Our local teams will do the work
Finding distributors or retail sales channels might be straightforward, but discovering the right one that drives revenue for your business is a real challenge.
With our Scan-Launch-Grow approach we make this task significantly easier for you! Our local teams have a vast network of distributors and retail channels, know what is important to them and can reach out easily.
Germany is one of the largest markets of Europe, but also a conservative one and difficult to penetrate from abroad.
As of 2024, Germany’s population is estimated at about 83.25 million people. This represents a slight decrease in population growth, with a density of approximately 239 people per square kilometer. The country has also experienced significant immigration, including a substantial influx of refugees.
Germany is a major global economic player, renowned for its industrial output and robust economy. The country has a strong focus on manufacturing and export, especially in the automotive and machinery sectors.
Germany is home to several large cities, with Berlin being the largest, followed by Hamburg and Munich. The country also has a large number of smaller cities and towns, with a total of 82 cities having populations of more than 100,000 people.
Germany’s distribution structure is characterised by:
This forces any new supplier to work through mostly regional distributors, in order to get sufficient penetration. An agent or importer may be needed to service them all.
It may be wise to focus first on one region in Germany, or to concentrate with more high-end products in the major cities of the country.
Edeka: Edeka is the largest supermarket retail chain in Germany with a turnover of €62.7 billion in 2021. The chain operates several banners, including Edeka, Marktkauf, Netto, NP Niedrig-Preis, Diska, and SPAR Express, and has a vast network of around 11,126 stores.
Lidl & Kaufland: These two brands, both part of the Schwarz Group, collectively achieved a turnover of €48.4 billion in 2021. They operate a combined total of 3,992 stores in Germany, with Lidl having 3,242 outlets and Kaufland boasting 750 stores.
REWE: REWE reported an estimated turnover of €33.94 billion in 2021. The group operates several banners, including nahkauf, Penny, REWE, and others, with a network of 6,725 stores in Germany.
Aldi: Including both Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd, Aldi reported a turnover of €30.25 billion in 2021. Across Germany, it operates 4,186 stores. Aldi has a long history, dating back to its foundation in 1913.
Lekkerland: This wholesale and retail company, part of the REWE Group, reported a turnover of €8.2 billion in 2020.
Germany has many trade shows which are an excellent way to showcase your products and to orient yourself on the market. However, due to the sheer size of these shows chances are small that a purchasing manager of a major chain will accidentally visit your booth. A dedicated distributor search, preferably in another moment of the year, may yield more results for substantially less than the costs of a booth.
If you decide to have your booth at a German trade show, be well prepared and have your message tailored to the European and especially German visitors. It might be a good idea to contact relevant distribution channels in advance and invite them to your booth.
We work with local teams, who already know the market, speak the language and know the business culture.
We can compare different markets and as we can help you in all of them, we only favor the market that may work out best for you.
We help you avoid cultural misunderstandings, compliance issues, and other risks associated with entering a new market.
The best way to learn about a market is to start reaching out and adjust your sales pitch on-the-go. This is what we do in our Scan-Launch-Grow approach.
1st month
We dive into your product and what sales strategy has worked for you in other countries. We show you offering to various potential distributors or brokers to collect feedback. And we review your competition so that we can determine the best market entry strategy.
2nd month
Together with you we develop a first pitch for your target group. We extend our long-list of potential targets further and start reaching out, getting to the right decision makers and pitching your product. And we discuss the results with you, in order to optimise your strategy further.
3rd and next months
We keep searching for new distributor candidates and reach out to them. We also follow-up on previous contacts we had and on leads that you bring in. We introduce you to interested parties, but we can also support in meetings or close deals on your behalf. Every month we review our results.
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