IBM Deutschland Informationssysteme GmbH is going shopping in a big way: it has teamed up with major German retailer Karstadt AG to establish an on-line shopping service. The two have agreed to an open-ended understanding that they will develop hardware, multimedia kiosks, internet, on-line shopping, network technologies and services, and to use their individual strengths to acquire new customers, bring projects to fruition and provide services. Deutsche Telekom AG is part of the plan, and will offer access to Karstadt’s planned virtual department store through its T-Online service, while Karstadt will market T-Online via its physical outlets. Karstadt chairman Walter Deuss said the broad partnership with IBM would enable it to develop multimedia as its fourth major business sector.
