What OWD does

OWD GmbH is a German full-service agency for visual marketing and decoration, founded in 1993 and headquartered at Wilhelmstraße 23 in Aalen, with registration in Ulm (HRB 500879). The company operates as a B2B services provider for stationary retailers, retail chains (Filialisten), automotive dealerships, industrial companies, and advertising/communication agencies, delivering campaigns through a distributed network of more than 400 trained visual marketing designers, decorators, Visual Merchandisers, and installers deployed across Germany and at least ten additional European countries plus the United States. Its portfolio comprises eight core service lines: Dekoservice (window and store decoration), Visual Merchandising, Montageservice (POS installation and large-banner mounting), Folienverklebung (foil application and window lettering), Kassenschutz (cash-register protection/infection-control systems), Store-Check (audits and analysis), POS-Konzepte (point-of-sale concept development), and Mannequinservice (mannequin placement and dressing). Pricing is quote-based per project, with a complementary Dekokollektion rental-collection service billed on a daily basis that avoids storage costs or upfront client investment.

The underlying operational platform is the proprietary OWD App, launched in 2020, which supports real-time photo documentation, scheduling, deployment planning of field teams, and live client reporting. Services are coordinated through a direct enterprise sales motion targeting key accounts such as Fielmann, Hugo Boss, Nike, Saturn, Nespresso, VW, BMW, Porsche, Opel, ALDI Süd, dm Drogerie, Galeria, Schiesser, Hornbach, Douglas, Barbour, Zeiss, PUMA, Ford, Tipico, and OBI. Notable execution proofs include placing 35,000 displays across 300+ OBI stores within 7 days and individually decorating over 500 Tipico shops. The business derives revenue from professional-services engagements with no public pricing or unit-economics data; revenue figures are not disclosed. The company is privately held by two co-managing partners, Klaus Lach (Geschäftsführender Gesellschafter) and Claudia Köditz-Habermann (Geschäftsführende Gesellschafterin), with no institutional or private-equity backing identified in available sources.

Go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-focused, leveraging a reference gallery of major retail and brand clients, membership in the German visual marketing association VM Magazin (VMM), and editorial coverage in trade publications (Hörakustik, Display magazine, dlv Trendreport Ladenbau). The OWD App functions as the primary digital channel for client engagement and project coordination, while distribution is direct (no reseller or partner channel model). Geographic reach explicitly covers DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) plus Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, UK, Czech Republic, Poland, and the United States. Value-added services such as Mannequinservice (4,500 mannequin placements across 150 stores in 1-2 weeks) and Store-Check audits are positioned to address the structural pressures cited by the company: rising e-commerce share, declining in-store dwell time, and the need for emotional, differentiated retail presentation.

Name

OWD

Legal name

OWD GmbH

Website

https://owd-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OWD GmbH is a German visual marketing agency providing decoration, merchandising, foil application, POS installation, and store-audit services to enterprise retailers, brands, and automotive dealerships across Germany, Europe, and the United States via a 400+ designer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Visual Merchandising and Retail Decoration Services

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

OOH Production, Printing & Installation Services (BPAFALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Large-Format & Spectaculars (Building Wraps, 3D, Landmarks) (BPAFALAH)

Keywords

• Visual merchandising services
• Retail decoration services
• Window display decoration
• POS installation services
• Foil application services

Headquarters

HQ city

Aalen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Visual Merchandising & Decoration: Service-based revenue from decoration services, visual merchandising, window dressing, foil application, installation services, mannequin placement, and store checks. Projects range from individual store decorations to large nationwide rollouts for retail chains.
2. Installation & Montage Services: POS installation services including display mounting, large banner installation, furniture installation, and security system installation. Full-service logistics from material procurement to installation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OWD GmbH is a full-service visual marketing agency that delivers retail decoration, visual merchandising, foil application, POS installation, mannequin placement, and store audit services to enterprise retail chains, automotive dealers, and brand clients. Operating through a network of more than 400 trained visual marketing decorators across Germany and Europe, OWD executes nationwide and Europe-wide campaigns, including window decorations, store installations, and seasonal rollouts.

