Footwear retailer Deichmann is rolling out a standardised network infrastructure in partnership with Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica. Within a year, the company aims to equip 4,000 stores worldwide with Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) technology. This shall provide its retail outlets with reliable and fast access to standardised digital applications. The contracting parties explain this in the Handelsblatt podcast ‘So klingt Wirtschaft’.
“Customers no longer think in terms of channels – they switch back and forth between online and in-store as a matter of course,” says Oliver Hainke, Vice President of IT Infrastructure at Deichmann, describing the situation. Consumers expect to be able to pick up shoes they saw online in the evening from a store the next morning. That sounds simple, he says, but is technically very complex.
The new network technology is intended to create an infrastructure that enables digital applications to be rolled out standardised across all locations and controlled centrally. Robust connectivity, scalability and security are essential prerequisites for omni-channel operations, explains Cigdem Mareski, Head of B2B Technical Delivery at Telefónica Deutschland, concluding: “No network connection means a loss of revenue relatively quickly.”
Centralised control orchestrates all locations
SD-WAN architecture is designed to offer greater flexibility and better control at lower costs compared to traditional MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) network technology. MPLS requires specialised hardware and uses fixed connections from the provider. In contrast, SD-WAN dynamically combines different connection types such as the internet, LTE/5G or even MPLS, and distributes traffic via software-controlled management based on application, quality and cost.
The technology enables orchestration and control of multiple sites from a single user interface. With its so-called ‘zero-touch provisioning’, Telefónica promises plug-and-play functionality for its routers. Once switched on, the device downloads its full configuration from Telefónica’s servers. The provider manages settings in the cloud and distributes them across all locations. It states that the equipment in a store can be replaced in a maximum of 30 minutes, with just 30 seconds of downtime. New SD-WAN devices can be integrated without any additional effort.
German stores already migrated
Deichmann has been working with the telecommunications provider since early 2025. In an initial step, the company, including its banner operation Snipes, migrated around 1,300 of its stores in Germany to Telefónica as its internet service provider. With the current project, the retailer aims to standardise its digital infrastructure internationally as well.
