Heuer

What Heuer does

Heuer GmbH is a privately held German e-commerce retailer founded in 1998 and headquartered in Uelzen, Lower Saxony. Operating exclusively online under the website heuer-gmbh.com, the company sells a broad assortment of household, garden, DIY, leisure, hobby, and consumer technology products to individual German consumers, with secondary institutional sales to schools and government agencies under bulk discount programs. The product portfolio is anchored by the proprietary Grafner® house brand, spanning heating appliances (electric blankets, heaters, convectors), garden equipment (pumps, hoses, carts, pressure washers), lighting (stainless steel wall lamps), storage solutions, cleaning equipment, kitchen appliances, tools, and outdoor furniture; the assortment is supplemented by selected third-party brands such as Braun. Catalog depth and breadth are the company's primary commercial proposition.

The business is built on a standard DTC e-commerce stack: a Shopware storefront with cookie consent management, Google Analytics traffic tracking, and Trusted Shops review integration. The company does not operate physical retail locations and ships domestically in Germany via multiple third-party carriers (DHL, GLS, Hermes, Deutsche Post, Spedition) with a stated 1-2 business day delivery standard. Payment options include standard methods plus Klarna (invoice and installment) and PayPal, while trust signaling is reinforced through Trusted Shops certification, Händlerbund membership, and Fair-Commerce membership. Marketing is primarily performance-driven through SEO, a weekly newsletter (with a €5 sign-up voucher), weekly promotional offers, and Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest social channels.

The revenue model is straightforward one-time product sales at unit prices ranging from approximately €3.65 to over €100, with no subscription or recurring revenue component. Customer support is delivered by phone and email during limited business hours (Monday-Friday 12:00-15:00). The company has cumulatively served over 1,000,000 customers since 1998 and operates with a headcount of 11-50 employees, consistent with a small, niche, long-running family-scale e-commerce operator rather than a venture-backed growth business.

Name

Heuer

Legal name

Heuer GmbH

Website

https://heuer-gmbh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heuer GmbH is a German DTC e-commerce retailer founded in 1998, selling household, garden, DIY, and consumer technology products via its own Shopware storefront. It serves individual German consumers — plus schools and government agencies — under its proprietary Grafner® brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Uelzen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time product sales through e-commerce platform. Products are sold individually with unit pricing. No subscription or recurring revenue model.
2. Installment Payments: Offers purchase on invoice and installment payment options through Klarna financing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Heuer GmbH operates an online direct-to-consumer retail shop (heuer-gmbh.com) selling a broad assortment of household, garden, DIY, leisure, hobby and select technology products primarily under its proprietary Grafner® house brand, complemented by third-party brands such as Braun. The company offers unit-priced goods with one-time purchases, ships across Germany via multiple parcel carriers, and provides flexible payment options including Klarna purchase-on-invoice and installment plans.

Product overview

Heuer GmbH is an e-commerce retailer founded in 1998, operating an online shop offering a diverse range of household, garden, DIY, leisure, hobby, and technology products. The company's product portfolio is centered around its proprietary Grafner® house brand, which covers heating appliances (electric blankets, heaters, convectors), garden equipment (pumps, hoses, sprinklers, pressure washers), lighting (stainless steel wall lamps, LED lamps), storage solutions (heavy-duty shelving, shoe racks), cleaning equipment (wet/dry vacuums, ash vacuums), kitchen appliances (cooktops, hot air fryers), tools, and outdoor furniture. The Grafner® brand products are complemented by third-party branded items including Braun (health/personal care) and other tool brands. The company operates exclusively online with delivery to private customers, schools, and authorities, and has served over 1 million customers since its founding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grafner: Own brand of Heuer GmbH offering household and garden products including heating appliances, cleaning equipment, outdoor furniture, workshop tools, water pumps, and lighting solutions.

