BTU Founders expand into the Netherlands

The BTU founders Elbenwald, who started up in 2000, have become known and popular for their original fan articles. Previously represented in several cities in Germany and Austria, they are now expanding to the Netherlands with the opening of a shop in Amsterdam on 29 July 2023.

The BTU Startup Community had the opportunity to get an overview in advance and talk to project manager Tobias Bartsch about this exciting venture.

Congratulations on the new shop! How did you come to expand to the Netherlands?

We had wanted to go international with Elbenwald for a long time. We had a few options for expansion and there were other countries that were interesting for us. Since we were able to take over the premises of a previously known retailer in Amsterdam, it was clear to us that this would be our next expansion.

How is the Amsterdam shop equipped and developed compared to the others in Germany and Austria?

We have two floors here with a floor area of about 70 m2. We also have nice high ceilings, so we can decorate a lot. We also have an exterior window made of laminated glass, which we will cover with a film so that it looks like a sunset with different characters from the outside. The only thing I miss here is more width, but in the Netherlands you build upwards.

The most exciting thing is that we have incredibly great employees from the Netherlands. They told us which TV series and fantasy characters are popular here. According to these statements, we tried to equip the shop in such a way that it would be attractive to the customers. Since we don't have a benchmark, we may well have to redecorate everything after a year. We are excited to see what is in store for us.

Germany is very well known for its bureaucracy. What is your experience in the Netherlands so far?

It's much more relaxed here. Of course, registering a business is bureaucratic here too, but everything that is not time-consuming is not much more time-consuming here.

What other expansion plans do you have?           

This year, the focus is really on improving what we already have. We're going to completely revamp two shops. One will be more than doubled in size and the other, our Viennese shop, will be rebuilt and equipped with new furniture, showcases and a new floor.

Thank you very much for the interview and good luck!

If you want to experience Elbenwald at close quarters, you don't have to go far, you can visit the Elbenwald Festival in Cottbus from 11 to 13 August!

You can find more background information about Elbenwald in our founder interview.