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Consumer Goods Industry
Large Markets Create Major Opportunities
With a population of 82 million, Germany is Europe's largest consumer market. The German population is affluent and the trend of recent years has shown continuous positive development. German consumers - ranging from the conventional to the trend-setter - follow increasingly individual value-for-money concepts.
This means that they are just as open to discount retailers as they are established brand names across different product segments. The generation 50+ consumer group in particular is more attractive as a target group than ever before. This is because they are the largest consumer group with the greatest purchasing power. Moreover, they are also highly active, demanding, and quality conscious.
E-commerce, flexible opening hours and innovative sales services help boost demand. Modern and consumer friendly retail structures support both volume business as well as niche suppliers alike.
Our Industry in Numbers
- Europe's leading consumer market with 82 million affluent consumers
- private spending remained stable in 2008 at EUR 1,854 billion
- in 2008 private spending in the leisure and apparel segments grew by 1.8 percent on 2007 levels
- Germany's consumer electronics market grew by 4.3% to 12.3 billion Euro in 2008
- 65.8% of Germans used the internet in 2008 (42.7 million internet users)
- B2C e-commerce turnover was 20 billion Euro in 2008 (equivalent to nine percent annual growth)
Our Advantages
MARKET - Thanks to a strong consumer market, excellent geographical location with easy access to all European markets, and technological leadership, Germany is an excellent entry point to the European retail market. Thanks to the country's unique "Made in Germany" quality seal, custom-made products enjoy popularity both at home and abroad. Moreover, numerous German companies within the retail value chain have European market networks which make them valuable partners.
INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE - We offer an extensive and comprehensive logistics infrastructure that integrates state-of-the-art transportation networks with the most modern IT and telecommunications systems.
PERSONNEL - Germany has a large pool of highly qualified and motivated employees and offers competitive labor costs compared to both Western and Eastern Europe. Innovative contracts in line with the market drawn up with the involved labor agreement parties allow labor cost savings of up to 40 percent.
INCENTIVES - Germany offers numerous incentives for all investors - regardless of whether they are from Germany or otherwise. There is a large selection of programs designed to support a wide variety of business activities at different stages of the investment process available. Support ranges from cash incentives for the reimbursement of direct investment costs to incentives for labor and research and development (R&D).
STABLE INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT - Social, economic, and political stability provide a solid base for your corporate projects. Our judiciary and civil services are highly professional. Contractual agreements are secure, and intellectual property is strictly protected in Germany.
Take Advantage of Our Free Help - Whether you need to make connections, meet partners, choose locations, or maximize incentives, we're here to help you!
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