What esser does

esser (legal entity: Andr. Peter Esser GmbH) is a privately held German company headquartered in Hürth that operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop, kassenblocks.de, focused on Kassenblocks (cash register blocks) and complementary office documentation products. Its product portfolio centers on pre-printed 100-sheet carbonless paper blocks in formats D36/01, D36/02, D36/08, D036/01, and the newer 4s line, with configurations differing by VAT display (MwSt.-Ausweis) versus §19 UStG Kleinunternehmer variants, sequential versus leaf-only numbering, and top versus bottom (Fußheftung) binding. Accessories include Reinigungsblocks (cleaning blocks), Quittungsblocks (receipt blocks), Lieferscheinblocks/Rechnungsblocks (delivery note and invoice blocks), Blockmappen (folders), and Rechenlisten (calculation lists), plus a starter bundle of ten D36/02 blocks with a folder priced at €23.00.

The company runs a fully self-serve, one-time-transaction e-commerce model: customers browse the Afterbuy-powered storefront, register an account, and purchase without sales intervention. Pricing is unit-based, ranging from €45.00 (discounted remainder stock) to €57.00 per 100-block unit, all prices inclusive of 19% German VAT plus shipping. The customer base is horizontally segmented toward German small businesses and Kleinunternehmer who require compliant paper-based cash register documentation, with no enterprise accounts, named logos, or contracted revenue evidenced.

The business model is straightforward commodity retail in a structurally declining format. There are no proprietary technology assets, no AI capabilities, no public funding, no parent company, and no acquisitions or partnerships beyond the Afterbuy storefront platform. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, the SKU matrix is narrow (~13 products), and several flagship items are listed as sold out, indicating either supply constraints or limited throughput. The historical 1897 founding date positions esser as a long-standing German Mittelstand operator, but its current scale (11–50 employees, single-channel DACH distribution) reflects a small, niche retail business rather than a growth-stage venture.

Name

esser

Legal name

Andr. Peter Esser GmbH

Website

https://esser.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

esser (Andr. Peter Esser GmbH) is a privately held German Mittelstand company operating the kassenblocks.de e-commerce shop, selling pre-printed cash register blocks and documentation accessories directly to German small businesses and Kleinunternehmer on a self-serve, one-time-purchase basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Forms and Stationery

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (3231)

SIC

Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780)

akta.pro primary industry

Office, Stationery & Craft Supplies DTC (CRAFACAL)

Keywords

• Cash register blocks
• Business forms
• Office stationery
• Receipt books
• Fiscal documentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hürth

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cash Register Block Sales: Direct sales of physical paper-based cash register blocks and accessories through e-commerce. Products include various formats (D36/01, D36/02, D036/01, D36/08, 4s) in quantities of 100 blocks per unit, as well as complementary products like cleaning blocks, receipt blocks, delivery/invoice blocks, and block folders. Revenue is generated through one-time product transactions with standard retail pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

esser (Andr. Peter Esser GmbH) manufactures and sells paper-based cash register blocks (Kassenblocks) and related office documentation supplies through its own e-commerce storefront at kassenblocks.de. The product range includes multiple Kassenblocks variants (D36/01, D36/02, D36/08, D036/01, 4s) with features such as VAT display (MwSt.-Ausweis) and sequential numbering, as well as accessories including cleaning blocks, receipt blocks, delivery note/invoice blocks, block folders, and calculation lists. The company specifically serves German small businesses, including those exempt from VAT under §19 UStG (Kleinunternehmerregelung).

Product overview

esser (André Peter Esser GmbH) is a German company operating an e-commerce shop for cash register blocks and office supplies. The product portfolio centers on Kassenblocks (cash register blocks) available in various models (D36/01, D36/02, D36/08, D036/01) with different configurations including VAT display, small business variants, bottom binding options, and leaf numbering. These are complemented by accessory products including cleaning blocks, receipt blocks, delivery/invoice blocks, block folders, and calculation lists. The company also offers a starter bundle combining multiple blocks with a block folder. esser sells exclusively through its kassenblocks.de online shop, with pricing in euros including 19% German VAT plus shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kassenblocks (Cash Register Blocks) 100-sheet paper cash register blocks available in multiple formats (D36/01, D36/02, D36/08, D036/01, 4s) with VAT display (MwSt.-Ausweis) and sequential numbering. Variants include standard versions, Kleinunternehmer (small business) variants without VAT display per §19 UStG, leaf-number-only versions, and bottom-bound (Fußheftung) versions. Sold in packs of 100 at €53.00–€57.00 plus VAT and shipping.
• Reinigungsblocks (Cleaning Blocks) Paper cleaning blocks used to maintain and clean cash registers. Sold through the kassenblocks.de shop under the Reinigungsblocks category.
• Quittungsblocks (Receipt Blocks) Paper receipt blocks for issuing customer receipts, sold as a standalone documentation product for small businesses.
• Lieferscheinblocks Rechnungsblocks (Delivery Note and Invoice Blocks) Combined delivery note and invoice blocks used by small businesses to document shipments and issue invoices in paper form.
• Blockmappen (Block Folders) Folders designed to organize and store cash register blocks and matching documentation paper products.
• Rechenlisten (Calculation Lists) Paper calculation lists used for arithmetic operations and record-keeping by small business owners.
• Starter Set: 10 Kassenblocks D36/02 + 1 Blockmappe Starter bundle marketed for new customers, containing 10 Kassenblocks D36/02 plus a matching block folder, priced at €23.00 incl. VAT plus shipping.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sigel: German manufacturer of office supplies including notepads, writing pads, and paper-based business forms. Directly comparable to esser because it produces bound paper blocks (e.g., Notizblocks, Formularblocks) sold through office and SMB channels in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Durable: German office supplies brand offering forms, name badges, and workplace organization products. Comparable to esser as a German SMB-focused office supplies vendor with paper-based documentation products in its catalog, though Durable is much broader in scope.
• Leitz (Esselte Leitz): European office supplies manufacturer with a broad catalog including filing, binding, and paper organization products (e.g., Lever Arch Files, Ordner). Comparable to esser in selling organizational paper-based office products to SMBs, though at much greater scale and broader portfolio.
• Maul: Long-established German office supplies manufacturer (founded 1912) producing paper pads, writing pads, and workplace accessories. Comparable to esser in selling bound paper blocks through German SMB and office channels, and in operating as a Mittelstand-style heritage brand.
• AVERY Zweckform: Large German manufacturer of self-adhesive labels, printable forms, and office identification products. Comparable because it serves the same German SMB market with paper-based documentation and label solutions, including forms used in cash handling and bookkeeping workflows, though at a much larger scale and broader product scope than esser.

Emerging players

• Herma: German specialist in self-adhesive labels and removable adhesive products, including labels used on receipts, packaging, and business documentation. Comparable to esser in serving German SMB documentation workflows with paper-based labeling solutions, though Herma focuses on labels rather than bound blocks.

Regional players

• Exacompta (Clairefontaine group): French manufacturer of office supplies and accounting registers/books, including traditional bound bookkeeping and receipt blocks used by SMBs across Europe. Comparable to esser because it produces bound paper accounting/receipt blocks analogous to Kassenblocks, serving a similar compliance-driven SMB use case in a neighboring geography.

Others

• Stabilo / Schwan-Stabilo: German heritage brand known primarily for writing instruments, with adjacent office supplies including notepads and paper products. Comparable to esser as a German Mittelstand office-supplies vendor; included as a thematic/ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

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 esser