Schuhe24

What Schuhe24 does

Schuhe24 is a German e-commerce marketplace that connects local stationary shoe retailers (Fachgeschäfte) with online consumers, functioning as the core consumer-facing brand of The Platform Group GmbH & Co. KG. Founded in 2013/2014 by Dr. Dominik Benner and headquartered in Wiesbaden, the platform aggregates inventory from 500–2,000+ partner retailers offering more than 100,000–140,000 SKUs across women's, men's, and children's footwear plus bags and accessories. The underlying technology stack is a standard e-commerce marketplace with bidirectional integrations to major German Warenwirtschaftssysteme (HIS, Bits, Apollon, IPOS/SeppVision) enabling 2–3 week retailer onboarding, plus standard payment (PayPal, Klarna, RatePay, Sofort) and shipping (DHL) rails.

The company makes money through a marketplace commission model: a €3.00 flat fee per shoe sold plus a 15% platform fee on external marketplace sales, with a separate affiliate channel paying publishers 7–11% commission through Awin, Adcell, and Webgains. Consumer-facing value-adds include free shipping above €39, 30-day free returns, invoice and 12-month installment payments, and a phone-ordering service. The retailer-facing value-add is e-commerce-as-a-service: Schuhe24 handles marketing, payments, and shipping while local retailers fulfill from their existing inventory.

In December 2020, the group rebranded to The Platform Group to reflect expansion beyond shoes into nine industry verticals (sports, fashion, jewelry, bags, bicycles, eLearning, stationery, B2B machinery, and B2B shoes) via organic launches (Sportmarken24 2018, Outfits24 2019) and acquisitions (WeWantShoes, MyStationary, Gindumac 2018; Bike-Angebot Nov 2020; Teech.de Dec 2020). The company reported an expected 2020 revenue of €100M and was recognized in 2021 as the third-largest shoe e-commerce platform in Germany behind Amazon and Zalando.

Name

Schuhe24

Legal name

The Platform Group GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://schuhe24.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schuhe24 is a German online marketplace connecting 500–2,000+ local stationary shoe retailers with consumers, offering 100,000+ SKUs across women's, men's, and children's footwear. It operates as the core consumer brand of The Platform Group, which extends the marketplace model into nine retail verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Shoe Marketplace

NAICS

Shoe Retailers (45821), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)

SIC

Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Retail-Nonstore Retailers (5960)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Footwear Retail (Dance, Skate, Cleats, Bowling, etc.) (CRAAADAJ)

Keywords

• Online shoe marketplace
• Footwear e-commerce
• Omni-channel retail platform
• Local retailer partnership
• Shoe retail aggregator

Headquarters

HQ city

Rheda-wiedenbrück

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Commission from Retailers: Retailers pay €3.00 flat fee per shoe sold plus 15% platform fee for sales through external platforms. This is the primary revenue stream from the retailer network.
2. Affiliate Publisher Commissions: Third-party publishers (affiliates) earn 7-11% commission per sale through Awin, Adcell, and Webgains partner programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Schuhe24 operates an online shoe marketplace (schuhe24.de) connecting more than 500 local German brick-and-mortar shoe retailers with online consumers, offering over 140,000 shoe products across women's, men's, and children's footwear plus bags and accessories. Partner retailers list their inventory on the platform while Schuhe24 handles marketing, payment processing, and shipping logistics, with retailers fulfilling orders from local stock. The platform is part of The Platform Group, serving 1,000+ retail locations across Germany and Austria.

Product overview

Schuhe24 is a unified multi-category e-commerce platform operating as the core consumer marketplace for The Platform Group. The platform serves as an online marketplace connecting customers with over 500 local German shoe retailers offering more than 140,000 products. The core Schuhe24 platform provides four main product categories: women's shoes (Damen), men's shoes (Herren), children's shoes (Kinder), and bags (Taschen), plus a Sale section. The platform is enhanced by customer-facing services including phone ordering, invoice and installment payment options, free 30-day returns, and a retailer locator. Related platform brands include Sportmarken24 (launched 2018) for sports retailers and Outfits24 (launched 2019) for fashion retailers, all consolidated under The Platform Group parent brand rebranded in December 2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schuhe24 Online Marketplace Core e-commerce marketplace (schuhe24.de) connecting 500+ local German stationary shoe retailers with online consumers. Offers over 140,000 articles across women's, men's, and children's footwear plus bags and accessories. Includes free shipping above €39, 30-day free returns, invoice and installment payment options, phone ordering, and retailer locator. Ranked third-largest shoe e-commerce platform in Germany after Amazon and Zalando.
• Sportmarken24 Online platform serving sports retailers, part of The Platform Group's vertical expansion strategy. Enables sports retailers to participate in e-commerce using the same omni-channel infrastructure as Schuhe24.
• Outfits24 Online platform serving fashion retailers, enabling them to access online customers through the same omni-channel platform model as Schuhe24 and Sportmarken24.