Products and services

• Grafner® Private Label Brand Assortment Heuer's own house brand spanning heating appliances, garden equipment, lighting, storage solutions, cleaning tools, kitchen appliances, and workshop tools, sold directly to consumers and institutions via the heuer-gmbh.com online shop.
• Grafner® Wärmedecken / Heizdecken (Electric Heating Blankets)
• Grafner® Elektroheizer & Konvektoren (Electric Heaters and Convectors) Portable electric heaters and convectors in 2000W to 3000W power ratings, including Bauheizer (construction heaters), Heizlüfter, and mobile heating solutions with timer functions, for household and worksite use.
• Grafner® Gartenpumpen & Schmutzwasserpumpen (Garden and Dirty Water Pumps) Submersible dirty water pumps (e.g., 1100W, 20,000 L/h) and rain barrel pumps (e.g., 400W, 5,200 L/h) for garden irrigation and water transfer applications.
• Grafner® Gartenschläuche (Garden Hoses) Flexible garden hoses in 15m, 22m, and 30m lengths with click-connect fittings and multi-function spray nozzles (7-in-1, 8-in-1, 10-in-1) for home garden watering.
• Grafner® Gartenwagen & Transportwagen (Garden Carts and Transport Wagons) Bollerwagen-style garden carts with tilting function and load capacities from 300kg up to 550kg for garden, leisure, and transport use.
• Grafner® Edelstahl-Wandlampen (Stainless Steel Wall Lamps) Weather-resistant stainless steel outdoor wall lamps with PIR motion detectors and up/down lighting effects across multiple designs (e.g., 26APIR, 10WBPIR, 17WBPIR) for entry, courtyard, and façade lighting.
• Grafner® Schwerlastregale (Heavy-Duty Shelving) Heavy-duty galvanized metal shelving units (e.g., 180x90x40 cm with up to 1,750 kg load), including workshop and tire storage variants, for household and workshop organization.
• Grafner® Akku-Hochdruckreiniger (Cordless Pressure Washers) Mobile battery-powered pressure washers including battery and accessories, for outdoor cleaning of vehicles, garden equipment, and patios.
• Grafner® Nass- und Trockensauger (Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaners) Industrial wet and dry vacuum cleaners (e.g., 1200W, 30L capacity) for workshop, construction, and heavy-duty household cleaning.
• Grafner® Aschesauger / Kaminsauger (Ash and Chimney Vacuums) Ash vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters and suction/blowing functions (e.g., 20L, 1200W) for cleaning fireplaces, grills, and chimneys.
• Grafner® Design-Briefkästen (Personalized Mailboxes) Configurable stainless steel mailboxes with six font designs and finishes such as anthracite and stainless steel, including models with newspaper rolls, for residential entrances.
• Grafner® Kochplatten (Electric Cooktops) Single (1000W) and double (2000W) electric cooktops with cast iron hot plates, folding handles, and variable temperature settings for small kitchens, offices, and travel use.
• Grafner® Heißluftfritteusen (Hot Air Fryers) Digital hot air fryers with LED touchscreen, 3.6 liter capacity and 1200W power for low-oil household cooking.
• Grafner® Standventilatoren (Standing Fans) 3-in-1 oscillating standing, table, and floor fans with remote control and touch display for household climate control.
• Grafner® Werkzeuge (Tools) Power and hand tools sold under the Grafner brand, including 12V compressors with digital pressure gauges, sharpening stations, soldering stations, and bicycle repair stands, for DIY and workshop use.
• Braun NTF 3000 Infrarot Fieberthermometer (Third-Party Branded Resale) Infrared forehead thermometer offering both contact and contactless temperature measurement within 2 seconds, with color-coded display and silent mode, sold to consumer households for personal health monitoring.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000,000 satisfied customers served since 1998
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• PayPalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment processing partner enabling secure PayPal transactions for customers.
• KlarnaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInstallment payment and purchase-on-invoice financing partner enabling flexible payment options for customers.
• DHL, GLS, Hermes, Deutsche Post, SpeditionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMultiple logistics partners for flexible delivery options across Germany. Enables 1-2 business day delivery service.
• HändlerbundminorOthersE-commerce merchant association membership providing compliance resources and dispute resolution support.
• Fair-CommerceminorOthersFair commerce initiative membership promoting transparent and fair business practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Westfalia: German mail-order and online retailer specializing in tools, garden, household, and DIY products — directly comparable assortment and D2C catalog model to Heuer's Grafner line.
• Baur: German online retailer (part of the Otto Group) selling household, garden, furniture, and apparel — a similarly broad-merchandise D2C catalog serving German consumers.
• PEARL: German online retailer offering a wide assortment of household, garden, tools, and consumer electronics under own and third-party brands — closely mirrors Heuer's broad, value-priced catalog.
• Voelkner: German B2C/B2B online retailer of electronics, household, garden, and tools with a comparable multi-carrier fulfillment approach and similar assortment breadth.
• Alternate: German online retailer spanning IT, household, garden, and tools with a Shopware-style proprietary storefront — closely comparable e-commerce D2C operation.

Broad incumbents

• Otto: One of Germany's largest general-merchandise online retailers. Competes with Heuer across household and lifestyle categories but at vastly greater scale and assortment breadth.
• Kaufland.de: German hypermarket-turned-marketplace offering household, garden, and DIY assortment; competes with Heuer for the same German general-merchandise D2C shopper.
• Amazon Germany: Dominant general-merchandise e-commerce platform in Germany; competes with Heuer for the same price-sensitive German household/garden/tool shoppers.
• Lidl Online: Discount retailer's German online storefront selling household and garden products at aggressive price points — represents the value-led competitive pressure on Heuer's positioning.

Regional players

• Hagebau: German DIY and building-materials retail cooperative; overlaps with Heuer's garden, tool, and household categories for the German DIY shopper.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Heuer