What ETOS does

ETOS GmbH is a German IT services and vertical software vendor specializing in digitalization for the shoe retail trade. Founded circa 1996 and headquartered in Bergkamen with a registered branch in Aschaffenburg, the company has operated in this niche for 25+ years and serves more than 230 shoe retailers in Germany. Since January 1, 2026 it has been a subsidiary of the Brandt-Retail-Gruppe.

The company's core product is the APOLLON merchandise management system (Warenwirtschaft), offered in standard, Vertical, and Online variants, which handles inventory, multi-store operations, inter-branch transfers, and EDI for advanced users. APOLLON is the hub of a broader platform that includes the Winpos point-of-sale system, the Needle digital sales-assistant suite (STELLA in-store display, NILS handheld for sales staff, CAPPER customer app), the ETOS mobile-app family for managers and sales staff, and the masterplan and 42 business intelligence tools. Compliance with the German Kassensicherungsverordnung is addressed through the TSE hardware add-on and the GoBD-compliant ECC.NATIV.STORE cloud archive. The platform connects via free interfaces to seven online shoe marketplaces including Zalando Connected Retail, schuhe.de, Schuhe24, Gaxsys, Shopfair24, Timeline, and Qualibet.

ETOS monetizes through software licensing/subscription for APOLLON, Winpos, and BI modules, per-article transaction fees (€0.15 per article/return) on the marketplace interface package, and TSE hardware sales. Go-to-market combines a direct sales team with a channel partnership with ANWR (ANWR Media GmbH), the dominant German shoe-retail cooperative, which also serves as the contractual intermediary for Zalando Connected Retail. The customer base is exclusively German SMB shoe retailers ranging from single-store shops to multi-location specialists.

Name

ETOS

Legal name

ETOS GmbH

Website

https://etos.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ETOS GmbH is a German vertical-software vendor providing inventory management, POS, mobile apps, BI, and marketplace integrations to more than 230 SMB shoe retailers across Germany, now operating as a subsidiary of the Brandt-Retail-Gruppe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Marketplace Enablement, Seller Tools & E-commerce Infrastructure (BPAMAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Enterprise Application License Advisory, Vendor Management & Optimization (BPAEAGAO)

Keywords

• Shoe retail software
• Inventory management systems
• Point of sale solutions
• Business intelligence analytics
• Marketplace integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergkamen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction-based fees: Transaction fees of 0.15 € per article per return for marketplace portal interfaces. No installation, license, or maintenance costs for portal interfaces.
2. Software Licensing: APOLLON Warenwirtschaft software licenses for shoe retailers. Includes Warenwirtschaft, POS, mobile apps, and business intelligence tools.
3. TSE Equipment and Services: Technical Security Equipment (TSE) in form of USB stick or integrated printer. Services for TSE integration and compliance with German Kassensicherungsverordnung.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ETOS develops and sells proprietary software for the shoe retail industry, centered on the APOLLON merchandise management (Warenwirtschaft) system. The portfolio includes the Winpos point-of-sale system, mobile applications for managers, sales staff and end customers, business intelligence tools (masterplan and 42), the Needle digital sales assistant (STELLA, NILS, CAPPER), and interfaces connecting retailers to online marketplaces such as Zalando, schuhe.de, Schuhe24, Gaxsys, Shopfair24, Timeline, and Qualibet.

Product overview

ETOS is an IT service provider specialized for the shoe retail industry, offering a unified platform of digital solutions centered around the APOLLON merchandise management system. The core APOLLON product (available in standard, Vertical, and Online variants) serves as the central hub for inventory management, integrated with the Winpos POS system, ETOS Mobile Apps, and the Needle digital sales assistant system. Business intelligence is provided through masterplan and Fourty-two analytical tools. All components connect through APIs and middleware to multiple online marketplaces (Zalando, schuhe.de, Schuhe24, and others), enabling retailers to manage both physical stores and digital sales channels from a single system. The company has served over 230 shoe retailers for more than 25 years and is since January 2026 part of the Brandt-Retail-Gruppe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APOLLON: Inventory management system (Warenwirtschaftssystem) for shoe retailers, with versions including APOLLON WWS, APOLLON vertical, and APOLLON online.
• Winpos
• masterplan
• Fourty-two (42)
• Needle

