Network infrastructure in Retail Telefónica Deutschland connects thousands of DEICHMANN Stores across Europe

Digital functions such as mobile payment or data-driven customer advisory services place high demands on store infrastructure. These systems must operate reliably, consistently, and in a scalable manner across national borders. The new SD-WAN architecture establishes exactly this foundation, enabling DEICHMANN to deploy applications and services in a standardized way across all locations. With this Europe-wide SD-WAN roll-out, DEICHMANN is modernizing its store infrastructure and creating the conditions to respond flexibly to future demands in retail operations. New technologies and digital applications can be tested, deployed, and adapted to changing business requirements more quickly – centrally controlled and across all locations. „Customers today no longer differentiate between online and offline – they expect the same experience everywhere: fast, available, and seamless. The foundation for this is an infrastructure that works consistently across all locations. This allows us to roll out applications in a standardized way and manage them centrally“, says Oliver Hainke, Vice President IT Infrastructure at DEICHMANN.

The collaboration between DEICHMANN and Telefónica Deutschland began in 2025 with the migration of around 1,300 German stores to Telefónica Deutschland as Internet-Service-Provider. Building on this, the next step is the rollout of a standardized SD-WAN architecture across Europe. „In retail, infrastructure now determines how quickly a company can implement new digital applications. Many retailers face limitations because their systems have evolved over time and are difficult to scale. SD-WAN provides the foundation to centrally manage store networks, adapt them flexibly, and make new applications available across thousands of locations within a short time. Connectivity is therefore evolving from a pure IT topic into a strategic prerequisite for growth and new business models in retail“, says Andreas Schönfeld, Director Enterprise at Telefónica Deutschland.

The collaboration with DEICHMANN exemplifies how Telefónica Deutschland supports companies in modernizing their digital infrastructure across Europe. Together, solutions are being implemented that go beyond connectivity to enable standardized, scalable, and future-proof networking of retail locations.

SD-WAN stands for “Software-Defined Wide Area Network” and describes a modern networking technology in which centralized software intelligently manages data traffic within companies. While traditional corporate networks operate like fixed highways with predetermined routes, SD-WAN continuously analyzes network conditions and dynamically selects the best path for each individual data request. This improves both application speed and stability. In addition, SD-WAN enables faster deployment of digital applications across multiple locations and simplifies the integration of new stores. At the same time, it reduces costs through more efficient use of existing networks and enhances security through centralized control and integrated protection mechanisms.