ALECO BioMarkt Ottersberg

What ALECO BioMarkt Ottersberg does

ALECO GmbH, operating as 'ALECO - alles ökologisch', is a privately held, family-owned organic supermarket chain headquartered in Ottersberg, Lower Saxony, with 27 BioSupermärkte across Northwest Germany, primarily clustered in Bremen and surrounding towns (Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Buchholz/Nordheide, Soltau, Delmenhorst, Verden, Rotenburg, Syke, Lilienthal, Achim, and others). The chain originated in 1989 as 'Natur ins Haus', a home delivery service started by Georg Appel and Runa Blättermann after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, and transitioned into physical retail with the 1993 Ottersberg store opening; ALECO GmbH was formally established in 2004 by Georg Appel and Runa Blättermann to operate the supermarket format, and Runa Blättermann departed in 2009, after which Georg Appel's daughter Mona Laudan joined the management in 2013.

The company operates a consistent full-range organic assortment ('Bio-Vollsortiment') with high fresh-product share, including specialty counters for baked goods, cheese, and produce, plus in-store Bio-Café/Bistro areas at select larger locations. Supporting services include the BioMarkt-Card shared loyalty program, a continuing home delivery service (Lieferservice), and joint marketing through the BioMarkt Werbe-Gemeinschaft (~400 stores). ALECO holds EU organic certification DE-ÖKO-003 from LACON GmbH per regulations VO (EG) 834/2007 and 889/2008. There is no proprietary technology stack or e-commerce channel; operations are described as standard retail.

Revenue is generated entirely through in-store retail sales of organic food, natural cosmetics, and sustainable household goods, with marketing conducted via physical flyers (Handzettel), weekly email newsletters, Facebook and Instagram, community events, and BioMarkt-Werbe-Gemeinschaft cooperative campaigns. The company is led by managing directors Georg Appel and Mona Laudan, with no evidence of external private equity, venture capital, or public market backing, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

ALECO BioMarkt Ottersberg

Legal name

ALECO GmbH

Website

https://aleco.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ALECO GmbH is a family-owned organic supermarket chain operating 27 BioSupermärkte across Northwest Germany (Bremen and surroundings), offering a full organic assortment with fresh specialty counters, loyalty card, and delivery service to general consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Supermarket Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (445110)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic Supermarkets & Chains (CRAHAEAA)

Keywords

• Organic grocery retail
• Bio supermarket chain
• Natural cosmetics retail
• Fresh organic produce
• Sustainable household goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottersberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices29 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: ALECO generates revenue through retail sales of organic food products, sustainable household goods, and natural cosmetics across their 27 supermarket locations. They offer a full organic range (Bio-Vollsortiment) including fresh produce, cheese and bakery counters, groceries, beverages, and drugstore items.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ALECO operates a chain of 27 certified organic supermarkets (BioSupermärkte) in Northwest Germany, offering a full organic assortment (Bio-Vollsortiment) including fresh produce, bakery and cheese counters, beverages, groceries, natural cosmetics, and sustainable household goods. The company complements its brick-and-mortar stores with a home delivery service (Lieferservice) and in-store café/bistro areas at select larger locations.

Product overview

ALECO operates a chain of 27 organic supermarkets across northwest Germany, offering a comprehensive ecological product range. The core offering is the ALECO BioSupermärkte network featuring fresh food departments including bakery and cheese counters, fruit and vegetable sections. Supporting services include the BioMarkt-Card loyalty program for bonus point collection, home delivery service (continuing from the founding 'Natur ins Haus' delivery business), and in-store Bio-Café/Bistro areas at select larger locations. The company is part of the larger BioMarkt Group with a shared customer loyalty card system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALECO BioSupermärkte (Organic Supermarket Chain) A chain of 27 certified organic supermarkets across Northwest Germany offering a full ecological product assortment including fresh produce, bakery and cheese counters, beverages, groceries, natural cosmetics, and sustainable household goods. Stores are located in Bremen and surrounding towns such as Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Buchholz, Soltau, Verden, and Delmenhorst.
• ALECO Lieferservice (Home Delivery Service) Home delivery service distributing organic food products to loyal customers, originally established as the company's founding business model and continuing today alongside the brick-and-mortar stores.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• RECUPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2022ALECO partnered with RECUP to offer reusable deposit cups for hot beverages in their markets. This partnership supports the company's sustainability goals by reducing single-use waste.
• BioMarkt Verbund (Zukunftsstiftung BioMarkt)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021ALECO is part of the BioMarkt Verbund advertising group (~400 stores) for joint marketing. They also supported the Zukunftsstiftung BioMarkt with 5000 EUR in 2018 to fund sustainable agriculture projects.
• Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V.minorOthers · 1 August 2019ALECO participated in the 'Aufrunden' (round-up) charity campaign supporting Ukraine relief efforts through donations of up to 10 cents per transaction.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bio Company: Berlin-based organic supermarket chain (~50 stores) operating a 100% organic full assortment. Comparable as a regional organic-only chain with specialty fresh counters, but in a different German metro.
• Basic Bio: Munich-based organic supermarket chain operating full organic assortment with bakery, cheese and fresh produce counters. Comparable regional organic-only supermarket format, geographically adjacent but non-overlapping.
• Alnatura: Germany's largest dedicated organic supermarket chain (~140 stores). Directly comparable as a 100% organic full-assortment supermarket operator competing for the same German organic consumer; ALECO is a regional version of the same model.
• tegut: Hesse-based regional supermarket chain (~290 stores) with one of Germany's strongest organic ranges (tegut...bio). Comparable as a regional full-line grocer with deep organic penetration, though it is not 100% organic.
• Denn's Biomarkt: Organic supermarket chain (part of Dennree group) with ~300 stores across Germany and Austria. Closely comparable full organic assortment, similar in-store bakery/cheese counters, and competes with ALECO for the same health-conscious German shopper.

Broad incumbents

• Reformhaus: Germany-wide health food and natural products retailer (~1,000 stores) including organic groceries, natural cosmetics and drugstore items. Comparable assortment overlap (organic groceries + natural cosmetics + household goods) but smaller specialty format.
• Edeka: Germany's largest supermarket group with thousands of stores nationwide, expanding its 'Edeka Bio' organic range. Competes for organic grocery spend through conventional-store convenience rather than dedicated organic specialization.
• REWE: Major German supermarket chain with growing organic private-label range (REWE Bio + Beste Wahl). Competes for organic consumer share through scale and convenience rather than dedicated organic stores.

Regional players

• Naturkost Elkershausen: Independent German organic retailer with regional presence. Comparable as a regional organic-only operator with full assortment and fresh counters, though smaller scale and geographically distinct.

Others

• BioMarkt Werbe-Gemeinschaft: Advertising cooperative of ~400 independent German organic retailers including ALECO. Comparable as the network enabling joint loyalty (BioMarkt-Card) and shared marketing, effectively an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ALECOBIO
• Instagraminstagram.com/alecobiomaerkte
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aleco-biomarkt-ottersberg

Compliance1 record

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 ALECO BioMarkt Ottersberg