Takko Fashion wins Schwarz IT Managing Director as CIO

• Bastian King to start as Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Takko Fashion on 01.03.2023.
• In his new role, King will lead the fashion company's digital transformation, which includes modernizing the system landscape, building a future-proof data infrastructure, and managing processes and cultural change to become a digitalized, data-driven company.
• Previously, King was the managing director of Schwarz IT KG, where he was responsible for key customer systems for the Schwarz Group.

Takko Fashion is continuing to drive forward the digitalization of the company and has been able to win Bastian King as its new CIO to strengthen its efforts. In his new role, King will be responsible for all of the fashion company's IT departments and for the digital transformation and sustainable digital development of all areas.

"Takko Fashion is set to become a digitalized data-driven company. Accordingly, we will take our IT infrastructure to the next level. We are very happy that we were able to attract Bastian King as our new CIO for the related responsible tasks," says Tjeerd Jegen, CEO Takko Fashion. The fashion company is investing heavily in digitalization and future-oriented technologies. About a year ago, Takko Fashion launched its customer app Takko Friends. With more than 2.6 million registered users in Germany, the program will be offered to customers in additional countries in the future. The company also plans to roll out its online shop in other markets, including Austria, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

"We have many exciting tasks ahead of us and I am looking forward to shaping the digital transformation of Takko Fashion with the entire IT team," explains Bastian King. His first tasks will include the introduction of a new ERP system for all of Takko Fashion's departments and entities. In this way, the company plans to control data management more centrally and automate processes in the future. To this end, Takko Fashion will continue to build and expand its IT department. In this context, Takko Fashion will soon begin a recruiting offensive. The focus is on tech savvy employees who want to actively shape the IT landscape.

Bastian King is moving from Schwarz IT KG to Takko Fashion. Most recently, as IT Managing Director, he was responsible for key customer systems at the Schwarz Group. As head of a unit of 130 employees in Germany and 35 employees in the European service hubs, he managed various MarTec and customer service initiatives, such as most recently the introduction of the Kaufland Card, the development of an AI-based voice assistant platform and the rollout of digital signage for Lidl. In his more than 10 years with the Schwarz Group, the 41-year-old was also responsible for Kaufland's global store IT, where he paved the way for today's checkout system, innovative self-checkout solutions and electronic shelf labeling, among other things. The qualified business informatics specialist brings with him extensive technology and process experience from the retail business in Europe, the USA and Australia. During various positions at ALDI Süd and the Schwarz Group, he was responsible for all operational IT areas of a retail company as well as the development of an information security department.