Kai Zollhöfer

Fashion Industry Veteran with a Passion for Innovation I ex-Zalando

Berlin Metropolitan Area

About

Experience

  • Head of Strategic Partner Management at Breuninger
    Jul 2024 - Present · 2 yrs

  • Owner at Kai Zollhoefer Concepts
    Feb 2021 - Present · 5 yrs 5 mos

    Kai Zollhoefer Concepts supports companies in dealing with future-relevant lifestyles, target groups and markets using my skills, experience and a vast network to bring brands and people together. Assortment Strategy | Target Group Analysys | Marketing and Communication Strategy | Experience Marketing | Event Planning & Execution | Sales

  • Show Director The Ground at PREMIUM GROUP
    May 2021 - Dec 2023 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Brand & Business Development |Creative Strategy | Marketing and Communication Strategy | Experience Marketing | Brand Content Strategy | Project Management | Budget Responsibility  - Developed and launched The Ground, a community and culturally-driven three-day event connecting lifestyle & fashion brands with Gen-Z  with a focus on fashion, beauty, well-being, music, sports, and digital - Led cross-functional team including Sales, Marketing, Content, PR, Event Production, and Analytics. - Developed The Ground from scratch, incl. value proposition, tone-of-voice, brand image, communication & activation strategy with a holistic view of the lifestyles and interests of the target audience - Brand acquisition (40+ brands, retailers & media partners i.e. TikTok, Karl Kani, Puma, MÄC, MCM, Overkill, Vice)  - Managed partners and provided direction on brand activation & communication  - Conceptualized events and activations for the target audience connecting to culture - Identified and managed media partnerships in line with brand values and communication goals - Drove in-depth evaluation with brand analytics, communication, and sales teams

  • Director Strategy & Business Development at LSTNR GmbH
    Jan 2020 - Jan 2021 · 1 yr 1 mo

    Brand & Business Development | Creative Strategy | Architectural Retail Concept | Marketing & Communication Strategy | Assortment Strategy | Experience Marketing | Retail as a Service | Budget Responsibility - Realigned LSTNR's existing core business idea to define and build the Future of Retail - Developed an experience and community-driven retail concept incl. various lifestyle & fashion categories,  and gastronomic services with a strong emphasis on data collection and analysis (RAAS) - Elaborated on the architecture and design concept (with Kemmler Kemmler, Berlin) - Developed and executed a content strategy to support the already existing business

  • Zalando SE (Berlin Area, Germany)
    • Head of Brand Activation
      Jun 2017 - Mar 2019 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Business Development | Brand Strategy | Brand + Partner Acquisitions | Brand Experiences + Activations | Special Products & Collaborations Development - Developed the traditional B2B Bread & Butter tradeshow format to a B2C experiential marketing platform for Gen-Z with a focus on Streetwear and Street Culture. - Brand Acquisition (50+ brands & sponsors i.e. Nike, Adidas, VF Group, Mercedes,  - Developed and implemented the internationalization strategy for Bread&&Butter across all Zalando markets (digitally and offline). - Led a cross-functional team (Marketing, Content, PR, Media, Analytics, Tech)

    • Head of Fashion Direction
      Sep 2015 - May 2017 · 1 yr 9 mos

      Trend Research & Forecasting | Seasonal Buyer Briefings | Brand Collaborations | Project Management | Stakeholder Management  - Built & led an in-house trend research and forecasting department - Established seasonal trend reports as buying guidelines and as a base for aligned marketing campaign plan together with Global Brand Marketing - Fostered Zalando's fashion credibility by identifying and managing Zalando's designer collaborations i.e. Marni x Zalando, Karl Lagerfeld x Zalando, Fashion House x NJAL, Vivienne Westwood x B&&B17, Viktor&Rolf RE:CYCLE

    • Category Lead Zalando Premium
      Apr 2010 - Aug 2015 · 5 yrs 5 mos

      Assortment Strategy | Team Building | Brand Acquisition | Onsite Experience - Built up the premium fashion, accessory, and footwear department from scratch, establishing Zalando as a Premium e-tailer. - Developed a compelling brand portfolio for Zalando's customers, establishing exciting supplier relations. - Increased market penetration of Zalando in the affordable luxury market. - Fully responsible for the assortment and buying strategy of Zalando Premium. - Managed buying, merchandising, planning, marketing, content creation, and onsite experience of Zalando Premium. - Responsible for an annual GMV above 300 Mio € (both wholesale and marketplace). - Hunting success: Adding over 250 premium and affordable luxury brands amongst them GMV drivers like BOSS, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors. - Developed the premium category into the most profitable and fastest-growing business unit of Zalando. - Built and recruited a team of experts to enable growth and efficiency (team of 30, 6 direct reports) - Fully responsible for the assortment and buying strategy of Zalando Premium. - Managing buying, merchandising, planning, marketing, content creation, and onsite experience of Zalando Premium.