Liha Advertising

What Liha Advertising does

Liha Advertising (legal entity: Liha-Werbung Max Liebhaber GmbH & Co. KG) is a German family-owned promotional-products and full-service merchandising company headquartered in Steinheim am Albuch, tracing its origin to a 1918 watchmaker business and entering the promotional-articles industry in the 1950s. The company serves over 2,000 customers — including enterprise accounts such as ANDREAS STIHL, Festool, Paul Hartmann, Varta, Würth, Bosch Tiernahrung, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, 1&1, Creaton, and RECA NORM — with end-to-end procurement, in-house customization (screen printing, pad printing, digital printing, engraving, embroidery, Doming), warehousing, and worldwide distribution. Beyond enterprise full-service, it operates an exclusive merchandising partnership with 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 (two stationary fan shops, two fan-shop mobiles, and the FCH online shop since 2007) and consumer merchandise via the B2C liha2b.de online shop launched in 2023.

The underlying technology stack centers on a proprietary e-commerce shop system and the Liha Aktionstool (introduced March 2020) for digital campaign planning, recipient-list management, automated invitations, and worldwide distribution, alongside the liha2b.de B2B shop updated in January 2026. The company maintains a Hong Kong subsidiary (Lisco Ltd., est. 1997) for international sourcing and a Pforzheim subsidiary (Liha-Uhren, est. 1981) for advertising watches; the Max Liebhaber-Werk (2012) is a wholly owned charitable initiative.

The business model combines project-based full-service contracts (per-order/per-project pricing for customized promotional articles and corporate wear), recurring managed services (warehousing, confectioning, worldwide shipping), subscription-like custom e-commerce shop build and management for enterprise clients, and direct B2C merchandise sales. Go-to-market is hybrid: enterprise field sales for complex full-service contracts combined with a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel. The company is privately held by the Liebhaber family, with no external funding, and operates approximately 50 employees across Germany and China.

Name

Liha Advertising

Legal name

Liha-Werbung Max Liebhaber GmbH & CoKG

Website

https://liha-werbung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Liha Advertising is a German family-owned promotional-products full-service company (founded 1918, ~50 employees) serving over 2,000 enterprise and mid-market clients with procurement, in-house customization, warehousing, and worldwide distribution, supplemented by a B2C online shop and 1. FC Heidenheim fan-shop operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Promotional Products & Corporate Wear

NAICS

Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers (4243), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers (424350)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale Dropship & Bulk Import/Export Sourcing Marketplaces (CRAFAHAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Apparel & Textile Wholesale Marketplaces (CRAFAHAI)

Keywords

• Promotional products
• Corporate wear
• Advertising merchandise
• Promotional logistics
• Branded merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Steinheim Am Albuch

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Full-Service Promotional Articles: End-to-end service covering procurement, storage, customization, and worldwide shipping of promotional articles and corporate wear. Revenue is generated per order/project with pricing based on article type, quantity, customization, and distribution scope.
2. E-commerce Shop Licensing and Management: Custom e-commerce shop platforms built and managed for enterprise clients (e.g., Hartmann, Festool, Creaton, Varta). Revenue from setup fees and ongoing platform management services.
3. Warehousing and Logistics Services: Product-specific storage with digital inventory monitoring, including confectioning and worldwide direct shipping. 50,000+ packages shipped globally in 2020.
4. B2C Merchandise Sales: Direct sales of promotional articles and merchandise through liha2b.de online shop to end consumers and businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Liha Advertising is a German full-service promotional-articles (Werbeartikel) company that sources, customizes, warehouses, and globally distributes branded merchandise and corporate wear for B2B clients through a single-source model. The company builds proprietary client-branded e-commerce shops, runs the liha2b.de B2C shop, and supports ordering via the Liha Aktionstool, with in-house screen, pad, digital, Doming, embroidery and sticker printing capabilities.

Product overview

Liha Werbung is a promotional products and full-service company offering a portfolio of products and services centered around advertising articles and corporate wear. The core offering includes the Liha2b e-commerce platform (comprising both B2C and B2B online shops), supported by Full-Service capabilities for procurement, warehousing, branding, and logistics. The product range is complemented by specialized tools including the Liha Aktionstool for digital campaign management, the Werbeartikelfinder for product matching, Liha Wear for corporate clothing, and printing services (Druckverfahren). The company also provides merchandise and fan article solutions, notably as exclusive merchandising partner of 1. FC Heidenheim 1846.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liha-Uhren: Advertising watches brand, founded in 1981, with significant relaunch in 2014 offering contemporary gold watches individually configured in various colors
• Liha2b
• Liha Wear
• Max Liebhaber-Werk

