What Willi Weber does

Willi Weber GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned tobacco and consumer goods wholesaler headquartered in Dieburg, Germany, operating as a GmbH & Co. KG. The company runs two integrated business lines: a full-range wholesale operation distributing approximately 2,500 articles — including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, smoking accessories, vapes, e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn products, confectionery, snacks, beverages, spirits, gift cards, and prepaid phone cards — and a vending machine business operating over 15,000 cigarette and product vending machines across Germany with full-service support (placement, filling, maintenance, youth protection compliance, and WhatsApp-based fault reporting). Customers are SMB retail trade (kiosks, gas stations, specialist retailers) and hospitality (hotels, restaurants, canteens) served nationwide through three distribution hubs in Dieburg, Elxleben, and Dornhan, with an own-fleet 24-hour delivery service and omnichannel ordering via B2B webshop, mobile app, telephone, and direct cash register (EDI) integration.

The technology stack centers on modern warehouse logistics: fully automated paperless picking/commissioning with digital end control, mobile data capture with barcode scanning, electronic delivery signatures, and full track-and-trace. The company is a member of DTV (Europe's largest association of leading tobacco wholesalers) and BDTA, and operates the wholly-owned subsidiary HESA Innovations GmbH, which develops digital applications and cloud-based systems beyond classical wholesale. Pricing is B2B and quote-based, with transaction-style logistics fees (€3.90 flat on orders above €500 retail price; €24.90 minimum-order surcharge below €500).

Revenue is generated through wholesale distribution margin on transaction volume and recurring vending machine service fees. No revenue figure is publicly disclosed. The company is led by three Geschäftsführer: Maximilian Zehfuß, Peter Zehfuß, and Tobias Schydlowski, with ownership retained within the founding family and no private equity, venture capital, or external institutional investor involvement indicated in available sources.

Name

Willi Weber

Legal name

Willi Weber GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://tabakweber.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Willi Weber GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German tobacco and consumer goods wholesaler distributing ~2,500 SKUs and operating 15,000+ vending machines nationwide through three regional hubs serving SMB retail and hospitality customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tobacco Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Tobacco Product and Electronic Cigarette Merchant Wholesalers (42494), Tobacco Product and Electronic Cigarette Merchant Wholesalers (424940), Convenience Retailers and Vending Machine Operators (44513)

akta.pro primary industry

Vape, E-cigarette & Nicotine Alternative Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAE)

Keywords

• Tobacco wholesale distribution
• Vending machine operations
• B2B consumer goods supply
• Hospitality and trade supply
• Omnichannel ordering platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Dieburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale tobacco and consumer goods distribution: Wholesale distribution of tobacco products, confectionery, spirits, snacks, drinks, phone cards, and vouchers to retail trade and hospitality. Orders placed via web shop, app, phone, or cash register integration.
2. Vending machine operations: Operation of over 15,000 cigarette and product vending machines across Germany including site consultation, placement, filling, maintenance, and repair services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Willi Weber is a family-owned German wholesale distributor of tobacco products and consumer goods (cigarettes, cigars, smoking accessories, vapes, confectionery, spirits, drinks, phone cards, gift cards), stocking approximately 2,500 articles and delivering to retail trade and hospitality customers nationwide through a B2B web shop, mobile app, telephone, and cash register integration with its own delivery fleet. The company also operates more than 15,000 cigarette and tobacco vending machines across Germany, providing site consultation, placement, filling, maintenance, repair, youth-protection age verification, and multiple payment options.

Product overview

Willi Weber operates a dual core business model: (1) tobacco products wholesale (Großhandel) as a full-range specialist with approximately 2,500 articles covering cigarettes, cigars, vapes, sweets, spirits, and phone cards, distributed via omnichannel sales including a B2B webshop, app, telephone, and cash register integration; and (2) automated vending machine operations managing over 15,000 cigarette and tobacco vending machines across Germany with full lifecycle support. The company also operates HESA Innovations GmbH as a subsidiary developing digital solutions and innovative systems that complement the traditional wholesale and vending operations. All offerings are focused on trade and gastronomy customers across Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HESA Innovations: An extension of the core business that develops innovative systems, digital applications, and new concepts to complement traditional wholesale and vending operations.

