It’s January, which means it’s time to get a little sentimental! Let’s take a look back at the last 12 months at Kaufland e-commerce. Join us as we scroll through our highlights from 2024!
January 2024
We kicked off 2024 with a strong focus on environmental awareness. On our social media channels, we shared tips on how to make your office life more sustainable. We also launched our new sustainability landing page, where you can read all about our eco-friendly initiatives at Kaufland e-commerce.
Additionally, we highlighted the topic of part-time leadership on our blog – proving that it’s possible to lead while working part-time. Those days of thinking leaders need to be available 24/7 are over! Check out the benefits of this model and how our employees manage their roles as part-time leaders on our blog.
Our sustainability landing page went live in January.
February 2024
We started February with a delicious batch of Berliners (or donuts) in our offices to celebrate Carnival!
If that wasn’t your vibe, you could catch up on our blog about our Capstone Project, which wrapped up in February. Our Head of Product Engineering, Konstantin, collaborated with students from the CIIS at the University of Cologne to work on the display of a price history on our online marketplaces during the past months. Find out more about it here.
Our Cologne office also got a makeover in 2024! After weeks of renovations and the hard work of our project team and an external interior design firm, we were finally able to move back into almost all areas. If you haven’t been by yet, here are some impressions of our newly designed Cologne office.
Images: Stefan Durstewitz, Design: Stanke Interior Design
March 2024
Cheers to Her: March was all about celebrating women for International Women’s Day on March 8th. Dr. Sandra Bell (Executive Vice President and Board Member of Viega Group) gave an inspiring talk in our Cologne office about her career journey. The event took place both online and offline, with 240 employees in attendance. Afterward, everyone enjoyed some treats and networking. Read more about our Cheers to Her event here!
We also dedicated March to our (deferred) Video Interview Process, showcasing the benefits of this part of our application process on kaufland-ecommerce.com and social media. Learn more about it here.
Cheers to Her: Our event on International Women’s Day.
April 2024
On April 26th, we celebrated our 12th e-Commerce Day! Many KEC team members helped make this year’s event at the Cologne RheinEnergieSTADION a huge success. Learn more about ECD 2024 here.
April also brought some sports action as we participated in the first company run of the year in Berlin. Five motivated KECse represented Kaufland e-commerce at the IKK BB Berliner Firmenlauf.
387 KECse took part at the e-Commerce Day 2024.
May 2024
May kicked off with some running shoes on as well! While our HR and Marketing teams attended OMR, 25 enthusiastic KECse took part in the Cologne company run around Fühlinger See.
Back to school: Three of our marketing experts, Kerstin, Regina, and Karsten, gave a talk at the University of Cologne about “Current Challenges for Performance Marketing in E-Commerce” as part of the “Introduction to Marketing” course for bachelor students.
We also focused on a special topic in May: diversity! Around German Diversity Day on May 28th, we developed various initiatives. With a hybrid event themed “Celebrate Our Differences,” we made a statement for inclusivity: during the “Diversity Day Stand-Up,” four international colleagues shared their experiences of moving to a new country and finding their way there. At the subsequent “Taste of Different Cultures,” we enjoyed delicious dishes from around the world. Other initiatives included a Privilege Walk, awareness sessions, and an internal newsletter focusing on diversity. Learn more about Diversity Day at Kaufland e-commerce here.
We celebrated the German Diversity Day in our offices & remotely.
June 2024
We started June with sustainability in mind: during the River Clean Up in Cologne, many KECse helped clear trash from the Rhine riverbank. Despite rainy weather, dozens of bags full of waste were collected and disposed of in containers provided by PreZero.
On our blog, we highlighted Women in Tech by featuring two successful women from our Information Security team, Vicky and Lia. Find out more about them here.
The River Clean Up took place twice in Cologne in 2024.
July 2024
Summer slump? Not for us! In July, during Pride Month, we focused internally on equal opportunities through various initiatives.
We also hosted a Crafts & Conversations event in our Cologne office where anyone who wanted to join could create colorful bracelets and necklaces for Pride events (or the Taylor Swift concert).
Plus, we stayed true to our principle “Move fast, get (sh)it done” as several KEC members gave their best at the Munich B2Run in Olympiapark.
August 2024
August was one for the books! On August 7th, we launched the first of two new international online marketplaces: Kaufland.pl! We’re so proud of our team that has been tirelessly working throughout 2024 to help our online marketplaces grow even further.
Raise the Talent Bar
Our HR team was also busy attending fairs to meet new talents and network—from OMR to IT Career Summit, Kaufland e-commerce was represented nationwide!
September 2024
Just weeks after launching Kaufland.pl, we kept up the momentum: on September 4th, Kaufland.at went live in Austria – marking Kaufland’s fifth international online marketplace!
We were also present at both the Cyberwomen Conference 2024 and IT Career Summit: Team Lead Information Security Lia gave a talk about the growing challenges in cybersecurity while Engineering Manager Dmitrii discussed how to implement SlackOps.
Additionally, our Berlin colleagues participated in B2Run in Berlin and reached their goal at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium!
Cybersecurity was also featured on our blog with Chief Security Officer Vicky’s keynote on “Empowerment of Women in Cybersecurity” at the Global Cyber Security Summit in Sofia, where she shared her experiences as a woman in the workforce. Read all about it here!
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one month, we also participated in our second River Clean Up of the year along the Cologne riverbank – discovering everything from a statue of Virgin Mary to a coal grill!
October 2024
October saw the launch of a new Capstone project at the University of Cologne focused on price comparison. Our Senior Frontend Engineer Felix will be working with five students over the coming months on this initiative.
October is also Mental Health Month: a topic that plays an important role for us as a company. We implemented various initiatives to support our colleagues in staying healthy. Learn more about our mental health measures here.
October was all about Mental Health.
November 2024
Although November is often considered a gray month, in Cologne, it’s all about red and white (rut und wieß). On November 11th, we kicked off the Carnival season with traditional Berliners (or donuts) for breakfast at our Cologne office.
Effective communication is one of the key skills for achieving success. Team Lead Operations & Growth, Sebastian, discussed this with students at the University of Cologne as part of the Capstone project. We shared his tips on our blog.
A warm welcome to our newbies of 2024
The best part of 2024? Definitely the 160 new team members who joined Kaufland e-commerce and are actively contributing their skills to our success! Welcome aboard!
December 2024
In December, we focused entirely on career development as motivation for the new year ahead. We asked Senior Frontend Engineer Felix for his tips on building a career within our Tech and Product departments. Find out more here.
During this festive season, we took time to reflect on the past year while winding down a bit: but not for long because 2025 is sure to be just as exciting!
We wish you a successful, healthy new year in 2025.