Planegg has a new kitchen studio: The kitchen meeting point at Bahnhofstrasse 7 offers kitchens and accessories from four brands. Owner Torsten Bickelhaupt deliberately wanted to move to the Würmtal.
Planegg– In Freiham, Torsten Bickelhaupt recently managed a branch of Küchen-Treff, which is a total of 380 times in Germany, including another in Munich. “But we had wanted to leave Freiham for a long time because the studio there was too big and too expensive. We had 800 square meters on two floors in Freiham. Not only the rent, but also the necessary four employees cost a lot of money, ”says Bickelhaupt in the conversation with Merkur. The rent per square meter in Planegg is the same as in Freiham. With 200 square meters, the rooms are much smaller and more familiar. In addition to Bickelhaupt, there is only one employee working in the studio itself. Instead of the 30 kitchens previously built, only eight kitchens are required.
A conscious decision for the Würmtal
Torsten Bickelhaupt deliberately wanted to move to the Würmtal. "Because many of our customers in Freiham came from here anyway, so we don't have to start from scratch." By chance, the kitchen meeting team discovered one day that the shop at Bahnhofstrasse 7 was empty after Feinkost Käfer moved out . After agreement with landlord Andreas stepslocher, Bickelhaupt has been paying rent since November. The opening was originally supposed to be much earlier until the Corona crisis intervened. "What had the advantage for me was that I was able to dismantle the old shop in Freiham without customer traffic and build the new one in Planegg, but at the same time, of course, it meant a big loss in sales," says Bickelhaupt. Not all of the exhibited and remaining kitchens in Freiham could be sold in this way. There are still three that Bickelhaupt wants to sell online. The eight kitchens in the Planegger branch had been set up for months.
The kitchen meeting officially opened on June 2nd, initially without an opening ceremony. “Actually we wanted to make the opening during the Würmtaler carnival procession, but that didn't work. Perhaps we will have a small celebration for regular customers and friends or later an event where you can get a voucher for a kitchen purchase for one of the surrounding inns such as the Heide-Volm or the Bräustüberl, ”says Bickelhaupt. Only a few days after the opening, his schedule is already full, including with regular customers from Freiham.
The studio is open Wednesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. "On Mondays and Tuesdays we need to process all orders and make the plans." Küchen-Treff has kitchens from the brands pino, Nobilia, Ballerina and allmilmö as well as the corresponding accessories such as doors, sinks and cutlery inserts. All service work such as assembly is of course also part of the program. “We have no special target group, but rather have kitchens for everyone and all price ranges from 5000 euros. For example, we want to be interesting for Planegger, Gräfelfinger or Gautinger who don't want to go into the city because of kitchen viewing, ”says Bickelhaupt, who originally trained as an office clerk and then came into the industry by managing a kitchen studio and selling it there.
Predecessor Feinkost Käfer only stayed on the premises at Bahnhofstrasse 7 for around 16 months, but Bickelhaupt is optimistic. "Käfer had a lot of things like bread, cheese and sausage that were already available elsewhere in Bahnhofstrasse, but only a little different and more expensive for Käfer." Many customers therefore did not switch from their previous grocery store, the 49-year-old suspects. Bickelhaupt hopes that there aren't that many high-quality kitchen studios in the area, so there should be enough space in the market. "We really like the Planegger Bahnhofstrasse and we want to contribute to reviving it."