Products and services

• Großhandel (Tobacco and Consumer Goods Wholesale) Full-range wholesale distribution of approximately 2,500 articles including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, smoking accessories, vapes, e-cigarettes, e-shishas, heat-not-burn products, sweets, snacks, beverages, spirits, gift cards, and prepaid phone cards, delivered to trade and gastronomy customers via omnichannel sales (web shop, app, telephone, cash register integration) with own delivery fleet.
• Vending Machine Operations (Automaten) Operation of over 15,000 cigarette and tobacco vending machines across Germany, with full lifecycle service including site consultation, placement, filling, maintenance, repair, multiple payment options (contactless and cash), and youth-protection age verification.
• B2B Web Shop Online B2B ordering platform (shop.tabakweber.de) for registered trade and gastronomy customers to order tobacco products, sweets, spirits, and other consumer goods for delivery via Willi Weber's own fleet.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-hour delivery across Germany
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DTV (Deutscher Tabakverband)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Europe's largest association of leading tobacco product wholesalers. DTV develops innovative systems and services for the tobacco trade and offers the Tabac & Co. franchise concept.
• BDTAminorOthersIndustry association membership for tobacco product wholesalers.
• HESA Innovations GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company that bundles all solutions beyond classical wholesale and sales. Develops innovative systems, digital applications, and new concepts that complement existing services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• British American Tobacco (BAT) Germany: Global tobacco and nicotine alternatives company with German operations across combustible and reduced-risk products. Broad incumbent: comparable product categories including vape and modern oral nicotine, but operates primarily as a brand owner rather than a wholesaler.
• Lekkerland SE (REWE Group): Germany's largest convenience and tobacco wholesaler, part of REWE Group. It is comparable because it serves the same kiosk, gas station, and convenience store channel with overlapping tobacco, confectionery, and beverage assortments, but at significantly greater scale and as part of a broader retail group.
• Reemtsma / Imperial Brands Germany: One of Germany's largest tobacco manufacturers (Imperial Brands subsidiary) that also operates downstream distribution and vending. Broad incumbent: comparable tobacco product portfolio and vending footprint, but operating as a manufacturer with brand power rather than as a pure wholesaler.
• Japan Tobacco International (JTI) Germany: Major tobacco manufacturer with German sales of cigarettes, rolling tobacco and Ploom heat-not-burn. Broad incumbent: comparable nicotine product portfolio and German retail relationships, but with manufacturer-level scale and brand power rather than wholesaler economics.
• Philip Morris GmbH (PMI): Global tobacco and heat-not-burn manufacturer (IQOS) with direct German retail relationships. Broad incumbent: competes in the same product categories (including growing heat-not-burn) and increasingly bypasses wholesalers to negotiate directly with retailers, posing a disintermediation risk.

Regional players

• Nordwest Handel AG: German wholesale cooperative linking industrial and trade suppliers with SMB retailers across multiple categories. Regional player: comparable B2B wholesale model and SMB retail customer base, with partial overlap in tobacco/confectionery but serving a broader category mix.

Direct peers

• Weuthen Tabak GmbH & Co. KG: Established German tobacco wholesaler with multi-regional coverage and member of DTV. Direct peer: same core product categories, same B2B trade and gastronomy customers, same omnichannel ordering and own-fleet delivery model.
• Tabak-Börner GmbH: German tobacco wholesaler serving the same kiosk, retail, and hospitality customer base. Direct peer: comparable product mix (cigarettes, cigars, smoking accessories, confectionery), comparable B2B wholesale model, and similar regional distribution hub footprint.
• Tabak Fritze GmbH: Regional German tobacco wholesaler serving retail and gastronomy customers with multi-channel ordering. Direct peer: comparable product mix, comparable SMB retail/hospitality customer segments, and similar own-fleet delivery model.
• Siepmann GmbH: German tobacco and convenience goods wholesaler with vending operations and B2B delivery. Direct peer: comparable dual model of tobacco wholesale plus cigarette vending machine operation, serving overlapping kiosk and hospitality channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tabakweber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Willi Weber