Arcandor AG was a holding company located in Essen, Germany, that oversaw a number of companies operating in the businesses of mail order and internet shopping, department stores and tourism services. It was formed in 1999 by the merger of Karstadt Warenhaus AG, founded in 1920, with Quelle AG, founded in 1927. In 2005, the corporation had about 68,000 employees and annual sales of €15.5 billion. Its stocks were traded on the Mid Cap DAX until September 2009. The company's largest store was Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) in Berlin, and the largest store operated by Karstadt was in Frankfurt.

Arcandor requested financial assistance from the German government, which was rejected by the European Commission on 3 June 2009. On 6 June 2009, the company announced it was no longer able to pay rent for its department stores, which the company had previously sold and leasebacked. Three days later, the company filed for bankruptcy.