Kastner & Öhler is one of the most iconic and historically important department stores in the German-speaking world — a true Austrian retail institution with more than 150 years of family-run heritage behind every collection it sells. The Kastner & Öhler story began on 1 April 1873 in Troppau (today's Opava in the Czech Republic), when the accountant Karl Kastner and the salesman Hermann Öhler founded a small haberdashery (mercery) under their joined names. Ten years later, in 1883, while passing through Graz, Karl Kastner discovered a vacant shop on Sackstraße, rented it on the spot, and laid the foundation for what would become one of Europe's most innovative retail businesses. Kastner & Öhler was the first company in Central Europe to introduce fixed prices, pioneered an early multilingual mail-order service across the Habsburg empire, and, in 1894, opened the first true department store in Austria-Hungary in Graz — complete with galleries on three floors, elevators, and a central glass-roofed atrium. Between 1912 and 1914, the famous Vienna architects Fellner & Helmer (who had also designed the Graz Opera) expanded the building into one of the most advanced warehouses in Europe, with air conditioning and a stained-glass dome. After further refurbishments in 1991 and a major modernisation by the Spanish architects Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano between 2005 and 2010, the Graz flagship today spans around 20,000 m² across six storeys, comprises ten linked historic buildings from several centuries, and is crowned by a now-famous skywalk on the sixth floor with panoramic views over the Graz old town. As of today, Kastner & Öhler is the largest Austrian-owned fashion company — a family business that runs around 14 fashion department stores and two outlets across Austria, alongside its sister sports-retail chain Gigasport (launched in 1994) with around 19 stores, all anchored by the kastner-oehler.at online store.
The Kastner & Öhler online store at kastner-oehler.at gives customers access to an enormous, expertly curated catalogue of more than 70,000 articles from around 500 premium and designer brands — covering virtually everything a modern fashion department store should offer. The womenswear and menswear ranges span everyday essentials and on-trend contemporary fashion all the way to true luxury — including names such as Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry, Ermenegildo Zegna, Polo Ralph Lauren, Etro, Max Mara, Moncler, Stone Island, Acne Studios, Strenesse, Drykorn, Marc O'Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Levi's, COS, AllSaints, Diesel, and many more. The footwear, sneakers, handbag, and accessories ranges include premium and lifestyle labels, while the beauty hall offers designer fragrance, prestige skincare, and high-end makeup. The Kastner & Öhler offer also extends into kidswear, a dedicated home and living section (under the K&Ö Home concept), and — through its sister chain Gigasport — a serious sports and outdoor offering covering running, skiing, hiking, fitness, and lifestyle sport, with technical brands and equipment. Combined with the in-store Spar food market at the Graz flagship, this makes Kastner & Öhler an unusually complete shopping destination — equal parts fashion department store, luxury boutique, and modern lifestyle hub.
What truly sets Kastner & Öhler apart is the exceptional combination of its centuries-old heritage as a retail innovator, its family-run independence, and the architectural and curatorial quality of its stores. Throughout its history, Kastner & Öhler has been a genuine pioneer — introducing the concept of fixed prices to Central Europe, running one of its first international mail-order services in multiple languages, building the very first department store of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and even regulating employee working hours and holidays earlier than most. That innovative DNA still shapes the business today: under the company philosophy "retail is detail," every aspect of the experience — from the famously beautiful architecture of the Graz flagship to the curation of its 500-brand catalogue and the careful design of each new branch — is built around quality, atmosphere, and service. As one of the largest Austrian-owned fashion houses, Kastner & Öhler is also uniquely positioned to combine the buying power of a major retailer with the personal touch of a family business, offering services such as personal shopping, tailoring and alterations, beauty consultations, and an elevated in-store experience.
With shipping across its markets, click-and-collect from around 14 fashion stores, 19 Gigasport sports stores, and dedicated outlets in Austria, secure online payment options (including major credit and debit cards, EPS, Bancontact, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other major local payment methods, with instalment options where available), a customer-friendly returns policy, dedicated multilingual customer service, regular promotions and seasonal sales, exclusive collaborations and limited collections, an iconic flagship store on Sackstraße in Graz featuring around 20,000 m² of retail space, a famous skywalk, and an in-store Spar food market, and an enormous catalogue of more than 70,000 items from around 500 premium and designer fashion, beauty, footwear, accessories, home, and sport brands, Kastner & Öhler delivers a trusted online and in-store shopping experience for modern fashion, beauty, home, and sport — backed by more than 150 years of pioneering Austrian department-store heritage and its position as the largest Austrian-owned fashion house, alongside its sister sports chain Gigasport.
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