German Christmas retailer ‘Käthe Wohlfahrt’ to open first UK store in York

Käthe Wohlfahrt, a family run German Christmas Shop, and founders of the famous German Christmas Museum in Rothenburg, is set to open its first UK store in York.

The business has been confirmed as the new tenant to lease the iconic medieval timber framed building previously occupied by Mulberry Hall on Stonegate.

Käthe Wohlfahrt designs, manufactures and sells traditional and modern Christmas decorations and gifts all year round and the new store is set to open in July.

It will be the first UK store for the business, which has permanent and seasonal outlets in a number of German and European cities, including Belgium, Italy and Switzerland as well as Japan, the USA and Canada.

The Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Shop will be moving into the 2,800 sq ft medieval timber framed building, built in 1434, which was occupied by Mulberry Hall for nearly 60 years.

The Käthe Wohlfahrt family have been in business for over half a century and the opening of the York store is due to the high demand for their products from UK customers online and in the Bruges store.

The decision to move to York was due to a number of factors including a working relationship with Adam Sinclair, owner of Mulberry Hall, which closed down in March.

Harald Wohlfahrt, owner of Käthe Wohlfahrt said: “I first visited York as a tourist 40 years ago and instantly fell in love with the charm and character of the city. When I came back last year, I was reminded of the city’s appeal and realised it would be a perfect location for our new UK store.

“After contacting an Estate Agent, I was amazed to discover that the building that I had visited when shopping in Mulberry Hall the first time I came to York was available for lease. I loved the shop and the building then and it totally fits with our Käthe Wohlfahrt concept as all our stores are located in beautiful old buildings that are full of character. Not only that, York’s history, location and vibrant tourist industry make it perfect for us.”

“We are also very grateful that we have benefitted from a huge amount of support from Adam and the Sinclair family. Our families are very alike, with similar values and Adam’s help has made us feel part of the City already. He has introduced us to a number of businesses who are helping us with the construction and launch of the new store and eleven former employees of Mulberry Hall will be joining our team when the store opens.”

Käthe Wohlfahrt has over 30,000 traditional and modern German Christmas decorations in its range. Employing 400 staff all year round worldwide, the business attracts millions of tourists to its retail outlets from all over the world.

Käthe Wohlfahrt opened the Christmas Museum in Rothenburg o.d. Tauber in 2000 which explains the origins and history of Christmas. The business has created a year round ‘Christmas Village’ in the centre of Rothenburg and both have become popular tourist attractions.

Adam Sinclair, formerly owner of Mulberry Hall, commented: “We are delighted to welcome the Wohlfahrt family to York and to our former premises on Stonegate. It is wonderful to see the longstanding family ethos continued with the introduction of such a respected world-wide brand such as Käthe Wohlfahrt to the city and we are very pleased that many of Mulberry Hall’s former employees will be working for them.

“The aspirations of Käthe Wohlfahrt are very similar – to create not just a shop but a destination for enjoyment, inspiration and pleasure, presenting for sale an extensive, high quality, exclusive and unique range of Christmas and modern decorations.”

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