Otto Werner clothing store
A Hanover-based German clothing retailer founded in 1932 that expanded across Lower Saxony before ceasing operations in 2001.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Otto Werner clothing store, known in German as Bekleidungshaus Otto Werner, was a clothing retailer based in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. The business opened in 1932 after merchant Otto Werner and his nephew Werner Sauerwald acquired the building of the formerly Jewish-owned Elsbach & Frank department store at the corner of Osterstraße and Große Packhofstraße. Its retail offer included women's, men's, and children's outerwear, supported by an adjoining made-to-measure department. The store became part of Hanover's postwar commercial history. Its building was partially damaged during the aerial bombing of Hanover in the Second World War, but it was the only department store in the city to survive the wartime destruction. The façade, which remained largely intact, was restored in 1988. The survival of the building contrasted with the destruction of other nearby department stores, including the Sternheim & Emanuel complex opposite the Otto Werner premises. The business also had a role in the immediate postwar reorganization of Hanover's retail landscape. The Magis department store temporarily restarted in part of the Otto Werner building after the war, before moving to its own new building at Kröpcke in 1952. Otto Werner's illness meant that Sauerwald assumed sole responsibility for managing the company from 1950. Sauerwald remained the central manager until his retirement in 1985. By 1985, the enterprise had grown beyond its original Hanover location. It operated two clothing stores and three fashion stores in Hanover and other cities in Lower Saxony, with approximately 350 employees. This expansion made Otto Werner a significant regional fashion retailer rather than only a single-city shop. Its business remained focused on clothing retail, including apparel for women, men, and children, as well as tailoring and made-to-measure services. The company encountered difficulties toward the end of the 1990s as sales declined. The original flagship store in central Hanover was sold in 1999, marking the end of the retailer's presence at its historic location. The enterprise continued only briefly afterward and ceased operating in 2001. Since 2002, the former flagship building has been occupied by the Spanish international fashion chain Zara. Otto Werner is therefore best understood as a historically important, now-defunct regional German clothing retailer whose history reflects Hanover's wartime destruction, postwar reconstruction, and the later consolidation of fashion retail.
History
Otto Werner clothing store was established in Hanover in 1932 by Otto Werner, a merchant, and his nephew Werner Sauerwald. The two acquired the premises of the former Elsbach & Frank department store at the prominent intersection of Osterstraße and Große Packhofstraße. Elsbach & Frank had been Jewish-owned, making the change of ownership part of the broader commercial history of Hanover during the Nazi period, although the available reference material does not provide further detail about the acquisition's legal or economic circumstances. The new business continued the location's role as a clothing retailer. Its merchandise included outerwear for women, men, and children, while a connected made-to-measure department provided tailoring services. This combination allowed the store to operate both as a conventional apparel retailer and as a provider of individually fitted garments. During the Second World War, Hanover suffered extensive aerial bombing. The Otto Werner building was partly destroyed, but it was the only department store in the city to survive the wartime attacks. The façade was comparatively well preserved and was later restored in 1988. The survival of the building distinguished Otto Werner from neighboring retail businesses; the Sternheim & Emanuel department store complex across from it was completely destroyed by Allied bombing. The premises also served a temporary postwar purpose beyond Otto Werner's own retail operations. After the war, the Magis department store made a new start from part of the Otto Werner building. Magis remained there until its own new premises at Kröpcke were completed in 1952. This temporary arrangement illustrates how surviving commercial buildings supported Hanover's economic and urban recovery after the destruction of the war. Otto Werner's health deteriorated, and from 1950 Werner Sauerwald was solely responsible for management. Under Sauerwald's direction, the business developed from its original Hanover store into a regional operation. By 1985, it had two clothing stores and three fashion stores in Hanover and elsewhere in Lower Saxony. The group employed about 350 people, indicating a substantial regional retail footprint for an independent clothing enterprise. Sauerwald retired from management in 1985. The company later entered a period of decline. Sales fell toward the end of the 1990s, and the flagship store in Hanover city centre was sold in 1999. The sale removed the enterprise from its historic base, and the business ultimately ceased operating in 2001. From 2002, Zara traded from the former Otto Werner building. The retailer's legacy consequently survives principally through the building, its place in Hanover's commercial history, and documentation of the city's wartime and postwar retail development.
- 2002
Zara occupies the former building
[1]The former Otto Werner premises began operating as a store of the Spanish fashion chain Zara.
- 2001
Business ceases operating
[1]The Otto Werner clothing enterprise ended its operations.
- 1999
Hanover flagship sold
[1]The original central Hanover store was sold after sales had declined toward the end of the 1990s.
- 1988
Façade restoration
[1]The largely surviving façade of the wartime-damaged building was restored.
- 1985
Regional expansion documented
[1]The enterprise operated two clothing stores and three fashion stores in Hanover and other Lower Saxony locations, employing approximately 350 people. Sauerwald also retired from management that year.
- 1952
Magis leaves the premises
[1]The Magis department store, which had temporarily restarted in part of the Otto Werner building after the war, moved to its completed premises at Kröpcke.
- 1950
Sauerwald assumes sole management
[1]Because of Otto Werner's illness, Werner Sauerwald became solely responsible for managing the company.
- 1932
Opening in Hanover
[1]Otto Werner and his nephew Werner Sauerwald opened the clothing store in the former Elsbach & Frank building at Osterstraße and Große Packhofstraße.
Products and positioning
A regional full-range clothing retailer serving women, men, and children, with an additional made-to-measure service and a network of stores in Lower Saxony.
Apparel · 1932
Women's outerwear
Women's outerwear was one of the store's core merchandise categories. It formed part of the retailer's broad clothing offer, which was organized around serving women, men, and children from its Hanover premises and later regional stores.
Apparel · 1932
Men's outerwear
The business sold men's outerwear alongside its women's and children's ranges. The available source characterizes Otto Werner as a general clothing retailer rather than a specialist menswear brand.
Apparel · 1932
Children's outerwear
Children's outerwear was included in the store's established merchandise mix. Its presence contributed to the retailer's family-oriented, multi-category positioning.
Tailoring service · 1932
Made-to-measure clothing
An adjoining made-to-measure department supplemented the ready-to-wear clothing business. The department provided individually fitted garments and distinguished the store from a purely off-the-rack retailer.
Sources1 sources
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