CIMA Beratung + Management

What CIMA Beratung + Management does

CIMA Beratung + Management GmbH is a privately held German consulting firm founded in 1988 and headquartered in Munich (Brienner Straße 45, 80333 München). The firm specializes in urban, regional, and economic development consulting, with a stated footprint of approximately 100 employees across 11 offices throughout Germany and stated service reach into Austria and Switzerland. According to its own disclosures, CIMA has completed 5,163 projects since inception across three core practice areas: economic development, real estate and location consulting, and inner-city and retail development.

The firm's product portfolio combines fee-based consulting engagements with proprietary analytics tools and recurring research publications. Flagship tools include CityFlächen (a municipal location database), FlächenKompass and Kreislaufkompass (commercial real estate analytics), the Beteiligungs-ToolBox, and the Deutschlandstudie Innenstadt (a multi-year inner-city benchmarking study delivered via the cima.monitor platform). The firm also produces localized City studies (e.g., Citystudie Stuttgart 2025) and Kaufkraftdaten (purchasing power data). The customer base is effectively the German public sector and adjacent institutions, including cities, municipalities, state ministries (e.g., Ministerium Sachsen-Anhalt), chambers of commerce (IHK), regional economic development agencies, and private-sector developers, banks, and retail chains working on urban projects.

CIMA's revenue mechanics are project-based consulting fees plus subscription or licensing revenue from its analytics tools and reports. The firm is management-owned with three managing directors (Christian Hörmann, Martin Kremming, Roland Wölfel) and no external investors are disclosed. No revenue, ARR, or other financial figures are publicly available. The firm expanded its dedicated real estate advisory practice (cima.immobilien) in March 2023 with the additions of Nils Meyer and Olaf Petersen, and has subsequently entered partnerships targeting climate adaptation (Natur Urban, 2026), institutional real estate (ZIA Herbstkonferenz 2026), and recurring retail research (COMFORT).

Name

CIMA Beratung + Management

Legal name

CIMA Beratung + Management GmbH

Website

https://cima.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CIMA is a Munich-headquartered German consulting firm founded in 1988, with around 100 employees across 11 offices, advising cities, municipalities, ministries, chambers, and developers on urban, regional, and retail real estate economics through bespoke studies and proprietary analytics tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: CIMA generates revenue through fee-based consulting engagements for cities, municipalities, ministries, chambers, associations, banks, investors, developers, and city marketing organizations. Projects span urban planning, retail development, regional development, city marketing, economic development, real estate, tourism, mobility, and digitization. Revenue is project-based and likely follows a mix of fixed-fee and time-and-materials arrangements typical of professional services firms.
2. Research Publications and Reports: CIMA publishes proprietary research reports (Deutschlandstudie Innenstadt, Insight city reports, Leerstandsreport NRW, city studies) that are available for purchase or download, generating revenue from government clients and industry participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

CIMA Beratung + Management GmbH is a Munich-based consulting firm specializing in urban, regional, and economic development for the public sector across the German-speaking region. The firm delivers fee-based advisory services including city studies, retail concepts, city/regional marketing strategies, neighborhood management, and economic development consulting, complemented by proprietary decision-support tools and an annual nationwide inner-city benchmarking study.

Product overview

CIMA Beratung + Management is a consulting firm specializing in urban and regional development for German-speaking regions. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio centered around its flagship product the Deutschlandstudie Innenstadt (cima.monitor), which provides annual nationwide benchmarking of inner-city performance and retail trends. Core analytical offerings include local city studies (Lokale Citystudien), retail concepts (Einzelhandelskonzepte), and market analyses. Strategic services span city/regional marketing, neighborhood management (Quartiersmanagement), and economic development (Wirtschaftsförderung). The company also provides specialized tools including the Beteiligungs-ToolBox for citizen participation, FlächenKompass for municipal land development, Kreislaufkompass for circular economy, and the CityFlächen matching tool for vacancy reduction. Supporting offerings include gastronomy concepts, care quarter development (Versorgungsquartiere), and sustainability indicators. The company operates branded knowledge products including cima.praxisforum webinars, cima.direkt Magazine, Stadtimpulse project pool, insight real estate reports, and participates in the Natur Urban climate adaptation initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• cima.praxisforum: Webinar series for urban development topics and best practices
• cima.direkt
• cima.monitor / Deutschlandstudie Innenstadt
• stadtimpulse
• CityFlächen
• FlächenKompass
• Kreislaufkompass

