List of the 300 largest companies with onlineshops Germany [2024]

List of the 5 largest companies with onlineshops in Germany

In 2020, German online retail generated nearly 73 billion euros in sales – a record. eCommerce is a serious competitor for brick-and-mortar retail. These are the 5 largest German companies with online stores.

1. CECONOMY AG, Dusseldorf

CECONOMY came into being in 2017. The company combines the electronics retail division of the former Metro Group. CECONOMY’s business still rests heavily on around a thousand “classic” electronics stores under the MediaMarkt and Saturn brands. However, online retailing is becoming increasingly important as a second major sales channel alongside bricks-and-mortar retailing.

Update 2023: The Düsseldorf-based electronics retailer wants to significantly increase sales in online retailing and thus become more lucrative overall. In addition, the retail stores of the MediaMarkt and Saturn divisions, which belong to the company, are to be modernized, and the profitable service area relating to appliance repairs is also to be expanded.

2. BayWa AG, Munich

BayWa was founded in 1923 as a cooperative institution for Bavarian agriculture. Today, BayWa is an internationally active group in the business areas of agriculture, building materials trading, fuel sales, renewable energies, innovation & digitalization. In the areas of agriculture, building materials and energy, it also operates online stores (www.baywa.de).

3. Otto (GmbH & Co KG), Hamburg

Otto has successfully managed the transformation from a catalog-based mail order company to an online retailer. The Otto Group operates around 100 online stores, generating around three quarters of its revenues. The main products on offer are everyday goods relating to fashion, accessories, furnishings and fittings.

Update 2024: The latest business figures show that the Group is currently experiencing a minor crisis. In this context, the company posted a loss of 413 million euros in the 2022/23 financial year (to the end of February). Among other things, the Hamburg-based Otto Group operates otto.de, the second-largest online store in Germany.

4. Zalando SE, Berlin

Zalando can be considered the inventor of online shoe retailing in Germany. Since its launch in 2008, the Berlin-based company has written a remarkable success story. Today, with 16,000 employees, Zalando serves 44 million customers in 23 European markets with shoes, fashion and cosmetics – predominantly online.

5. Deichmann SE, Essen

The family-owned company Deichmann has its roots in stationary shoe retailing. This is still the mainstay of the business. Deichmann operates around 4,200 shoe stores in 31 countries. Online retail has been added as a second pillar. There are around 40 Deichmann online stores (www.deichmann.com).

Picture source: Igor Miske via Unsplash (04.07.2023)

Industries and companies with online stores

The database of the largest companies that operate their own online store is made up of companies with a different background. The decisive criterion is that the companies have their own online store. This is true for e-commerce companies that trade exclusively or primarily over the Internet. The list also contains classic traders who come from the stationary trade and have extended their service by an online store. Last but not least, consumer goods companies must also be taken into account, which not only use third party traders but also sell the products independently. Thus, there is a large overlap with our lists of the largest retail companies and the top e-commerce companies.

This information is included in the directory

• Company name
• General contact data (address, e-mail address, telephone number, URL)
• Name of the management
• Serial letter suitable for addressing the management (e.g. “Dear Dr. Müller”)
• Sales figures for the years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 (taken from the annual and consolidated financial statements)
• Employee figures for the years 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (taken from the annual and consolidated financial statements)
• Sector classification & Field of activity

Note: If the sales and employee figures are not included in a company’s own financial statements but in the parent company’s consolidated financial statements, the data from the respective consolidated financial statements are provided.

Picture source: Blake Wisz via Unsplash (04.07.2023)

Map of the online-store-companies

Distribution by federal state

In which federal states are most of the companies that operate their own online store located? Our database tells you at a glance. Bavaria is in first place, with Munich in particular contributing to the ranking. Since many of the companies on the list are located in Cologne or Düsseldorf, NRW is in second place. In Baden-Württemberg, the companies on the list are spread across many cities, and Berlin is even in first place in a Germany-wide comparison of cities. More detailed analyses are easily possible with the database of the largest companies with their own online store. Thanks to the clear preparation, you save hours of data research and data management. You can immediately start with the actual work.