Product overview

OWD is an agency for visual marketing and merchandising that operates as a service provider rather than a software platform. The company offers a portfolio of professional decoration and installation services delivered through a network of over 400 trained visual marketing decorators across Germany and Europe. The core service offerings include: Dekoservice (decoration service for shop windows and stores), Visual Merchandising (product presentation and shelf optimization), Montageservice (POS installation and banner mounting), Folienverklebung (foil application and window graphics), Kassenschutz (cash register protection systems), Store-Check (store audits and analysis), POS-Konzepte (point-of-sale concept development), and Mannequinservice (mannequin placement and dressing). These services are supported by the OWD App for real-time project tracking and mobile workforce management, and complemented by a Dekokollektion (rental decoration collection) and Malerarbeiten (painting services). The company executes over 2,000 shop window decorations per month through its dense network of decorators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dekoservice (Decoration Service) Professional window decoration, store decoration, and in-store styling services for shop windows, sales floors, and seasonal campaigns, delivered by OWD's network of trained visual marketing decorators across Germany and Europe.
• Visual Merchandising Targeted visual marketing services including product presentation, shelf optimization, store supervision, and holistic brand appearance design for retail stores and chains.
• Montageservice (POS Installation Service) POS mounting and installation services for advertising materials including large banners, display installations, furniture assembly, and signage placement across Germany and Europe, with full logistics from procurement to installation.
• Kassenschutz (Cash Register Protection) Cash register protection and point-of-sale safety systems including infection protection barriers, sneeze guards, floor graphics, and signage for customer and employee safety at POS areas.
• Folienverklebung (Foil Application) Foil application and window lettering services for shop windows and advertising surfaces, covering indoor and outdoor foil installations, vehicle lettering, and custom window graphics.
• Store-Check (Store Audit) Store analysis and audit service that captures current store conditions including inventory recording, advertising material registration, and window measurements to enable precise campaign deployment.
• POS-Konzepte (POS Concept Development) Point-of-sale concept development spanning sales promotion, corporate identity, product presentation, advertising, and event and trade show design strategies for visual communication at retail locations.
• Mannequinservice (Mannequin Service) End-to-end mannequin service including unpacking, assembly, positioning, dressing with merchandise, and environmentally-friendly disposal of packaging across retail networks.
• Dekokollektion (Rental Decoration Collection) Rental decoration collection offering creative, trend-aligned decorations for seasonal and themed presentations, billed on a daily rental basis with no storage costs or advance investment required.
• Malerarbeiten (Painting Services) Painting services for shop windows, action areas, and storefronts across the DACH region, with capability to coordinate simultaneous painting in over 200 retail locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Placed 35,000 displays in 7 days across 300+ OBI stores
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VM Magazin (VMM)minorOthersProfessional industry association membership for visual marketing. OWD is a member of VMM, the visual marketing industry association in Germany.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sangar GmbH: German visual merchandising and POS service provider specializing in decoration, mannequin service, and installation for retail clients. Closest direct competitor in OWD's core window-dressing and POS-installation niche.
• Kolle Rebbe: Hamburg-based creative agency with dedicated retail and brand-activation practice serving German and international brands. Comparable in retail and store-experience execution for premium clients.
• Crossmark: Global retail merchandising services provider executing in-store displays, merchandising reset, and retail audits. Comparable service offering to OWD's store-check and display-installation services across a multi-country footprint.
• Acosta: North American retail marketing services company providing in-store merchandising, product demonstrations, and retail execution. Comparable execution-driven retail services model.
• BBDO Live Germany: Retail activation arm of BBDO Germany providing POS, shopper marketing, and event execution services. Comparable to OWD in targeting retail marketers with end-to-end campaign execution.
• Liganova: German-based brand experience agency delivering in-store and retail-environment concepts, rollout execution, and visual activations for major European brands. Directly comparable to OWD's visual merchandising and decoration offering, but with a broader brand-experience positioning.
• Advantage Solutions (incl. Advantage Smollan): Large provider of retail merchandising, in-store execution, and shopper marketing services with broad multi-country presence. Comparable services to OWD at greater scale.

Regional players

• Apollo Retail Specialists: US-focused retail merchandising and installation services provider for major retailers and brands. Directly comparable service mix (display installation, resets, visual merchandising), but operating primarily in the US market where OWD has limited presence.

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Europe's largest independent agency group with retail activation, shopper marketing, and in-store execution capabilities alongside broader creative and media services. Comparable on retail execution but broader in scope.
• Jung von Matt: Major German creative agency network with retail and brand-activation services. Operates in adjacent space with strong overlap on retail marketing but a much broader creative portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/owd-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 OWD