Quelle (Austria)

Quelle (Österreich) is the Austrian branch of the Quelle mail-order brand, founded in 1959 in Vöcklabruck as the first foreign subsidiary of the German Quelle mail-order company based in Fürth. It grew into one of Austria's best-known distance-selling businesses, opening Quelle department stores in Graz and Linz from 1960 and building a large mail-order distribution centre in Linz from 1965. By the late 1960s and mid-1970s its annual turnover had reached billions of schillings. In 1994 it opened its first Quelle shop and sold its 14 department stores to Woolworth, and in 1997 it launched the website quelle.at. In 1998 the German parent Quelle merged with Karstadt and its subsidiary Neckermann to form KarstadtQuelle AG, which was taken over by Arcandor in 2007. When Arcandor filed for insolvency in 2009, Quelle Österreich, dependent on the parent, also had to file for bankruptcy in November 2009 and was wound up in 2010, with around 1,100 employees made redundant. The Otto Versand secured the worldwide trademark rights to Quelle in 2010. A new Quelle GmbH was founded in Salzburg in the first quarter of 2011 by Otto Versand, assigned within the Otto Group to the Baur Group and its Austrian subsidiary Unito. This revived Austrian Quelle operated as an online mail-order retailer. At the beginning of June 2023, Quelle Österreich was merged with the Austrian online retailer Universal, which is part of the Otto Austria Group. The Quelle brand thus continues within the Otto Group's Austrian operations, while the historic Quelle AG in Linz no longer exists.

Quelle's Austrian history began in 1959, when the German mail-order house Quelle of Fürth established its first foreign subsidiary in Vöcklabruck. Six employees generated turnover of 6 million schillings (about 436,000 euros) in the first year. From 1960 Quelle department stores were opened in Graz and Linz, and a technical customer service was built up. From 1965 the mail-order centre was located in Linz near the commercial harbour, employed 400 people and received its own postal code. Turnover exceeded one billion schillings in 1968 and reached about 2.2 billion schillings in 1974/75. In 1994 the first Quelle shop opened, and in the same year all 14 Quelle department stores were sold to Woolworth. In 1997 the company website quelle.at was launched. In 1998 Quelle Germany merged with Karstadt and its subsidiary Neckermann to form KarstadtQuelle AG. In 2007 KarstadtQuelle was taken over by Arcandor, and the parent group subsequently struggled with declining turnover. Arcandor filed for insolvency in 2009, and because of its dependence on the parent, Quelle Österreich also had to file for bankruptcy in November 2009. It was wound up in 2010, with around 1,100 employees made redundant. Otto Versand secured the worldwide trademark rights to Quelle in 2010. In November 2010, as the final step in the insolvency proceedings, the site with 52,000 m² of building space on Industriezeile in Linz was sold to the association for the promotion of work and employment (FAB), part of the BBRZ group. From 2011, 350 jobs for people with disabilities and participants in work integration programmes were created there in the commercial zone. A new Quelle GmbH in Salzburg was founded in the first quarter of 2011 by Otto Versand. Within the Otto Group the company was assigned to the Baur Group and belonged to its Austrian subsidiary Unito. At the beginning of June 2023, Quelle Österreich was merged with the online mail-order retailer Universal.

• 2023

  Quelle Österreich merged with online retailer Universal at the beginning of June.

• 2011

  New Quelle GmbH founded in Salzburg by Otto Versand, assigned to Baur Group / Unito.

• 2010

  Quelle Österreich wound up; Otto Versand secures worldwide Quelle trademark rights; Linz site sold to FAB.

• 2009

  Arcandor files for insolvency; Quelle Österreich files for bankruptcy in November.

• 2007

  KarstadtQuelle taken over by Arcandor.

• 1998

  Quelle Germany merges with Karstadt and Neckermann to form KarstadtQuelle AG.

• 1997

  Company website quelle.at launched.

• 1994

  First Quelle shop opens; all 14 Quelle department stores sold to Woolworth.

• 1974

  Turnover reaches about 2.2 billion schillings in 1974/75.

• 1968

  Turnover exceeds one billion schillings.

• 1965

  Mail-order centre opens in Linz near the commercial harbour, employing 400 people.

• 1960

  Quelle department stores open in Graz and Linz; technical customer service established.

• 1959

  Quelle of Fürth founds its first foreign subsidiary in Vöcklabruck, Austria.

Mass-market distance-selling and online retail brand for fashion, home and technology in Austria.

• Mail-order catalogue

• quelle.at online shop

• Quelle shops

• Quelle department stores (until 1994)

1. 1Quelle (Österreich) – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
2. 2Quelle Austria official websitequelle.at
3. 3Wikidata Q1271495wikidata.org
4. 4⁣UNIVERSAL Online-Shop | Möbel, Technik & Multimedia ❤️universal.at
5. 5Über UNIVERSAL - drittgrößter Online-Händler Österreichsuniversal.at
6. 6AGB - Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen | UNIVERSALuniversal.at
7. 7Impressum | UNIVERSAL Versand, Wals-Siezenheimuniversal.at