Frölich und Kaufmann

What Frölich und Kaufmann does

Frölich und Kaufmann is a privately held, Berlin-based online bookstore founded in 1978, operating the e-commerce site froelichundkaufmann.de. Its commercial focus is the German-language market, where it sells directly to consumers through its own storefront without physical retail locations, fulfilling orders domestically via Deutsche Post/DHL. The company employs between 11 and 50 people and identifies as an independent specialty retailer with no disclosed parent company, external investor, or funding history.

The core product is a curated catalog of more than 60,000 titles concentrated in art books, exhibition catalogs, art history, cultural history, archaeology, architecture, photography, and design, with adjacent ranges into literature, biographies, cookbooks, travel, film, music, audiobooks, children's books, stationery, museum replicas, jewelry/accessories, and lifestyle goods. The underlying technology is a standard e-commerce platform with product search, shopping cart, customer accounts, wishlist, and secure checkout, integrated with PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, DHL shipping, and Yumpu Kiosk for digital catalog distribution. Pricing is unit-based with no subscription; individual book prices range from approximately €2.50 to €188.50, supplemented by multi-tier discounts (10%–90% off) and a damaged-copy (Mängelexemplare) category.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, one-time-transaction retail, augmented by gift voucher (Gutscheine) sales. The company serves three identifiable segments: art and culture enthusiasts (primary), gift buyers, and institutional buyers such as museums and cultural institutions purchasing exhibition catalogs. Marketing relies on email newsletters, online and physical catalogs, and SEO-driven organic search, with merchandise partnerships spanning roughly 20 named publishers (TASCHEN, Prestel, Hatje Cantz, C.H. Beck, Suhrkamp, Steidl, Hanser, Matthes & Seitz Berlin, Schirmer/Mosel, and others) plus cross-promotional links to related niche shops Cultous and Der Feinschmecker Shop. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, mobile apps, or public APIs; payments and shipping rely on mainstream third-party providers.

Name

Frölich und Kaufmann

Legal name

Frölich & Kaufmann

Website

https://froelichundkaufmann.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Frölich und Kaufmann is a Berlin-based, privately held online bookstore founded in 1978, selling more than 60,000 art, architecture, cultural history, and photography titles to German consumers via its own e-commerce site, with gift vouchers and publisher-specific special offers as supplementary revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Book Retail

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRALACAL

Hobby & Craft Instructional Books/Patterns Retail (In-store/Physical)

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Arts, Crafts & Hobby Supplies Retail

Keywords

• Art books retail
• Online bookstore
• Exhibition catalogs
• Cultural publications
• Specialty bookshop

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book and Media Sales: Retail sales of books across multiple categories including art books, exhibition catalogs, literature, biographies, travel books, cookbooks, music, and films. Revenue generated through one-time product transactions at various price points with discounts on special offers and damaged copies (Mängelexemplare).
2. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers (Gutscheine) for use on the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Frölich und Kaufmann operates an online specialty bookshop selling more than 60,000 art books, exhibition catalogs, and cultural publications covering painting, design, photography, archaeology, architecture, literature, biographies, travel, cookbooks, music, and films. The company serves German consumers via its e-commerce website with home delivery through DHL and offers gift vouchers, damaged-copy discounts, and exclusive editions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kunstbücher (Art Books)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• C.H. BeckminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• DiogenesminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• TASCHENminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• PrestelminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Hatje CantzminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• SuhrkampminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• HanserminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Steidl VerlagminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Gräfe und UnzerminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• HerderminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• HirmerminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Kiepenheuer & WitschminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• KosmosminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Matthes & Seitz BerlinminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Schirmer und MoselminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Schnell & SteinerminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• WBGminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Wienand VerlagminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• Aufbau VerlagminorOthersPublisher partner featured in the publisher offers section of the website, offering special deals on selected titles.
• CultousminorOthersPartner website linked from Frölich & Kaufmann, offering Kunst, Kultur & schöne Dinge (art, culture & beautiful things).
• Der Feinschmecker ShopminorOthersPartner online shop linked from the website, specializing in Essen & Trinken, Ideen & Besonderes, Tisch & Küche, and Lebensart & Genuss (food & drink, ideas & specials, table & kitchen, lifestyle & enjoyment).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TASCHEN: Major global art and photography book publisher with an integrated online retail store covering architecture, art, design, and photography at the same price points as Frölich & Kaufmann. Listed as an active publisher partner of Frölich & Kaufmann.
• Phaidon: International art, architecture, design, and culinary book publisher with direct-to-consumer e-commerce store. Operates in the same high-end art-book category with premium positioning and curated editorial selection.
• Skira Editore: Italian fine-art book publisher with direct online retail, focused on art history, photography, and exhibition catalogs. Mirrors Frölich & Kaufmann's editorial specialty with overlapping publisher-supplier relationships.
• Hatje Cantz: Major German art-book publisher (and active partner of Frölich & Kaufmann) with its own online storefront. Competes for art-category consumer spending and sells catalog inventory that overlaps Frölich & Kaufmann's assortment.
• Buchhandlung Walther König: The leading German art-book specialist, founded in Cologne with stores in Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt. Operates the closest directly comparable physical and online specialty business to Frölich & Kaufmann, with overlapping categories (art history, architecture, design, photography) and shared publisher partnerships.

Regional players

• Strand Bookstore: Famous independent US specialty bookstore offering rare, used, and discounted new books, with a deep catalog of art and photography titles. Comparable in scale and niche-retail model, but operates exclusively in the US market rather than competing in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Osiander: Family-owned German bookstore chain with online shop and nationwide physical presence. Competes in the same broad book-retail market as Thalia and Hugendubel; partial overlap with Frölich & Kaufmann in academic, cultural, and art titles.
• Thalia: Largest German bookstore chain with comprehensive online shop covering art, photography, and culture titles. Provides generalist competition with nationwide reach but lacks Frölich & Kaufmann's depth in exhibition catalogs and art history.
• Hugendubel: Major German physical and online bookstore chain with broad assortment across art, photography, and culture. Generalist positioning means less specialization than Frölich & Kaufmann but greater reach and inventory scale.
• Amazon.de: The dominant German online bookstore and broader e-commerce incumbent. Stocks virtually all art publishers Frölich & Kaufmann carries, competes on price and Prime shipping, and serves as the most meaningful competitive constraint on the specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/froelichundkaufmann

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Frölich und Kaufmann