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Online Food Retailing in Germany - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

Clara-Camille Schneider Clara-Camille Schneider Frankfurt, Germany Last Updated: November 2024 WZ SP47.03DE Spotlight Report

Revenue

€4.0bn

2024

€4.0bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

€XX.Xm

Employees

18,625

Businesses

438

Wages

€XXX.Xm

Online Food Retailing in Germany industry analysis

The online grocery trade is facing major challenges, particularly with regard to maintaining an uninterrupted cold chain for perishable foods. This requires significant investment in advanced refrigeration technologies and specialised transport, resulting in higher operating costs. The coronavirus pandemic has greatly increased the demand for food that can be purchased online in Germany, as consumers have recognised the benefits of convenience and safety. This led to an increase in the number of orders and forced the industry to adapt quickly by increasing the number of delivery vehicles, optimising stock levels and improving online shopping platforms. Industry sales grew by an average of 17.4% per year between 2019 and 2024 The use of click-and-collect services and same-day delivery offerings helps to optimise the shopping experience. Rising incomes increase consumer behaviour and offer growth potential for the sector. However, the increase in restaurant sales as an alternative could have an impact on online grocery retail. Growing health awareness is leading to increased demand for high-quality foods such as fruit, vegetables and organic products. The degree of digitalisation plays a decisive role as it enables efficient ordering processes, personalised offers and precise deliveries, which leads to more satisfied customers and sales growth. In 2024, industry turnover is therefore expected to increase by 2.9% to 4.2 billion euros.

The German online food trade is facing changes due to changing consumer preferences and social trends. The increasing demand for transparency in the supply chain is leading to precise origin information. Regional and seasonal foods and home delivery services are favoured and awareness of food waste requires efficient take-back systems. Organic and fair trade labels are gaining in importance. Future challenges require optimised logistics, innovative business models and sustainable logistics network strategies. The integration of online and stationary logistics systems is crucial for increasing efficiency. The use of multi-compartment vehicles and the click-and-collect principle will increase in order to reduce costs and offer more flexible delivery options. Innovation and technology are shaping the future of German online grocery retail. By 2029, industry turnover is expected to increase by an average of 4.8% per year to 5.3 billion euros.

Trends and Insights

  • The unbroken cold chain in online food retail is a major challenge, as it requires considerable investment and high operating costs. Despite this, customers in Germany expect a free returns service.
  • Despite scepticism, the online trade in fruit and vegetables could grow. Customers doubt the freshness of the products delivered, but improved supply chains and growing health awareness could strengthen the segment.
  • The moderate market concentration in online food retail is due to the fact that the industry is still relatively young and still has great sales potential. In addition, the market concentration in online food retail is moderate due to the need for nationwide logistics and the requirements for product freshness.

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  • Reliable market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Competitive analysis, industry segmentation, financial benchmarks
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 16.3 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated €4.0bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

Maintaining an uninterrupted cold chain poses major challenges for the industry

  • In online food retail, maintaining an unbroken cold chain is crucial for food safety and quality. Perishable goods in particular require considerable investment in advanced cooling technologies and special means of transport.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Online Food Retailing in Germany
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2025-2030)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Online food retailers must address customer expectations and social trends

  • The future of online grocery retail in Germany will be significantly influenced by changing consumer preferences. The growing demand for transparency in the supply chain is leading to increased efforts by retailers to provide accurate origin information.

Biggest companies in the Online Food Retailing in Germany

There are no companies that hold a market share exceeding 5% in the Online Food Retailing in Germany industry.

Products & Services Segmentation

Online Food Retailing in Germany
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Fruit and vegetables, Bread, sausage and cheese and Meat and poultry. Fruit and vegetables is the largest segment of the Online Food Retailing in Germany.

Trends and Insights

Despite initial scepticism, the online trade in fruit and vegetables is likely to grow

  • The fruit and vegetables product segment comprises the sale of fresh fruit, vegetables and potatoes.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

German online grocery retail encompasses the electronic sale and delivery of food via internet platforms. It responds to changing consumer preferences, emphasises transparency in the supply chain and relies on innovative logistics solutions to efficiently deliver food to customers.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany include .

Companies

Companies covered in the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany include .

Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

Related terms covered in the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany include click-and-collect services, multi-chamber vehicles, omni-channel logistics and same-day-delivery.

Industry Code

WZ 2008

WZ 47.91.9 - Online Food Retailing in Germany

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

The unbroken cold chain in online food retail is a major challenge, as it requires considerable investment and high operating costs. Despite this, customers in Germany expect...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Factors that influence volatility in the industry
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Despite scepticism, the online trade in fruit and vegetables could grow. Customers doubt the freshness of the products delivered, but improved supply chains and growing healt...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Purchase this report to unlock analyst insights.

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

The moderate market concentration in online food retail is due to the fact that the industry is still relatively young and still has great sales potential. In addition, the m...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

Industry players are subject to numerous food regulations. Since 2014, they have only been allowed to sell products that fulfil all labelling requirements in accordance with ...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Over the past five years, the grocery industry has experienced increased competition and price wars. Leading online grocers have been able to expand their market share throug...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Average Wage (2014-2029)
  • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
  • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2014-2029)
  • IVA (2014-2029)
  • Establishments (2014-2029)
  • Enterprises (2014-2029)
  • Employment (2014-2029)
  • Exports (2014-2029)
  • Imports (2014-2029)
  • Wages (2014-2029)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany in 2025?

The market size of the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany is €4.0bn in 2025.

How many businesses are there in the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany in 2024?

There are 438 businesses in the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany, which has grown at a CAGR of 15.1 % between 2019 and 2024.

Has the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany has been growing at a CAGR of 16.3 % between 2019 and 2024.

What is the forecast growth of the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany is expected to grow.

How competitive is the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany?

The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Online Food Retailing industry in Germany.

Related Industries

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Competitors

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Complementors

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International industries

  • There are no industries to display.

View all industries in Germany

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in Germany include:

  • German Federal Statistics Office (Destatis)
  • European Statistics Office (Eurostat)
  • United Nations Comtrade

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.

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