Ulla Popken
German fashion retailer specializing in plus-size women's clothing.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Ulla Popken is a German fashion retailer and clothing brand focused on women's plus-size apparel. The business is associated with the Popken family textile and retail enterprise, whose roots extend to a textile company established by Johann Popken in Hamelin in 1880. The later development of the Ulla Popken business was led by Ulla Popken and her husband, Friedrich Popken, who took over the family operation in 1968. Their first specialist retail venture was a maternity-wear shop opened in Oldenburg, Germany, followed by additional stores in Bremen, Hanover, and Hamburg during the 1970s. The company subsequently developed a dedicated proposition for fuller-figure women's clothing, a category in which it became one of Germany's best-known specialist retailers. The brand's assortment covers casualwear, workwear, occasion clothing, lingerie, nightwear, swimwear, outerwear, accessories, and seasonal collections. Its central commercial proposition is fashion-oriented plus-size clothing offered across broad size ranges, rather than treating extended sizes solely as a basic or functional category. Ulla Popken has traditionally used a multichannel model combining physical stores, mail-order catalogues, and online retail. The company began marketing in the United States in 1993, launched an online store in 1999, and opened its first U.S. store in Towson, Maryland, in 2000. Its U.S. operations have been based in Glen Arm, Maryland. In Europe, the retailer has operated more than 320 stores according to reference material, while also serving customers through digital commerce and catalogue activity. In 2008, Astrid Popken and her husband, Thomas Schneider, took over management of the German business. The broader Popken Fashion Group was established in 2012, bringing Ulla Popken together with Gina Laura, the menswear brand JP1880, and Studio Untold. This group structure positioned Ulla Popken within a wider specialist apparel portfolio while preserving its distinct focus on plus-size women's fashion. The brand's historical identity is therefore connected both to family ownership and to the expansion of inclusive sizing in mainstream retail. Ulla Popken's principal markets remain Germany and other European countries, with additional international reach through e-commerce and its U.S. business. Public reference material does not establish a current chief executive, detailed ownership percentages, financial results, or a complete store count by country. Those details are therefore not stated here. The brand is presented as active and privately held, with its principal business centered on designing, merchandising, and retailing clothing for women seeking extended sizes.
History
The Popken family's textile-business history reaches back to 1880, when Johann Popken established a textile company in Hamelin, Germany. His son Karl later operated the enterprise, but stopped in 1960 because of ill health. In 1968, Karl's son Friedrich and Friedrich's wife, Ulla, took over the operation. Their first specialist retail move came in the same year, when they opened a maternity shop in Oldenburg. The business then expanded beyond its initial location; by 1978 it had stores in Bremen, Hanover, and Hamburg. The company subsequently built a specialist position in women's clothing for larger sizes. Ulla Popken's identity developed around combining extended sizing with contemporary fashion across several use cases, including everyday clothing, professional dressing, occasionwear, lingerie, and seasonal apparel. Its retail model combined stores with direct marketing and catalogue sales. Reference material describes a biweekly 48-page catalogue for the international business and more than 320 stores across Europe, although a current, independently verified store count is not provided here. International expansion became more visible in the 1990s. The company began marketing in the United States in 1993. It introduced an online store in 1999, making digital commerce an additional route to customers alongside shops and catalogues. In 2000, the first U.S. store opened in Towson, Maryland, and Ulla Popken's U.S. headquarters were located in Glen Arm, Maryland. These steps extended the brand beyond Germany and reinforced its multichannel approach. A management transition occurred in 2008, when Astrid Popken and her husband, Thomas Schneider, took over management of the German business. In 2012, the Popken Fashion Group was created. The new group structure included Ulla Popken, Gina Laura, the men's brand JP1880, and Studio Untold. This placed Ulla Popken within a broader family fashion platform while retaining its specialization in women's plus-size apparel. The brand's present-day business is understood as a privately held, active apparel retailer operating primarily in Germany and Europe, with international reach through the United States and e-commerce. Its core proposition remains the design, merchandising, and sale of clothing in extended women's sizes. Publicly available reference material supplied for this entry does not establish current senior management, detailed financial performance, ownership percentages, or a complete contemporary geographic breakdown. Such information is left unspecified rather than inferred.
