How Do I Get My Product Into German, Austrian, and Swiss Stores?

Getting a product onto the shelf at EDEKA, REWE, ALDI, Lidl, Kaufland, dm, Rossmann, Hofer, Migros or Coop is not a matter of finding the right email address. In the DACH region, retail listings follow a structured, calendar-driven process, and buyers evaluate suppliers against a very consistent set of criteria.

The good news is that the process is predictable. Manufacturers who prepare against those criteria are treated as serious suppliers; those who approach the market opportunistically are usually filtered out before a meeting is even granted. Below is the route we walk with our clients.

Step 1 — Assess the category before you approach the market

Every entry begins with an honest read of the shelf. We look at which retailers actually carry your category, how much space it holds, which price tiers exist, who the incumbents are, and whether there is a genuine gap your product can fill.

• Which chains in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are realistic first targets
• Current assortment depth, facings and private-label share in your category
• Price positions on shelf and the promotional rhythm of the category
• Whether your proposition is a range extension, a substitution or a new segment

Step 2 — Make the product retail-ready

DACH retailers apply strict formal requirements, and most rejections at this stage are administrative rather than commercial. Preparing properly here saves months later.

• EU-compliant labelling with German-language packaging, allergen and nutrition data
• Certification appropriate to the category — IFS or BRC for food, relevant safety and conformity documentation for non-food
• GTIN/EAN coding, article master data and clean product hierarchies
• Pallet, case and shelf-unit specifications that fit German logistics standards
• Retail-quality samples and a professional product presentation

Step 3 — Build the commercial case

Before any buyer conversation, the numbers need to work backwards from the shelf price, not forwards from your factory cost. We calculate landed cost, define the price architecture across the three countries and stress-test the margin the retailer will expect in your category.

This is also where listing fees, promotional participation, logistics terms and payment conditions are anticipated — not discovered halfway through a negotiation.

Step 4 — Reach the right decision-maker

In DACH retail, the person who matters is the category buyer or category manager responsible for your specific segment — not central purchasing in general, and not a switchboard. Reaching them requires knowing who they are, when their category review takes place and what they are currently trying to solve.

This is the stage where most international manufacturers stall. We approach buyers directly, in German, with a proposal formatted the way their internal process expects it.

Step 5 — The buyer meeting and the listing proposal

A category meeting is short, factual and evidence-led. The buyer expects a clear shelf logic, verified data, a credible supply story and answers on volumes, lead times and back-up capacity. Enthusiasm about the product is assumed; what is assessed is reliability.

• A one-page commercial proposal aligned to the retailer's listing form
• Category rationale: what your product adds and what it replaces
• Launch support: introductory terms, in-store visibility, promotional plan
• Supply security: capacity, lead times, quality management, contingency

Step 6 — Listing decision, logistics and first delivery

A positive decision starts the operational phase: supplier onboarding, master data submission, EDI setup, logistics routing to the retailer's distribution centres, and agreement of the launch window. Category reviews run on fixed annual calendars, so a listing granted in one cycle is often delivered in the next.

Step 7 — What happens after the first order

The listing is the beginning, not the outcome. Rotation is monitored from the first weeks, and products that underperform are delisted at the next review. Continuous key account management — performance tracking, promotional planning, range extension and disciplined follow-up — is what turns a first listing into a durable business.

Realistically, from first structured approach to stable listings, this takes 12 to 24 months. That is why our engagements are built as long-term partnerships rather than one-off introductions.

How we work alongside you

NextGen Retail Partners is an independent Key Account and Project Management consultancy. We are not a trading company, not a distributor and not a sourcing agent — we do not buy or resell your product. We represent you in the DACH market, and the customer relationship, the brand and the commercial data remain yours.