New Yorker
A German fashion retailer focused on youth-oriented casual clothing and accessories.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
New Yorker is a German fashion clothing retailer legally known as New Yorker Group Services International GmbH & Co. KG. The company is headquartered in Braunschweig and operates a large chain of stores across Europe and selected markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus. Its retail offer is centered on youth-oriented, casual fashion, with clothing and accessories sold through branded physical stores. The business began in 1971, when Tilmar Hansen and Michael Simson opened a small jeans shop in central Flensburg. Friedrich Knapp, who was operating a denim store in Braunschweig, subsequently joined the venture. The founders established SHK-Jeans GmbH and expanded the store network in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s. This early denim-store model developed into a broader fashion-retail concept under the New Yorker name. The first international expansion took place in 1994, when the company opened a store in Linz, Austria. Further growth followed from 1998, with stores added in the Czech Republic and Poland. The chain subsequently expanded across much of Europe and into countries including Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to the cited company description, New Yorker had 1,150 branches in 47 countries by November 2022 and employed more than 23,000 people. New Yorker has also used entertainment, sport, and youth-culture associations to support its brand profile. In 2012, English singer Olly Murs appeared as the face of the company's men's spring/summer range. The retailer is the naming sponsor of the New Yorker Lions, a German Football League team based in Braunschweig, and has sponsored the international Battle of the Year b-boy competition. It formerly held the naming rights of the Braunschweig basketball team now known as Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. The company has attracted criticism in several areas. In 2015, reporting alleged that New Yorker had attempted to obstruct the establishment of works councils at one of its German stores. In 2017, owner Friedrich Knapp was mentioned in reporting about the Paradise Papers in connection with a proposed Cayman Islands aircraft-leasing company. Sustainability organizations have also criticized the retailer's limited disclosure of environmental, labor, and supply-chain information. These criticisms concern labor representation, tax-related corporate structures, and transparency rather than establishing a legal finding against the brand. New Yorker remains a privately owned international fashion retailer. Its public profile is defined primarily by its extensive store network, accessible casual-fashion positioning, and links to music, football, basketball, and street-dance culture.
History
New Yorker's origins date to 1971, when Tilmar Hansen and Michael Simson opened a jeans shop in downtown Flensburg, Germany. The original business was a relatively simple denim retailer rather than the broad international fashion chain that developed later. Friedrich Knapp, who was managing a denim store in Braunschweig, joined the venture soon afterward. The three entrepreneurs established SHK-Jeans GmbH and began opening additional German locations during the 1970s and 1980s. The company gradually developed from a jeans-focused operation into a wider casual-fashion retailer. Michael Simson left the operating business in 1990, although he remained connected with ownership of certain properties used by New Yorker stores. Friedrich Knapp subsequently became the central owner and business figure associated with the company. New Yorker's first move beyond Germany came in 1994, when it opened a store in Linz, Austria. International expansion accelerated from 1998, with the addition of locations in the Czech Republic and Poland. The chain later spread through Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Europe. It also established stores in selected markets in the Caucasus, North Africa, and the Middle East. This expansion transformed the company from a German denim retailer into a multinational store network. The company reported reaching its first billion in sales in December 2006, although the available reference does not identify the currency or accounting definition used. Its brand-building activities have included entertainment and sports partnerships. In March 2012, singer Olly Murs served as the face of New Yorker's men's spring/summer range, with customers invited to take photographs beside a cardboard cut-out of the performer. The company also became naming sponsor of the Braunschweig-based German Football League team New Yorker Lions and previously sponsored the basketball team known as the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig, now Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. New Yorker has additionally sponsored Battle of the Year, an international b-boy competition, aligning the retailer with youth and street-dance culture. By November 2022, New Yorker was reported to have 1,150 branches in 47 countries. The reference material also describes a workforce of more than 23,000 employees. The company remains privately held and headquartered in Braunschweig. New Yorker has faced public criticism regarding labor representation and corporate transparency. In 2015, Frankfurter Rundschau reported allegations that the company sought to prevent works councils. The reported case involved an Offenbach am Main store that was placed into a separate subsidiary after a works council had been formed; that subsidiary was subsequently liquidated. In 2017, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Friedrich Knapp appeared in the Paradise Papers in connection with correspondence about a Cayman Islands aircraft-leasing company. The report described the proposed structure as intended to address German tax considerations. The retailer has also received poor assessments from sustainability and fashion-transparency organizations. Good On You gave New Yorker its lowest rating, citing limited information about environmental and social impacts and insufficient disclosure of supply-chain measures. Fashion Revolution's 2021 Fashion Transparency Index listed New Yorker among brands receiving a zero-percent score for public disclosure. These assessments highlight a lack of publicly available information rather than providing a complete evaluation of the company's actual supply-chain performance.