- 2012
Popken Fashion Group created
[1]Ulla Popken became part of the newly created Popken Fashion Group alongside Gina Laura, JP1880, and Studio Untold.
- 2008
New German management
[1]Astrid Popken and Thomas Schneider took over management of the German business.
- 2000
First U.S. store opens
[1]The first U.S. Ulla Popken store opened in Towson, Maryland.
- 1999
Online store launches
[1]The company launched an online store, extending its catalogue and store-based model into e-commerce.
- 1993
United States marketing begins
[1]Ulla Popken began marketing its products in the United States.
- 1978
Early store expansion
[1]The business had expanded to stores in Bremen, Hanover, and Hamburg.
- 1971
Ulla Popken brand founded
[1]The brand is identified as having been founded in 1971.
- 1968
Friedrich and Ulla Popken take over the family operation
[1]Friedrich Popken and Ulla Popken assumed control and opened a specialist maternity shop in Oldenburg.
- 1880
Popken family textile business founded
[1]Johann Popken established the family textile company in Hamelin, creating the historical foundation for the later retail business.
Products and positioning
Fashion-oriented plus-size women's apparel with broad sizing, distributed through stores, catalogues, and e-commerce.
Women's apparel
Plus-size women's fashion
The core Ulla Popken range consists of women's clothing designed and sold in extended sizes. The assortment is intended to cover everyday dressing as well as more formal occasions, with seasonal collections spanning tops, bottoms, dresses, knitwear, jackets, coats, and coordinated separates. The brand's specialization is not limited to a single garment type; it is a full-category wardrobe proposition for fuller-figure customers.
Women's apparel
Dresses and occasionwear
Ulla Popken offers dresses and occasion-oriented garments within its plus-size women's collections. These products support use cases ranging from work and events to evening dressing, with the broader brand proposition emphasizing fashionable styling and fit across extended sizes. Specific current collection names and launch dates are not established by the supplied sources.
Women's apparel
Casualwear and workwear
Casual and professional clothing forms a substantial part of the brand's typical assortment. Products include tops, shirts, trousers, jeans, skirts, knitwear, blazers, and layering pieces. The range reflects Ulla Popken's role as a specialist wardrobe retailer rather than a narrowly focused occasionwear or basics label.
Intimate apparel
Swimwear, lingerie, and nightwear
The brand also serves intimate and leisure categories, including lingerie, nightwear, and swimwear in extended women's sizes. These lines broaden the customer's shopping occasion and support the brand's full-wardrobe positioning. The supplied reference material does not provide specific product-line launch dates or technical specifications.
Apparel and accessories
Outerwear and accessories
Seasonal outerwear, including jackets and coats, together with accessories, complements the main clothing range. These products help complete outfits across weather conditions and occasions. Exact current assortment breadth, materials, and sub-brand naming are not specified in the available sources.
Brand decisions
2012
Create the Popken Fashion GroupStrategyBackground
The Popken family apparel interests had expanded across multiple specialist brands.
Action taken
A group structure was created encompassing Ulla Popken, Gina Laura, JP1880, and Studio Untold.
Aftermath
Ulla Popken continued as the group's plus-size women's fashion brand within a broader apparel portfolio.
1999
Launch an online storeProduct launchBackground
The retailer had historically relied on stores and catalogue marketing and added a digital channel as e-commerce developed.
Action taken
The company launched its online store.
Aftermath
E-commerce became part of the brand's continuing multichannel distribution model.
1993
Enter the United StatesStrategyBackground
The company sought to extend its specialist plus-size apparel business beyond its established German and European base.
Action taken
Ulla Popken began marketing its products in the United States.
Aftermath
The U.S. initiative was followed by an online launch in 1999 and the opening of a physical U.S. store in 2000.
Sources2 sources
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