About IGDS

IGDS was founded in June 1946 in Lugano (Switzerland) by eight European Department Stores. The key drivers to create IGDS were originally the need to share expertise and to combine purchasing power.

From the beginning, the driving force behind the group has been the Presidents, CEOs, members of the Executive Board and Managing Directors. Their willingness to push new ideas, new concepts in their own companies, learn from other member firms with different structures, in different geographical zones, has been vital to IGDS and its members’ development and success.

The deliberate choice to reserve the membership to leading Department Stores and limit the access to one member per country also played a key role to create a unique platform for open discussions.

The first 50 years of IGDS have been well documented in a survey by Mr Heinz-Georg Matter - former Head of Foreign Trade at Karstadt –, that was released on the occasion of IGDS’s 50th Anniversary in June 1996.

See PDF "IGDS 1946-1996"

After 60 years of existence, IGDS is now the largest Department Stores association in the world, comprising one of the most unique and vibrant retail networks in the industry: 33 members from 31 countries, with total sales of over US$ 60 billion.

Membership of IGDS today provides unique insight into how other retail groups are structured and operate worldwide. It also means meeting and working in a cross-cultural context, and offers opportunities – especially at senior levels – to gain exposure to some of the most important players in retail.