tenure as Kik CEO effective immediately.
Despite this departure, Kik assures its stakeholders that the company is stable. In a statement, the company stated that Zahn's decision creates room for new approaches and impulses to sustainably support the further transformation of the company. This transformation is necessary as Kik, like the entire industry, faces a challenging market environment and changing conditions.
At the moment, the management of Kik is operational. The company has not yet appointed a new CEO following Zahn's departure on September 4, 2025; however, Christian Kümmel currently serves as CFO since August 1, 2025, and Agnieszka Jaworska is set to join the management on November 1, 2025. The succession will be commented on at an appropriate time.
Previously, "Handelsblatt" had reported about Zahn's departure, suggesting that this is not an isolated incident. The company, however, remains optimistic about its future and is looking forward to the new impulses that the succession will bring.
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