History
KODi has been selling top-quality products at incredible prices since 1981.
KODi was founded by SPAR Lebensmittelgroßhandlung Karl Koch & Sohn, a company based in the German town of Langenfeld, in 1981. The name KODi came about by combining the first two letters of the founder’s name ‘Koch’ (KO) with the first two letters of the word ‘Discount’ (Di). Our first branch in the Rath district of Düsseldorf officially opened its doors on 20 October 1982 (and it’s still going strong to this day). More shops soon followed between Aachen, Düsseldorf and Bonn.
In the mid 1980s, Lebensmittelgroßhandlung Karl Koch & Sohn merged with SPAR Handels AG, but KODi was still being run from Langenfeld. Our central warehouse, originally located in Hilden, was moved to Oberhausen in 1990 and that’s where it still is now. When SPAR Handels AG was restructured towards the end of 1997, all central and cross-chain departments were closed. Each chain was given its own administrative team, which laid the foundation for the modern head office and warehouse we have now in Oberhausen.
SPAR Handels AG sold several of its subsidiary companies – including KODi – on 1 January 2002 in a strategic move. KODi has been operating on the market as a family-owned company and part of N.H.C. GmbH since 2002. In 2010, the central warehouse in Oberhausen was extended to cover 15,000 square metres. The launch of the KODi online shop in September 2014 was the next major milestone for us since our products were suddenly available for delivery across Germany.
2018 was another time of drastic change for KODi, as the company started to be led by category buying management rather than sales. As part of this shift, we overhauled the entire range to enable us to better cater to the needs of our customers. The KODi own brands were reinvented at this point too. KODi basic, KODi selection and TecTro were introduced as product line brands, whilst ProVida became the new promotional brand. Other own brands like Glurexx and Casalino were gradually replaced. In 2019, KODi left behind its old slogan and started to position itself as the discount homeware retailer we all know and love.
You can see this shift in our stores, as we’re gradually upgrading them all in line with our latest store concept. From the outside, they look light, bright and inviting. The logo above the entrance and the frames around the doors and windows make for eye-catching features. The shop floor has an open-plan layout and products are displayed clearly in a way that works for our customers.
With a view to offering our customers a better range of everyday essentials at their local store, we’ve been adding more and more food, health and hygiene products to our shelves since 2020. On that note, we’re also committed to stocking products for people with special dietary requirements, such as vegan and gluten-free foods.
KODi is set on successfully implementing its ambitious expansion plan, which will one day see branches in all major cities across Germany.
