Request a Retail Check

German grocery retail development · for international food manufacturers

Having a distributor in Germany is not the same as having a German retail business.

Wellaton acts as the senior local retail sales arm for international food manufacturers — from commercial assessment and buyer access to listings and account development.

Request a German Retail Check → Meet Paul & Bernhard ↓
Your product in GermanySTATUS
  • Importer / distributor✓ in place
  • Listed in mainstream grocery?
  • Selling through at the shelf?
  • Growing retail account?
PRESENCE ≠ BUSINESSDE · DACH

Where is your German business today?

You work with us directly.

Wellaton is senior-led by design. Your German business is developed directly by Paul Slipetz and Bernhard Holzki, not handed to a junior team.

PS
Paul Slipetz

Paul Slipetz

International Business & Market Development

20+ years in international FMCG sales & marketing with Colgate-Palmolive, BIC and E. & J. Gallo Winery. As Managing Director of UNICONF Deutschland, built the company's German grocery business from scratch to nationwide distribution. Today also leads international market-entry projects across Europe, the Americas, India and APAC.

From the manufacturer's side
Market prioritiesCommercial modelPortfolio choiceRoute-to-marketDistributor strategyInvestment logic
LinkedIn ↗
BH
Bernhard Holzki

Bernhard Holzki

German Retail & Commercial Execution

25+ years in German sales, certification and complex negotiations with German retailers.

From the German retail side
Retailer fitBuyer expectationsPricing realityNegotiationsListingsAccount development

International manufacturer thinking. German retail execution. Both sides have to work for a German retail business to last.

Selected experience in German retail

Results Paul and Bernhard have delivered for manufacturers in German grocery.

Spanish confectionery

UNICONF

Listed with Edeka & Rewe in more than 500 stores.

Paul, as Managing Director of UNICONF Deutschland

Danish frozen food

DALOON

Listed with Lidl, Globus and Netto.

Bernhard Holzki

Danish canned seafood

MUNKEBO

Listed with Aldi & Kaufland. Revenue doubled.

Bernhard Holzki

German retail requires more than buyer contacts.

Before we approach a buyer, we work through what the buyer will ask, and what your finance director will ask.

  • Product & category fit
  • German shelf price
  • Retail margin structure
  • Manufacturer economics
  • Competitive positioning
  • Packaging & compliance
  • Shelf life
  • Logistics
  • Existing distribution
  • Launch support
  • Long-term account potential
From shelf price to manufacturer net · illustrative
Shelf price€2.49
Net of 7% VAT€2.33
After retailer margin€1.51
After distributor margin€1.13
Manufacturer net, after logistics & launch support€0.98
Illustrative only. Margins differ by retailer, category and route-to-market. This is the calculation we run with you before any buyer sees a price.

The right route depends on the product, the category, the economics and your existing market position.

From product potential to retail business.

  1. Assess

    Product, category, economics and realistic German retail potential.

  2. Prioritise

    The right products, retailers, regions and route-to-market.

  3. Access

    Approach the relevant buyers and decision makers.

  4. Negotiate & launch

    Commercial negotiations, conditions and first listings.

  5. Develop

    Turn listings into sustainable retail accounts.

A buyer meeting is not the objective. A viable retail business is.

Be realistic about time: from first assessment to stable sales in German grocery usually takes 12–18 months. We plan for that from day one.

How we work together
Start

German Retail Check

A first view, at no cost, on whether Germany makes commercial sense for your products.

Then

Commercial assessment

A fixed-scope, fixed-fee project: hero products, price architecture, target retailers and route-to-market.

Ongoing

Retail sales arm

Buyer work, negotiations and account development, on a monthly retainer with a performance component linked to listings and sales.

We are not a distributor and don't take title to your goods. Our interest is the same as yours: a German business that sells.

Hire a German sales team, or start with one that already works?

A senior Key Account Manager in German grocery typically costs €85–90k or more a year once salary, social contributions, car, travel and bonus are included. Cost is only part of the difference.

Your own German hireWellaton
Time to startMonths: search, interviews, notice periods, onboardingFirst written view within 5 working days
Annual cost€85–90k+ fully loadedA fraction of that
SeniorityOne person, one perspectiveTwo senior partners: manufacturer side and German retail side
Category rangeUsually one category backgroundExperience across confectionery, frozen, seafood and more
CommitmentGerman employment contract and its obligationsService agreement with clear terms
As you growHire, onboard and manage more people from abroadWe extend the set-up around your account. You keep one accountable partner.
Built to grow with you

Your German sales organisation, without building one.

Wellaton can become the base of a larger local operation as your German business grows. You keep one accountable partner, and you don't have to recruit, employ or manage a team in Germany.

  1. StartSenior sales armPaul and Bernhard lead assessment, buyer access, negotiations and first listings.
  2. GrowWider account coverageMore retailers and regions, promotion planning, and the full annual negotiation cycle.
  3. ScaleYour local set-upWe add and coordinate field sales, merchandising and order handling around your account. Senior partners stay accountable.

Your accounts, conditions and data stay yours and are fully documented. We keep the business because it works, not because it's hard to leave.

The first question is not how to enter Germany. It's whether the opportunity is worth pursuing.

Before approaching buyers, we look at the product, the economics, current distribution and realistic retail fit. If we don't see a commercially sensible route, we will say so.

German Retail CheckNO CHARGE
You send
Your website, the 1–5 products you would lead with, and where you stand in Germany today.
We review
Personally, by Paul and Bernhard. No templates.
When
Your written first view within 5 working days of receiving your product and price information.
You get
A 45-minute call and a short written first view: which products have the strongest case, how the price position looks, the realistic first route, and a clear go / not yet / no.
We're probably not the right partner if
  • you are looking only for an importer's contact list;
  • you don't yet have the capacity or budget to support a German retail launch;
  • your products are outside food and grocery.

In those cases we'll tell you directly and, where we can, point you somewhere more useful.

We believe German grocery has room for more discovery.

Germany has one of Europe's strongest and most reliable food retail markets. Its shoppers are also more international, more travelled and more curious about food than ever. Good products deserve a fair chance on German shelves, when the commercial case works for the manufacturer and for the retailer.

Request a German Retail Check

About two minutes. Read personally by Paul or Bernhard.

Where are you in Germany today? *

We process your details only to answer your request. Details in our privacy policy.

Prefer email? ps@wellaton.eu · Call or WhatsApp Paul: +49 172 587 4237