Quantifiable outcome

• Third-largest shoe e-commerce platform in Germany with 140,000+ articles
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DHLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive shipping partner for Schuhe24. All orders shipped via DHL as insured parcels with tracking numbers. Saturday delivery available. Return shipping also handled through DHL with free returns for customers.
• Warenwirtschaftsanbieter (HIS, Bits, Apollon, IPOS/SeppVision)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with major inventory management systems (Warenwirtschaftssysteme) enabling automated inventory sync, sales recording, cancellations, and returns directly into retailer's systems. Onboarding can be completed within 2-3 weeks.
• Automotive Partners (Opel, BMW, Peugeot)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVolume discount arrangements on vehicle leasing and purchase for partner retailers.
• AwincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate marketing network partner for publisher management. Schuhe24 DE Partnerprogramm offered through this network.
• AdcellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate marketing network partner for publisher management. Schuhe24 DE Partnerprogramm offered through this network.
• WebgainscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate marketing network partner for publisher management. Schuhe24 DE Partnerprogramm offered through this network.
• Klarna / RatePaycoreTechnology or IntegrationInstallment payment provider enabling customers to pay in 12 monthly installments. Handles credit check and payment collection.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Otto: German multi-category online retailer and marketplace operator selling shoes among hundreds of other categories. Comparable as a DACH e-commerce incumbent with marketplace mechanics, broad assortment, and adjacent category expansion similar to Schuhe24's parent Platform Group strategy.
• Bonprix: European fashion retailer owned by the Otto Group, selling apparel and footwear online across DACH and other European markets. Comparable as a large DACH online fashion retailer with shoe offerings and marketplace-like breadth, though at lower price points than Schuhe24's brand mix.
• SportScheck: German multi-channel sports retailer (Otto Group subsidiary) with stores and a sizable online shop including athletic footwear. Comparable as a DACH sports-focused retailer and platform adjacent to Schuhe24's Sportmarken24 vertical, sharing the same hybrid store-plus-online model.
• Deichmann: Europe's largest shoe retailer with a 4,000+ store footprint and growing e-commerce operation across multiple European countries. Comparable as a scaled, vertically integrated shoe retailer using physical presence as a structural advantage, though operating its own inventory rather than a marketplace model.
• Amazon (DE): Dominant global e-commerce platform and the explicit #1 shoe destination in Germany ahead of Schuhe24. Comparable as the largest marketplace competing for the same online shoe demand, with structural advantages in logistics, Prime membership, and breadth of selection.
• About You: German online fashion and lifestyle retailer with a curated assortment including footwear, targeting younger consumers across DACH. Comparable as a multi-brand e-commerce destination competing for the same online shoe shopper and operating a hybrid marketplace plus own-revenue model.

Direct peers

• Zalando: Germany's largest online fashion and shoe platform with a multi-brand marketplace model selling footwear alongside apparel. Directly comparable as the #1 shoe e-commerce destination in Germany that Schuhe24 explicitly trails, serving the same DACH consumer base with overlapping brand assortment.

Regional players

• Görtz: Traditional German shoe retailer with 150+ stores and an online shop offering premium and mainstream footwear brands. Comparable as a DACH-focused multichannel shoe specialist that, like Schuhe24's partner retailers, combines physical presence with online distribution.
• Engelhorn: German family-run fashion and sports retailer with multiple physical stores in Mannheim/Heidelberg and a strong online shop including footwear. Comparable as a multi-category DACH specialty retailer that, like Schuhe24, blends physical expertise with online distribution.
• Breuninger: Premium German fashion and lifestyle retailer with department stores and a sizable e-commerce operation carrying designer footwear. Comparable as a DACH specialty retailer combining physical stores with a curated online shoe offering at higher price points than Schuhe24.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/schuhe24
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1hHKcKjQe49qrIV1nbFWyw
• Facebookfacebook.com/schuhe24
• Instagraminstagram.com/schuhe24.de
• Pinterestpinterest.de/schuhe24de_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schuhe24

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Schuhe24