Distributing a product

Evolution of the sector

With more than 82 million inhabitants, the German market is the largest in Europe; it is very competitive and segmented, with many sectors and products being saturated; the quality and services offered are essential. The main economic areas are North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden Wurtenberg, Bavaria, Hamburg, Berlin and Hanover, plus Leipzig for former East Germany.

Market shares

Germany's distribution structure is characterized by:
- the large number of small independent shops;
- the sector's low level of concentration, compared with the main European markets (France, United Kingdom, Belgium);
- the predominance of distribution in city centers and urban areas;
- very few "hypermarket" style stores;
- the domination of "hard discount" stores and the importance of distance selling (mail order, e-commerce, teleshopping).

German distribution is divided between the following distribution channels: Traditional retail trade (24.8%); Specialized hypermarkets (22%); Nonfood chain stores (13%); DIY hypermarkets (11.7%); Discounters (11%); Supermarkets (7.9%); Distance selling (5.8%); Department stores (3.8%). Sources : Ifo-Institut & destatis

The three leading German distribution groups are Metro, Rewe and Edeka/Ava. « Hard discount » is the leading type of food distribution, registering growth of about 10% and generating 40% of total food sales. The rise of discounters such as Lidl or Aldi has forced distributors to wage a price war: so, insufficient margins may slow down the modernization of sales outlets and the development of new distribution concepts. Relations between distributors and their suppliers, said to be very difficult, have become even more strained. A trend towards concentration has appeared and groups such as Karstadt-Quelle, Edeka-Tengelmann, and discounters like the American Wal-Mart are now competing hard, bringing down suppliers' margins.

Organizations in the retail sector

German Retail Business Federation (German only)

We can identify professional tradeshows on your sector.

Market access procedures

International Conventions

Member of World Trade Organisation
Member of OECD
Party to the Kyoto protocol
Party to the Washington convention on International trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora
Party to the Basel convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal
Party to the Montreal protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer
Wassenaar arrangement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies
Party of the International coffee agreement 2001

Main International economic cooperation

Member of the European Union
Member of the European Economic Area which since 1 January 1993 guarantees the free movement of most goods between European countries.
Multilateral agreements and bilateral agreements with many countries.

Non tariff barriers

As it is a member of the European Union, Germany applies the Community regulations which are valid throughout the Union.

If the EU has quite a liberal foreign trade policy, there are a certain number of restrictions, especially at the level of agricultural products, ensuing from the implementation of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy): applying compensations when importing and exporting agricultural products to favor the development of agriculture within the EU implies a certain number of systems to control and regulate goods entering EU territory.
Moreover, for sanitary reasons, as regards the presence of Genetically Modified Organisms, if they are allowed in Europe, their presence must, for example, be systematically specified on packaging. Importing beef fed on hormones is also prohibited. The BSE crisis (called "mad cow disease") has encouraged the European authorities to reinforce phytosanitary measures to ensure the quality of meat entering and circulating in EU countries. The principle of precaution is now more widely favored: in case of doubt, import is prohibited until the non- noxiousness of the goods is proved.

Some other goods remain prohibited or subject to specific formalities. For example, medicines for human use, waste, plants or live animals.

Customs duties and taxes on imports

Trade, inside the EU, in goods originating from one of the 27 Member States is totally free of Customs Duty. This trade consists of delivery and purchases inside the Community and not of exports and imports.
Duties for countries outside Europe are not very high, especially for industrial products (4.2% on average for the general tariff).

Customs classification

Practically speaking, it is the TARIC code (made up of 10 digits) which enables Customs duty rates to be defined as well as the Community regulations applicable when a product is imported from a country which does not belong to the European Union.To find out the Customs duty on a product based on its country of origin, you should consult the TARIC database.

Import procedures

When goods from within the Community enter Germany, the exporter must obligatorily fill out, at the end of the month, a DEB (declaration of exchange of goods) or an Intrastat Declaration.

As part of the "SAFE" standards advocated by the World Customs Organization (WCO), the European Union has set up a new system of import controls, the "Import Control System" (ICS), which aims to secure the flow of goods at the time of their entry into the customs territory of the EU. This control system, part of the Community Program eCustomer, has been in effect since January 1, 2011. Since then, operators are required to pass an Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) to the customs of the country of entry, prior to the introduction of goods into the customs territory of the European Union.

 

In addition to the written customs declaration, an invoice and sometimes a certificate of origin must be joined to imported products. The modernized customs code (MCC), entered into force in 2008, simplifies the procedures, for exemple by introducing a paperless environment and cenralizing transactions.

Importing samples

For the import, export and re-export of commercial samples the ATA (Temporary Admission) carnet can be used. It must be written on the product that it is a free sample and that it may not be sold.

For further information

German Customs
Bundesministerium der Finanzen

We can indicate you which are the customs duties applied to your product.

Find out the local taxes that apply to your product.

Organizing goods transport

Main useful means of transport

Road transport is the main means used for goods. 268 million tonnes of goods are transported by sea each year in Germany against 2,767 million tonnes by road transport.

On motorways, a tax on industrial vehicles with a gross weight over 12 tonnes has been in force since 1995. The tariffs are set per day, week, month or year and consist of a subscription which entitles the driver to a certificate which he must present.

Ports

Port of Hamburg
Port of Bremen
Port of Rostock
Port of Lübeck
Port of Kiel
Port of Wilhelmshaven

Airports

Berlin Airport

Sea transport organizations

Ministry of Transport

Air transport organizations

German Civil Aviation

Road transport organizations

DEGES (German only)

Rail transport organizations

Federal Railway Authority

Get a ballpark figure for transportation costs for your product in this country through a shipping estimate.

Identifying a supplier

Type of production

Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Contact Center, Electronics, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Communications Technology, Logistique, Machinery and equipment industry, Nanotechnology, Renewable energies and ressources industry, Tourism and leisure industry.

Business directories

White and Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
White pages
Europages

Manufacturers associations of the main industries

Chemical Industry Federation
Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies
The German Aerospace Industries Association
The German Automotive Industry Association
German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies
The Federation of German Food and Drink Industries
VDMA Associations

Trade Agencies and their representations abroad

American Chamber of Commerce in Germany
http://www.darmstadt.ihk.de/en/servicelabels/aboutus/494808/ccc_dihk.html">The German Chambers of Industry and Commerce

Enterprises federation

Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V., BDI - Federation of German Industries

Standards

National standards organizations

German Institute for Standardization
DKE  German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies of DIN and VDE
Association for Electrical, Electronic &Information Technologies

Integration in the international standards network

At the European level:
- CEN, European Committee for Standardization
- CENELEC, European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
- European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

At the International level:
- International Standards organization (ISO)
- International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

German standards are often used as the basis for the european standardization system.

Classification of standards

CE, DIN, ISO

Online consultation of standards

Beuth

 

The on-line catalog of European standards

The ISO catalog

The IEC catalog

Certification organizations

German Institute for Standardization
ISO International Organization for Standardization
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc
VDE - Association for electrical, electronic and information technologies
Technischer Uberwachungsverein e.V. - TUV (Technical Inspection Association)

Find out the standards and labelling requirements that apply to your products.

Intellectual Property

National organizations

The organization responsible for the protection of intellectual property in Germany is the Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt (DPMA).

Regional organizations

For the protection of patents: The European Patent Office.
Governing trade marks, designs and models: The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market.

International membership

Member of the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
Signatory to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property
Membership to the TRIPS agreement - Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)