Products and services

• Deutschlandstudie Innenstadt / cima.monitor Annual nationwide study providing key metrics, trends, and expectations on inner-city development and retail transformation. Includes city comparisons, regional analyses, and consumer behavior data, sold to municipalities and industry participants.
• Lokale Citystudien Custom empirical local inner-city studies conducted for individual municipalities, providing data on visitor behavior, accessibility, safety perception, and urban development needs as a decision-making foundation.
• Einzelhandelskonzepte Strategic retail development concepts for municipalities and regions, including market analyses, location assessments, and implementation roadmaps.
• Stadtmarketing / Regionalmarketing City and regional marketing strategies including brand development, city branding, and location profiling for urban and regional identity.
• Quartiersmanagement Neighborhood management services for sustainable urban development, including participation of local residents and coordination of urban renewal programs such as the Soziale Stadt program.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Economic development consulting including business location development, investment attraction strategies, and regional economic promotion.
• CityFlächen (Matchingtool) Matching tool connecting vacant commercial spaces with suitable uses, combining retail and expansion data to strategically identify appropriate businesses for locations. Sold as a standalone decision-support tool to municipalities, economic development agencies, and city marketing organizations.
• FlächenKompass Modular decision tool for municipal land development, providing building blocks for viable, economically feasible, and future-oriented commercial area development.
• Kreislaufkompass Circular economy compass supporting municipalities in intelligent resource utilization and establishing new local cycles in procurement, building management, material flows, and land recycling.
• Versorgungsquartiere Care and supply quarter concepts addressing demographic change through strategic neighborhood management for aging populations.
• Gastronomiekonzepte Gastronomy concepts for urban centers, developing restaurant and hospitality strategies for municipal vitality.
• Deutschlandstudie CITY APPS Nationwide research study on municipal apps, published in cooperation with Deutscher Fachverlag (DFV), providing research-based insights into municipal app adoption, importance, features, and challenges.
• insight – Der Immobilienreport (cima.immobilien) Real estate report series on retail property market conditions in top locations of German metropolises (Munich, Leipzig-Dresden, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg), published in cooperation with COMFORT.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,163 projects completed successfully across all German-speaking markets since 1988.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Akademie Ländlicher Raum Baden-Württemberg (ALR)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026CIMA co-organizes the webinar series 'Überall gut versorgt? Perspektiven der Nahversorgung im Ländlichen Raum' (2026) together with ALR, addressing retail supply challenges in rural areas.
• Baden-Württembergischer Genossenschaftsverband e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-organizer of the Nahversorgung webinar series, contributing cooperative (Genossenschaft) models as alternatives for rural retail supply.
• Handelsverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-organizer of the Nahversorgung webinar series, representing the retail trade perspective in discussions on rural supply.
• Ministerium für Ernährung, Ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz Baden-WürttembergminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026State ministry co-organizing the Nahversorgung webinar series, providing government perspective on rural retail supply policy.
• Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Tourismus Baden-WürttembergminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026State ministry co-organizing the Nahversorgung webinar series on rural retail supply.
• ZIA – Zentraler Immobilien Ausschuss e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026CIMA partners with ZIA (the Central Real Estate Committee of Germany) for the Immobilienwirtschaftliche Herbstkonferenz 2026, addressing Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) as a key factor in economic transformation.
• CoreNet Global Chapter Central EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in organizing the Immobilienwirtschaftliche Herbstkonferenz 2026, bringing together corporate real estate executives from major European companies.
• Technische Universität DarmstadtminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Academic partner in the Immobilienwirtschaftliche Herbstkonferenz 2026, contributing research and educational perspective to corporate real estate topics.
• WILA BonncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Project partner in 'Natur Urban – Gewerbegebiete im Klimawandel' (climate-adapted commercial zones project), providing knowledge dissemination and stakeholder engagement as part of the federal initiative funded by BMUKN.
• Wirtschaftsförderung und Verband Region StuttgartcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Core project partners in the 'Natur Urban – Gewerbegebiete im Klimawandel' initiative, focusing on climate adaptation and natural climate protection in commercial and industrial zones across the Stuttgart region.
• HJPplan+ (Aachen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CIMA cooperates with planning firm HJPplan+ from Aachen on the Quartiersmanagement Eschweiler-West project, combining structural/physical urban development expertise with social/community engagement aspects in the 'Soziale Stadt' program.
• CIMA Institut für Regionalwirtschaft GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CIMA Institut für Regionalwirtschaft GmbH (a related entity within the CIMA group) produced the Wohnungs- und Mietmarktbericht Sachsen-Anhalt 2025 on behalf of the Ministry for Infrastructure and Digital Affairs of Saxony-Anhalt, providing regional economic and housing market analysis.
• COMFORT (Einzelhandelsspezialist)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIMA partners with retail specialist COMFORT to produce the regular 'Insight' reports on retail real estate market conditions in German metropolises. The reports cover Munich, Leipzig-Dresden, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Hamburg, providing investment intelligence for retail real estate stakeholders.
• ECOnGOOD (Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie)minorOthersCIMA is a member of ECOnGOOD / Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie (GWÖ), undergoing certification based on a comprehensive community welfare balance sheet. Reflects CIMA's commitment to sustainable urban and regional development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GMA Gesellschaft für Markt- und Absatzforschung mbH: German retail and inner-city consulting firm with comparable offerings in Einzelhandelskonzepte, Standortanalysen, and city studies. Like CIMA, GMA serves municipalities, chambers, and developers across the German-speaking market and is among the closest direct competitors in the public-sector retail consulting niche.
• BBE Handelsberatung GmbH: Specialist retail and inner-city consultancy serving German cities, trade associations, and developers. Overlaps directly with CIMA's Einzelhandelskonzepte, city marketing, and Standortberatung work, and is a peer in benchmarking retail performance across German cities.
• bulwiengesa AG: Independent research and consulting firm producing real estate market data, retail studies, and city reports for the German market. Highly comparable to CIMA's cima.monitor and insight real estate reports, with a similar data-driven, public-sector-tilted client base.
• CONCAPE GmbH: Retail and site consulting firm advising German cities, developers, and retailers on inner-city development and commercial property. Direct overlap with CIMA's retail concepts, location analysis, and large-scale retail advisory services.
• empirica regio consult GmbH: Berlin-based research and consulting firm specializing in regional economic development, housing markets, and demographic analysis. Comparable to CIMA's regional development and mobility practices, with similar state-level and EU-funded project portfolio.

