Franzen Team
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Tableware
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Sitting at the table with friends and family, enjoying delicious food and good conversation – this is surely pure joie de vivre in terms of tableware, which is celebrated by no one quite as perfectly as by Franzen. The range of porcelain from all renowned manufactories and international manufacturers, from crockery to art objects and figurines, is unique in Germany.
All desirable objects in terms of classic and modern design for crystal and glass, cutlery and silver, are lovingly displayed in combination with porcelain in the individual galleries and according to topic. The sales employees are familiar with every single piece right down to the very last detail and continually keep on top of the latest trends. The specialists actively approach customers and assist them when it comes to wish or gift lists. You are in good hands with Franzen. Even after 100 years on the Kö, tailor-made service is the soul of the business.
Jewelry - Watches
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Sparkling precious stones such as tourmaline, moonstones, aquamarine and diamonds are their area of expertise. They know all about the advantages of a chronograph and are at home in the world of precious metals. The skill of the watch and jewelry experts lies in making the right selection from the expansive product range. Their aim is to find a harmonious balance between high value and nonchalance. The specialists know their way around the high-caliber industry and are the best possible consultants for the customers. The atmosphere in the Franzen jewelry box is one of competency and discretion – a fact which is highly appreciated by national and international customers alike.
Cooking - Design - Stationery
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Cooking programs and cookery books are everywhere. Cooking has become one of the most popular leisure activities – a trend which registered on Franzen’s seismic scale 15 years ago. Back then, the »Cook Shop« was established for gourmets. From garlic presses and kitchen aids to the best knives and stylish espresso machines – all exclusive in function and aesthetics – Franzen has everything required for excellent cooking.
Are you looking for a gift? The who is who of leading brands is represented in the stationery department. This is the home of innovative, modern design and trendy, avant-garde items. Up-to-date with all respective trade fair launches, the staff is available to provide customers with expert advice when it comes to the selection of writing utensils, leather accessories and sophisticated office equipment or of small souvenirs or beautiful scarves. The product range is diverse, but only the best brands can be found at Franzen.
Language diversity
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Düsseldorf is more than just »the town on the Düssel«. The state capital is a popular metropolis and it is growing. The quality of life here is one of the best in the world. Major Dax-listed companies are based here, media and advertising corporations, and the airport is a turnstile to the rest of the world. The fashion and trade fair city of Düsseldorf is one of Germany’s most important showcases. Every year, it is host to over 40 trade fairs – more than 20 of which are the leading fairs worldwide in their respective industries.
Düsseldorf is on track to set new records and more popular than ever as a tourist magnet.
Business people and visitors from all over the world stroll over the Kö and go on shopping tours. The tone here is set by prestige, flair and uniqueness. The Kö is used to superlatives and it takes great care of its appearance – as has the Franzen house for the last 100 years. To make things as pleasant and convenient as possible for international customers, Franzen places huge importance on the ability of its team to speak many languages. Almost all employees speak English. Additionally, they cater to »conventional« languages such as French, Italian or Spanish. However, even more »unusual« languages are represented, including Portuguese, Russian, Japanese and Arabic. Customers from all over the world appreciate this special »service«. After all, expert advice in one’s own native language cannot be taken for granted in a foreign country. In times of increasing globalization and internationalization, the Franzen family demands and promotes the diverse language skills of the team. For instance, they employed a Russian coach, who continually trains the Russian-speaking employees in dealing with customers.
Language diversity is a tradition at Franzen. Already the father of the current managing partners spoke fluent English and French – and that at a time at which words like globalization or internationalization did not yet exist.
Trainees
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At Franzen you can find more than just the special things that make life more beautiful. Competent advice and consultation provides the »icing on the cake« – and this frequently from employees whom the company has trained itself. »Targeted personnel training is as much one of our principles as the intensive training of young people« is a conviction pursued consistently by Hermann Franzen as top priority for decades. The training of highly qualified employees forms the basis and secures the future of the company.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Franzen has developed its own, tailor-made training program. This begins directly after the preliminary discussions, before a training contract is even signed, with introduction days for each of the up-and-coming retail merchants. Politeness, friendliness and good manners are basic prerequisites in order to comply with the company’s service expectations.
Uniform aesthetics round off the outer appearance: Each trainee receives company clothing in black and white. The trainers certified by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce give competent lessons in the individual departments of the lifestyle house. Visits to a porcelain manufactory, glass manufactory or jewelry manufacturer often take place as part of the training.
In this way, the trainees learn the manufacturing methods of the individual product areas from the bottom up, improve their understanding of corresponding links and can later advise customers accordingly as an expert member of staff.
Ten trainees are currently learning the profession of retail trader in line with Franzen’s own training model. The result of the qualified and intensive training is impressive: The trainees achieve top marks in the exams of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The Franzen training school enjoys a good reputation in the industry – anyone who learned the trade at Franzen in Düsseldorf will do well anywhere.
Cash Desk and Gift Wrapping
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All customers pass through here. Everyone from near and far – from Russia, the USA, China and the United Arab Emirates, celebrity or non-celebrity – pays for his or her goods at the employees at the central cash desk. This is also the familiar contact point for any questions about vouchers, exchange or tax-free checks. At the Gift Wrapping beside, the purchases are lovingly wrapped in the typical blue-blue or blue-silver Franzen look or in accordance with the occasion in paper of the customer’s choice.
As an aside, the currently longest serving employee of the company can be found at the cash desk: She has been part of the team for 47 years and proudly leads the ranks of numerous other employees, some of whom have been working here on the Kö for 25, 30 or 40 years.
The Good Spirits
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You can rely on them – the »good spirits« who take care of the unpacking and labeling in goods receipt. 500 palettes and 5,000 packages of products are delivered to the Kö every year. On top of that, around 4,500 packages are dispatched annually from here to locations all over the world or delivered by courier service. There is nothing which cannot be packaged at Franzen. The packaging experts ensure that the shipments, which are usually fragile, can survive any possible turbulence over land, sea or air and always reach their destination in perfect condition.
They do their jobs perfectly and international customers have not yet had a single cause for complaint. Several of the »good spirits« also ensure that everything is clean and tidy when the shop opens its doors in the morning. During the day, these employees tend to work in the background, but they do make an appearance in the shop now and then in order to make sure that every display cabinet really gleams.
Back Office
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They like to remain behind the scenes, but without the well integrated team in the back office, no goods would be on display, customers would be unable to hand in any extra orders, no employees would receive their salary and the electronic tills would not work. They form the network responsible for purchasing, delivery plans, complaints, price lists, personnel, team scheduling, correspondence, book-keeping, the telephone switchboard and all electronic data processing. In the background and usually invisible to the customer, they manage the infrastructure so that the business runs perfectly six days a week.
