The German FMCG Market Food and Non-Food Fast Moving Consumer Goods A guide and importer directory for international suppliers of branded and private-label products Market volume · market structure · leading players · opportunities for new suppliers Access requirements for EU, non-EU European and non-European suppliers Directory of German and Germany-serving FMCG importers and distributors Edition October 2026 All market data reflect the most recent published figures available at the time of writing.
Contents
1. What is meant by FMCG..............................................................................................................................3
1.1 The two halves of the sector: food and non-food........................................................................................ 3
1.2 Why importers and distributors matter to a foreign supplier......................................................................3
2. Market volume and structure......................................................................................................................4
2.1 The core figures............................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Channel structure......................................................................................................................................... 5
3. The leading players......................................................................................................................................5
3.1 Food retail....................................................................................................................................................5
3.2 Wholesale, cash & carry and foodservice....................................................................................................5
3.3 Manufacturers..............................................................................................................................................5
3.4 Importers and distributors: the third pillar..................................................................................................6
4. Market opportunities for new foreign suppliers..........................................................................................6
4.1 Suppliers of branded products..................................................................................................................... 6
4.2 Suppliers of no-name and private-label products........................................................................................6
4.3 Choosing the right entry channel.................................................................................................................7
4.4 What makes a listing succeed...................................................................................................................... 7
5. Market access requirements........................................................................................................................7
5.1 Requirements that apply to all suppliers.....................................................................................................7
5.2 Suppliers from within the EU....................................................................................................................... 9
5.3 Suppliers from European countries outside the EU..................................................................................... 9
5.4 Suppliers from outside Europe.....................................................................................................................9
5.5 Additional requirements for non-food products........................................................................................10
6. Products and product groups with strong prospects..................................................................................11
6.1 Food and beverages...................................................................................................................................11
6.2 Non-food....................................................................................................................................................11
7. Contacting German importers in a legally compliant way..........................................................................12
7.1 The legal framework in brief......................................................................................................................12
7.2 Contacting a business by telephone...........................................................................................................13
7.3 Contacting a business by e-mail.................................................................................................................13
7.4 Data protection (GDPR) when you store and use the contacts..................................................................14
7.5 A practical, low-risk way to make the first approach.................................................................................14
8. How to approach an importer....................................................................................................................14
9. Directory of FMCG importers and distributors...........................................................................................15
9.1 How the entries are classified....................................................................................................................15
9.2 German full-range FMCG import and trading houses................................................................................16
9.3 Brand builders and market-entry distributors...........................................................................................20
9.4 Non-food and drugstore-oriented importers............................................................................................. 23
9.5 Category and origin specialists serving retail and foodservice..................................................................24
9.6 Cash & carry and foodservice wholesalers.................................................................................................25
9.7 Importers and distributors covering Germany from neighbouring EU markets........................................28
Important legal notice on the use of the contact data...................................................................................33
10. Sources and further information..............................................................................................................34
1. What is meant by FMCG
FMCG stands for Fast Moving Consumer Goods — in German usage Konsumgüter des täglichen Bedarfs or Schnelldreher. The term describes products that are bought frequently, consumed or used up quickly, sold at comparatively low unit prices and distributed in very high volumes. What defines the category is not the product itself but the speed at which it rotates: an item that leaves the shelf several times a week behaves commercially in an entirely different way from a washing machine or a piece of furniture. Three characteristics follow from this and shape every commercial decision in the sector. First, margins per unit are thin, so profitability depends on volume and on rotation rather than on price per item. Second, purchase decisions are habitual and are made in seconds at the shelf, which places extraordinary weight on packaging, price position and shelf placement. Third, availability is decisive — a product that is out of stock is not postponed by the shopper, it is substituted, and repeated substitution ends a listing.
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