Herlitz

What Herlitz does

Herlitz PBS AG is a German stationery and office supplies brand, headquartered in Neufahrn, Germany, that has operated for over a century in the consumer and education stationery market. The company produces and markets a broad portfolio of writing instruments (pens, pencils, fountain pens, compasses, drawing instruments), art and craft supplies, notebooks, calendars, office organization products, and school backpacks. Its product strategy pairs functional design with trend-driven aesthetics, organized around sub-brands such as the my.pen family (writing instruments), my.book flex (flexible book covers), the GREENline sustainable series (FSC-certified and Blue Angel-certified), and a rotating slate of Motivserien design themes including Color Blocking, New Batik, and Cute Animals.

The underlying technology is conventional consumer goods manufacturing combined with branded product design; select products such as the Tornado Classic fountain pen are manufactured in Germany, and the portfolio carries FSC-C014510 and Blauer Engel UZ 14B sustainability certifications on relevant SKUs. The company does not maintain proprietary software, apps, or APIs, and distribution and marketing for Germany and Austria have been managed by Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft since March 2014, integrating Herlitz alongside the Pelikan and Geha brands within the Pelikan Group conglomerate.

Herlitz generates revenue through wholesale and retail sales of its branded stationery and office products via physical retail stores, online resellers, and a multi-language corporate website and schoolbags subdomain targeting DACH and broader European markets. Customer segments span students and school children, office workers and professionals, and creative/art enthusiasts, with a sales-led go-to-market emphasizing fair-price mass positioning rather than premium pricing. The company supports sales through product catalogs (Werbeartikel-Katalog 2024, PBS Gesamtkatalog 2025), annual press releases tied to novelty launches, and organic social media presence on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Name

Herlitz

Legal name

Herlitz PBS AG

Website

https://herlitz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Herlitz PBS AG is a German stationery and office supplies brand, owned by Pelikan Group, that designs and sells writing instruments, school backpacks, notebooks, art supplies, and office organization products to students, professionals, and creative users across DACH and broader European retail channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stationery and Office Supplies

NAICS

Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (45941), Stationery Product Manufacturing (32223), Office Supplies (except Paper) Manufacturing (339940), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950), Papers & Allied Products (2600), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper Products (Notebooks, Copy Paper, Envelopes) Retail (CRALABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Supplies Retail (CRALABAF), Stationery, Writing Instruments & Paper Products Distribution (CRAOALAH), Art & Drafting Supplies Retail (CRALABAG), Calendars, Planners & Organization Supplies Retail (CRALABAJ)

Keywords

• Stationery products
• Office supplies
• Writing instruments
• School supplies
• Paper products

Headquarters

HQ city

Neufahrn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Stationery Products Sales: Herlitz generates revenue through the sale of writing instruments, office supplies, school products, and stationery items. Products are sold through retail channels, both physical stores and online, targeting consumers, students, and businesses in Germany, Austria, and broader European markets.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Herlitz manufactures, sources, and sells a broad range of physical stationery and office supply products under its own brand, including writing instruments (pens, pencils, fountain pens, mechanical pencils, permanent markers), school products (school backpacks, exercise books, book covers, notebooks, calendars), drawing and geometry tools (compasses, rulers, protractors), art and craft supplies, and office organization and shipping materials. The portfolio is distributed primarily through the Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft sales organization, retail stores, and online channels across Germany, Austria, and broader European markets.

Product overview

Herlitz is a German stationery brand offering a broad portfolio of writing instruments, art supplies, school backpacks, notebooks, calendars, and office supplies. The company operates under the Pelikan Group following the 2014 acquisition of Herlitz PBS AG's distribution and marketing activities. The product lineup includes core writing accessories under the my.pen family brand (pens, compasses, rulers, sharpeners, erasers), writing instruments with fountain pens in Tornado and New Batik series, drawing instruments for geometry, design-themed Motivserien product lines (GREENline eco-series, Color Blocking, New Batik, Cute Animals, Ladylike, Pure Glam), school backpacks, notebooks, calendars, and office organization supplies. The offerings span school, office, and home use across multiple price points with a focus on trendy designs and sustainable materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• my.pen: Trend-setting pen and writing instruments line for school children and students.
• my.pen style
• my.book flex
• GREENline
• Motivserien

