Company - Verlagsgruppe Weltbild

Verlagsgruppe Weltbild GmbH is one of the largest Internet, book and media retail companies anywhere in Europe. The company has 7,400 members of staff and generates a turnover of approximately 1.94 billion euros (as at 30.06.2008). Its portfolio is made up of the established Weltbild, Jokers, KIDOH and buecher.de retail brands. Its high-street book-retail business with the brands Buch Habel, Hugendubel, Weiland, Weltbild, Jokers and Wohlthat is bundled together under the umbrella of DBH Buch Handels GmbH & Co. KG. Weltbild also publishes its own books.

Books, music, DVDs, software and games, small electronic devices and gift articles: with its low prices and a well-thought-out range of products in its catalogue, an extensive network of bookshops and a wide selection of the very latest media products available on the Internet, Weltbild is a leader when it comes to book and media retailing in the German-speaking region. Thanks to its three-channel strategy, Weltbild has established itself as one of the top brands in the retail sector and is the best-known brand in the book segment. Weltbild is one of the top three German mail-order companies and is the second-largest online book retailer.

The company’s thinking and actions are marked by its responsibility towards its customers, shareholders, members of staff and the public in general. The company faces the daily challenge of harmonizing its Christian world view with the requirements of the market in a convincing manner. It focuses strongly on its values. Verlagsgruppe Weltbild’s Shareholders are 12 catholic dioceses in Germany, the Association of German Dioceses as well as the Soldatenseelsorge Berlin.

The cornerstones of the company’s strategy are its brands, its multi-channel approach and its expertise when it comes to selecting an appropriate range of products for sale. A number of factors are involved in the company’s success. The company not only nurtures its brand and ensures the intelligent interaction of its sales channels. It also constantly improves and updates its product range, taking into account price, current trends and demand. Innovation plays an important role in the company’s success as well. As a foresighted and high-performance group of companies, Weltbild contributes towards further developing and modernizing the media and retail world.

Technological change and digitalization are posing great challenges for media companies. What is more, the markets themselves are in a state of perpetual change. Weltbild relies on its policy of sustainable development, continuity and organic growth in the media markets. New business models centering on its core business are developed and promoted. The company is also expanding into international markets on a step-by-step basis. The Internet is the sales channel of the future and Weltbild is striving to achieve a leading position in each of the markets in which it is active.