Decoding German Retail

How global brands win in European trade.Starting with Germany's toughest market.What does it really take to get your product listed in German grocery retail? And what can the German market teach you about winning across Europe?The German grocery market is worth over 250 billion euros, controlled by five retail groups, and governed by unwritten rules that most international brands never learn — until it's too late.Decoding German Retail is hosted by Jan Wapelhorst, former buying director at EDEKA, REWE, and Lidl. After 16 years on the other side of the table, he now helps international food manufacturers navigate the complexities of German retail — from Category Management and listing negotiations to pricing architecture and trade spend.Each episode decodes one specific mechanism of the German market. No theory, no fluff — just the insider perspective that buyers never share openly.Whether you're planning your market entry, preparing for a buyer meeting, or trying to understand why your product keeps getting rejected — this podcast gives you the answers you won't find anywhere else.New episodes bi-weekly.Website: wfr-advisory.comContact: info@wfr-advisory.comLinkedIn: Jan WapelhorstAuthor: Jan WapelhorstLanguage: English

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THE AUTUMN ROOM

‧ 13m 42s

The countdown is over. The invitations went out three weeks ago. The first calendar slots are booked. The autumn phase of the German annual negotiation season is live. And most international suppliers still believe the negotiation is a meeting. A room with a spreadsheet, a buyer, and a coffee cup. It is not.
The annual negotiation is a sequence of parallel processes that runs inside a German retail headquarters for about eight weeks straight, and only about twenty percent of it happens in the room the supplier is sitting in. This episode maps the other eighty percent through five signals...

SESSION 05: DIE DREI SÄTZE

‧ 12m 57s

Companion Brief zur Reihe: insights.wfr-advisory.comVernetze dich mit Jan Wapelhorst auf LinkedIn für regelmäßige Einblicke in den deutschen Handel.Website: wfr-advisory.comE-Mail: info@wfr-advisory.com

SESSION 04: RUNDGANG DURCH EINE HANDELSZENTRALE

‧ 18m 41s

SESSION 03: DAS PREISTHEATER

‧ 27m 2s

Sommerreihe 2026, Folge 3 von 3BeschreibungDie konkreteste Folge der Reihe. Weniger Philosophie, mehr Rechnung. Am Beispiel eines Produkts mit einem Euro Listenpreis wird Schicht für Schicht durchgerechnet, was zwischen Listenpreis und Netto-Netto tatsächlich passiert. Grundrabatt, Zentralregulierungsrabatt, Werbekostenzuschüsse, Skonti, Jahreskonditionen, Aktionspreise, Slotting Fees. Sieben Konditionsschichten, keine davon einzeln dramatisch, zusammen aber eine Zahl, die viele Hersteller so präzise nicht kennen.Am Ende der Rechenkaskade steht das Netto-Netto bei etwa 73 Cent aus dem einen Euro Listenpreis. 27 Cent Differenz, verteilt über sieben Schichten, alle strukturell nachvollziehbar und keine davon zufällig. Der Handel kennt diese Rechnung auf beiden Seiten des Tisches. Die meisten...

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