Products and services

• Schreiben & Zubehör (Writing & Accessories) Writing instruments and accessories product line for school children, students, office workers, and home users; covers pens, pencils, ballpoint pens, permanent markers, mechanical pencils, fountain pens, compasses, sharpeners, erasers, rulers, and related accessories.
• Malen & Basteln (Painting & Crafts) Art and craft supplies for painting, drawing, and creative projects aimed at children, students, and hobby users.
• Schulranzen (School Backpacks) School backpacks and accessories for children and teenagers, refreshed annually with new collection editions.
• Hefte, Blöcke & Buchhülle (Notebooks, Blocks & Book Covers) Exercise books, pads, and book covers offered in various formats and designs for school and office use.
• Notizbücher (Notebooks) Notebooks in various formats for school, office, and personal note-taking use.
• Kalender (Calendars) Calendars offered for organization throughout the year for office, school, and personal use.
• Ordnen & Ablegen (Organizing & Filing) Office organization and filing products for storage, arrangement, and document management in workplaces and home offices.
• Büromaterial & Versandmittel (Office Supplies & Shipping) Office materials including adhesives, correction products, labels, forms, value tokens, shipping materials, and office papers for workplace and small business use.
• my.pen Family Writing instruments sub-brand for schoolchildren and students, offering ballpoint pens, compasses, rulers, protractors, sharpeners, erasers, and geometry sets in trendy colors and ergonomic designs.
• GREENline Eco-friendly product line featuring FSC-certified materials and sustainable design, offering certified environmentally responsible stationery and paper products.
• my.book flex Flexible book covers product innovation from Herlitz, providing adaptable protective covers for textbooks and notebooks.
• Tornado Series Fountain Pens (Füllhalter Tornado Serie) Fountain pens with ergonomic grip zones in multiple nib variants (beginner, advanced, left-handed), including rubber grip models and Made in Germany Classic models with metal clips and iridium nibs.
• Compasses (Zirkel & Zirkelsets) High-quality compasses for school geometry, technical drawing in education, and professional use, available in plastic and metal with quick-adjust variants and sets with protective caps.
• Erasers (Radierer) Award-winning erasers for removing pencil and ink marks, including duo erasers for pencils and ink, extra soft erasers for large drawings, and decorative designs.
• Pencil Sharpeners (Anspitzer) Pencil sharpeners in various designs including double sharpeners, container sharpeners, metal sharpeners, and combination sharpeners with erasers.
• Color Blocking Design Series Design-themed product series featuring bold color combinations for office, school, and university stationery, applying a global fashion trend to the product lineup.
• New Batik Design Series Design-themed product series reviving the Batik trend with cleaner, less colorful patterns adapted for school and office stationery.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pelikan GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2014The Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft took over the sales and marketing activities of Herlitz PBS AG for Germany and Austria effective March 1, 2014. Pelikan and Herlitz brands, along with Geha, form a comprehensive product portfolio within the Pelikan Group for all target audiences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• BIC: Global mass-market manufacturer of ballpoint pens, pencils, correction products, and lighters. Competes with Herlitz on commoditized writing instruments at value price points across DACH retail.

Direct peers

• Pelikan: Sister brand within the same Pelikan Group, sharing DACH sales/marketing infrastructure since 2014. Competes and complements Herlitz across fountain pens, ink, writing instruments, and school supplies.
• Faber-Castell: German-based global manufacturer of writing instruments, colored pencils, and art supplies with comparable product breadth across school, office, and creative segments. Directly competes with Herlitz in DACH stationery retail channels.
• Edding: German manufacturer of markers, permanent pens, and writing instruments with strong DACH brand recognition. Comparable on writing accessories, office supplies, and design-driven SKUs.
• Lyra (FILA): Heritage European brand of pencils, crayons, and art supplies under FILA. Competes with Herlitz on art/craft and writing instruments in school and creative segments.
• Maped: French stationery manufacturer of school and office supplies (writing, geometry, art) competing across European retail including DACH. Overlaps on compasses, sharpeners, erasers, and writing instruments.
• Geha: Sister brand within the Pelikan Group alongside Herlitz and Pelikan, covering writing instruments and school/office supplies in DACH. Direct overlap on stationery SKUs and shared distribution.
• Oxford (Hamelin): European manufacturer of notebooks, pads, binders, and filing products under the Oxford brand. Closely comparable to Herlitz's Büromaterial & Versandmittel and notebook categories.
• Schwan-Stabilo: German manufacturer of writing and marking instruments (fineliners, highlighters, ballpoints) with comparable DACH retail footprint. Direct overlap with Herlitz on school pens, markers, and highlighters.
• Staedtler: German manufacturer of pencils, fineliners, erasers, and technical drawing instruments with strong DACH school and office presence. Overlaps Herlitz on writing instruments, drawing tools, and sharpeners/erasers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HerlitzDeutschland
• Facebookfacebook.com/herlitzdeutschland
• Instagraminstagram.com/herlitzdeutschland

Compliance3 records

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 Herlitz