Emerging players

• Fraunhofer IAO: Applied research institute with urban production, mobility, and digital city research programs. Like CIMA, it advises municipalities and public bodies on urban transformation, but with a research-driven rather than consulting-led model that complements CIMA's practice.
• Junker und Krüler Stadtforschung · Planung (Teil von DSK): German urban planning and city research firm with comparable offerings in Städtebau, Einzelhandelskonzepte, and Innenstadtanalyse. Overlaps with CIMA's urban planning and retail strategy work, particularly for mid-sized German municipalities.
• Urbanista GmbH: Berlin-based urban development and city marketing consultancy serving German and European municipalities. Comparable to CIMA in city branding, inner-city strategy, and stakeholder engagement, with a similar project-based, public-sector-leaning client base.

Others

• RWTH Aachen — Institut für Stadtbauwesen und Stadtverkehr: Academic-research institution producing urban planning, mobility, and city development research that informs German municipal practice. Adjacent to CIMA's regional development and mobility practices, sometimes as a project partner or counterparty in federally funded research initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG Public Sector (KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft): Big-Four public-sector advisory practice serving German federal, state, and municipal clients on transformation, governance, and digitalization. Competes with CIMA on larger transformation mandates and provides an alternative for clients seeking global scale, though it lacks CIMA's niche specialization in Innenstadt.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cimabm
• Instagraminstagram.com/cima.mittendrin

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 CIMA Beratung + Management