Products and services

• APOLLON Warenwirtschaft Core merchandise management system (Warenwirtschaftssystem) for shoe retailers handling inventory management, multi-store operations, inter-branch transfers, EDI for advanced users, and integration with POS systems and online marketplaces.
• APOLLON Vertical Variant of the APOLLON merchandise management system tailored for vertical retail operations or specific business models within the shoe industry.
• APOLLON Online Web/online variant of the APOLLON merchandise management system enabling cloud-based or browser-accessible retail management operations.
• Winpos Kassensystem Point-of-sale cash register system for retail businesses, supporting TSE (Technical Security Unit) compliance under Kassensicherungsverordnung and customer loyalty features.
• ETOS Mobile Apps Mobile applications for managers, sales staff, and end customers designed for smartphones and tablets to support retail operations in the digital age.
• masterplan Intelligent business intelligence tool that helps retailers analyze decisions and derive appropriate actions for optimizing business performance.
• Fourty-two (42) Evaluation database and business intelligence tool for analyzing business data and deriving actionable insights for retail decision-making.
• Needle Digital retail assistant system comprising STELLA (interactive 105cm display pedestal for product presentation), NILS (handheld sales assistant for store personnel), and CAPPER (customer-facing mobile app via QR codes), providing product recommendations, fit guidance, availability information, and cross-selling suggestions.
• TSE (Technische Sicherheitseinrichtung) Technical Security Equipment (USB stick or integrated printer) that signs, stores, and exports all receipts with numbering, time information, and electronic signature for compliance with the German Kassensicherungsverordnung.
• Marketplace Schnittstellen (Portal Interfaces) Free portal interfaces connecting shoe retailers to online marketplaces (Zalando Connected Retail, schuhe.de, Schuhe24, Gaxsys, Shopfair24, Timeline, Qualibet) with automatic sales posting integrated with APOLLON inventory management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 230+ shoe retailers use APOLLON for inventory management
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Brandt-Retail-GruppecoreOthers · 1 January 2026Since January 1, 2026, ETOS is part of the Brandt-Retail-Gruppe. This parent company relationship provides strategic backing and alignment with broader retail operations.
• ANWR (ANWR Media GmbH)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with ANWR for market access and sales distribution in German retail. ANWR serves as intermediary for retail partnerships including Zalando Connected Retail contracts. Joint marketing of special conditions for shoe retailers.
• ZalandocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through ANWR for Zalando Connected Retail. ETOS provides integrated marketplace interface enabling automatic sales posting. Special commission rates (0% for 2 months, then 1-7%) offered through ANWR channel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LS Retail: LS Retail provides end-to-end retail management software (POS, inventory, omni-channel) for specialty retailers including footwear and fashion. It is directly comparable to ETOS's APOLLON + Winpos stack for shoe and apparel verticals.
• Retail Pro: Retail Pro offers POS and retail management software deployed across specialty retail including footwear. Comparable to ETOS in offering POS + inventory management to mid-market specialty retailers.
• Crosscan: Crosscan provides retail analytics and BI for fashion and shoe retailers in DACH, comparable to ETOS's masterplan/42 BI tools and its vertical focus on Schuhhandel.

Broad incumbents

• Körber Software: Körber provides a broad retail software portfolio (WMS, OMS, POS) used by apparel and specialty retailers globally. Overlaps with ETOS's inventory and omni-channel offerings but serves multiple verticals at much larger scale.
• SAP SE: SAP provides broad ERP and retail solutions (including SAP Retail / S/4HANA Retail) used by large retailers. Represents an upstream incumbent that could expand down-market into ETOS's shoe retail SMB base.
• Aptos: Aptos is a long-established retail technology vendor offering POS, merchandising, and omni-channel software to specialty and general merchandise retailers. Comparable as a broader portfolio incumbent vs ETOS's vertical specialization.

Emerging players

• Detego: Detego provides AI-driven RFID and inventory intelligence for fashion and shoe retail. Overlaps with ETOS's inventory management (APOLLON) on the analytics/intelligence layer, especially for store-level stock accuracy.

Others

• Shopware: Shopware is a leading German open-source e-commerce platform used by many DACH retailers including shoe retailers. Adjacent/ecosystem peer—ETOS connects merchants to marketplaces while Shopware powers online storefronts.
• ANWR Group: ANWR is a German shoe retail cooperative and ETOS's primary channel partner. As a cooperative of independent shoe retailers, it shapes ETOS's distribution and is a key ecosystem participant.
• Zalando: Zalando is Europe's largest online fashion/shoe platform and a key marketplace partner for ETOS via Zalando Connected Retail. Relevant as a marketplace whose interface ETOS integrates with, and a major demand driver for its shoe retail customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/etos-gmbh-software-entwicklung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ETOS