Products and services

• Full-Service Werbeartikel (FSOS) End-to-end full-service outsourcing of promotional articles (Werbeartikel) for B2B clients, covering selection, sourcing, customization, warehousing, and worldwide shipping of branded merchandise.
• Liha Wear Corporate Wear Brandable corporate and work wear range including jackets, vests, T-shirts, trousers, caps and accessories, customized with company logos and offered as part of B2B procurement and B2C online shop offerings.
• Custom enterprise e-commerce shop platform (Liha Online Shop) Proprietary white-label online shop built and hosted for enterprise customers, enabling their own employees or dealers to order pre-priced promotional articles with multi-user login, individual cost-center assignment, and integration with merchandise management and SAP/EDI workflows.
• liha2b.de Consumer Online Shop Direct-to-consumer online shop at liha2b.de selling branded promotional articles such as caps, T-shirts, business bags, textiles and other Werbeartikel to individual buyers, with payment via invoice, prepayment, PayPal or credit card and a 14-day return policy.
• Liha Aktionstool In-house campaign tool that lets enterprise clients run promotional gift Aktionen (campaigns) with pre-priced, standardized gift bundles, supporting recurring marketing programs.
• Custom Printing & Decoration Services In-house customization service applying screen printing, pad printing, digital printing, Doming, embroidery and stickers to advertising articles and corporate wear.
• Warehousing & Worldwide Shipping Service Storage and worldwide shipping of customized promotional articles on behalf of enterprise clients, with roughly 50,000 packages dispatched annually.
• FCH Fan Shop Merchandise Program Official fan-merchandise supply and on-site Fan Shop operation for 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 on matchdays, including the 1846er Box subscription delivery for fans.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 35 tonnes of CO2 saved annually through photovoltaic installation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RECA NORMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2026Long-standing partnership with RECA, specialist for screws, standard parts, and tools, intensified in 2026. Liha provides its proprietary e-commerce shop system along with complete full-service including selection, procurement, storage, distribution, and cost-center-specific billing for domestic and international operations.
• Varta AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2021Varta Consumer Batteries (part of Varta AG) partnered with Liha-Werbung for full-service promotional articles starting March 2021. Liha handles promotional articles and Point of Sale materials including storage, management, and worldwide shipping with process-secure handling.
• Creaton AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2017Creaton AG, a complete provider of steep roof solutions, partnered with Liha-Werbung in June 2017 for promotional articles. Partnership was expanded in 2020 to include print media in the full-service offering. Liha handles storage, picking, combined shipping of all promotional items and print media for Europe-wide distribution. A new E-shop system was implemented in 2021.
• HARTMANN (Paul Hartmann AG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2016Hartmann Giveaway Shop established in January 2015. Liha provides complete procurement, storage, distribution, and customization. Partnership expanded to include youth team equipment personalization for the HARTMANN NachwuchsLeistungsZentrum starting the 2015/2016 season.
• Festool Group GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2013Festool has used Liha's FSOS (Full Service Outsourcing) concept for years. Complete Festool promotional article inventory is stored by Liha and distributed to national and international recipients. Custom online shop operational since early 2013 with 24/7 ordering capability.
• 1. FC Heidenheim 1846coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Liha-Werbung has been the exclusive merchandising partner of 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 since 2007 (Oberliga days). Operates two stationary fan shops, two fan shop mobiles, and the FCH online shop. Since 2015/2016, also responsible for complete equipment personalization for FCH youth teams.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Spreadshirt: European custom apparel and merchandise platform with print-on-demand and decoration services, including B2B storefronts. Adjacent to Liha's corporate wear and custom merchandise offering, but more digital/POD-led.
• Alibaba.com: Global wholesale marketplace that disintermediates traditional promotional-products distributors by connecting enterprise buyers directly with overseas manufacturers. Represents a structural threat to the intermediary distribution layer Liha operates in.

Broad incumbents

• Cimpress (Vistaprint): Large custom print and promotional merchandise platform operating Vistaprint and related brands with mass-market customization capabilities. Overlaps with Liha in custom-decorated merchandise and B2B branded material fulfillment.
• Staples Promotional Products: Promotional merchandise arm of Staples Inc., a large incumbent office supplies retailer that has expanded into custom promotional products. Broad overlap on enterprise promotional merchandise, though Staples sells across many categories.

Direct peers

• SanMar Corporation: US-based largest wholesale distributor of imprintable apparel and accessories serving the promotional products industry. Comparable to Liha on the apparel/textile side of corporate wear and promotional merchandise.
• Brand Addition: UK-headquartered promotional merchandise distributor owned by Lyreco with strong European presence. Competes head-to-head with Liha for multinational enterprise promotional merchandise programs across Europe.
• HALO Branded Solutions: One of the largest US-based independent B2B distributors of promotional merchandise, providing full-service sourcing, decoration, warehousing and global distribution to enterprise clients—closely mirroring Liha's FSOS model.
• Gemline: US-based supplier and decorator of promotional products offering custom sourcing, decoration and fulfillment to enterprise customers—comparable B2B full-service model to Liha's promotional articles business.
• 4imprint: UK-headquartered, publicly traded B2B distributor of promotional products serving enterprise and mid-market clients with online ordering, decoration, and global fulfillment. Direct peer to Liha in custom promotional merchandise distribution at scale.
• BIC Graphic: Promotional products division of BIC, manufacturing and distributing branded merchandise worldwide. Directly comparable product category (custom promotional goods) although more manufacturer-anchored than Liha.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LihaWerbung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 Liha Advertising