- 2022
Network reaches 1,150 branches
[1]By November, New Yorker was reported to operate 1,150 branches in 47 countries.
- 2012
Olly Murs fronts men's spring/summer campaign
[1]Olly Murs became the face of New Yorker's men's spring/summer range.
- 2006
First billion in sales reported
[1]New Yorker was reported to have reached its first billion in sales in December.
- 1998
Expansion into the Czech Republic and Poland
[1]The company continued its international growth by opening stores in the Czech Republic and Poland.
- 1994
First international store opens in Austria
[1]New Yorker opened its first store outside Germany in Linz, Austria.
- 1990
Michael Simson leaves the operating business
[1]Michael Simson departed from the company, while remaining associated with ownership of some properties occupied by New Yorker stores.
- 1971
First store opens in Flensburg
[1]Tilmar Hansen and Michael Simson opened New Yorker's first store, originally operating as a jeans shop in central Flensburg.
Products and positioning
Youth-oriented fashion and casualwear retailer with an accessible, trend-led store format and associations with music and street culture.
Apparel
Casual clothing
New Yorker's core offer consists of trend-led casual apparel sold through its branded retail network. The business began with jeans and later broadened into a general fashion assortment for younger consumers. The available reference does not identify specific current sub-brands or named collections.
Apparel · 1971
Denim
Denim was the foundation of the company: its first shop in Flensburg operated as a jeans store, and its founders had backgrounds in denim retail. Denim remains part of the brand's apparel identity, although the reference material does not provide a detailed current product range.
Accessories
Fashion accessories
Accessories form part of New Yorker's broader fashion-retail assortment alongside clothing. No specific accessory labels, product names, or launch dates are identified in the supplied sources.
Controversies
2021
Fashion-transparency criticism
Fashion Revolution's 2021 Fashion Transparency Index reportedly gave New Yorker a score of zero percent for public disclosure, while Good On You assigned the brand its lowest overall rating and criticized its limited disclosure of environmental and social impacts.
2017
Paradise Papers reporting involving Friedrich Knapp
Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that owner Friedrich Knapp was mentioned in the Paradise Papers in relation to correspondence concerning a Cayman Islands aircraft-leasing company. The reporting described German tax considerations; the supplied material does not state that New Yorker itself was found liable for wrongdoing.
2015
Allegations concerning works council formation
Frankfurter Rundschau reported allegations that New Yorker attempted to prevent the establishment of works councils. The reported case involved an Offenbach store transferred into a separate subsidiary after a works council was formed, followed by liquidation of that subsidiary.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Olly Murs men's spring/summer campaign
Germany
New Yorker selected singer Olly Murs as the face of its men's spring/summer range. The activation also included in-store or customer-facing photo opportunities using a cardboard cut-out of Murs.
Outcome. The campaign increased the range's association with a contemporary music celebrity; the supplied sources do not report performance results.
- New Yorker Lions naming sponsorship
Germany
New Yorker is the naming sponsor of the Braunschweig-based German Football League team New Yorker Lions.
Outcome. The sponsorship links the retailer's name to a prominent local American-football team; its start date and financial terms are not identified.
- Battle of the Year sponsorship
International
New Yorker has sponsored Battle of the Year, an international b-boy competition, connecting the brand with breakdancing and street culture.
Outcome. The partnership reinforces the brand's youth-culture positioning; the available sources do not provide campaign performance data.
- New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig naming sponsorship
Germany
The company formerly sponsored the Braunschweig basketball team known as the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig.
Outcome. The team is now known as Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, indicating that the former naming arrangement has ended.
Brand decisions
2012
Celebrity-led men's range promotionOtherBackground
New Yorker sought to promote its men's spring/summer assortment through a recognizable music personality.
Action taken
The company made Olly Murs the face of the range and used cardboard cut-outs for customer photo interactions.
Aftermath
The supplied sources do not report sales or audience results.
1998
Expansion into Central EuropeStrategyBackground
New Yorker continued to internationalize after its initial move into Austria.
Action taken
The retailer added stores in the Czech Republic and Poland.
Aftermath
The company subsequently expanded its network across Europe and into selected markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus.
1994
International expansion begins in AustriaStrategyBackground
After building a store network in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s, New Yorker pursued growth beyond its home market.
Action taken
The company opened its first foreign branch in Linz, Austria.
Aftermath
The Austrian entry was followed by further expansion, including stores in the Czech Republic and Poland from 1998 and later operations across dozens of countries.
Recent events
- 2022
New Yorker expands to 1,150 branches in 47 countries[1]
Other
By November 2022, the retailer was reported to operate 1,150 branches across 47 countries.
- 2006
New Yorker reaches one billion in sales[1]
Other
The company was reported to have achieved its first billion in sales in December 2006. The available reference does not specify the currency or the precise accounting measure.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/new-yorker · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled