Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH

What Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH does

Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH is a privately held German pawnbroker and jeweller, incorporated as a GmbH and founded in 1992, headquartered in Hamburg. The company operates four retail pawnshop branches across Hamburg (Neustadt principal branch, Hütten, Wandsbek, and Steindamm/Central Station), and serves individual consumers in the Hamburg metropolitan area. Its core offering is short-term, collateral-backed cash loans ranging from €10 to €100,000, issued against jewellery, gold, diamonds, branded watches, luxury bags, Apple products, and — more recently — high-value vehicles. A stated differentiator is the absence of any data transmission to credit agencies such as Schufa, positioning the company as an alternative for borrowers without access to or interest in traditional bank credit.

The company runs multiple revenue streams beyond interest and fees on loans. It operates a retail jewellery and watch shop, both in-branch and through an online storefront (shop.pfandhaus.de) offering branded items including Rolex, and provides in-house goldsmith services covering repair, alteration, and custom manufacturing. It purchases gold coins, jewellery, luxury bags, and watches directly from customers at fair prices with immediate payment, and runs regular public auctions of unclaimed pawned items. Distribution is primarily physical, complemented by an e-commerce channel and a light social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.

The business model is consumer-facing and transaction-based, with pricing disclosed only in-branch. The company employs approximately six people and is actively recruiting trainees for office management and retail clerk roles for 2025. There is no disclosed parent company, no external funding, and no published revenue; the company self-describes as one of the most professional and highest-turnover pawnbrokers in Germany. Technology adoption is minimal — operations rely on traditional in-person valuation and goldsmith expertise rather than automated or AI-driven processes.

Name

Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH

Legal name

Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH

Website

https://pfandkredit-johannsen.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH is a Hamburg-based pawnbroker and jeweller operating four retail branches, issuing collateral-backed cash loans (€10–€100,000) against jewellery, watches, gold, and cars to individual consumers, with no Schufa credit-agency involvement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pawnbroking and Collateral Lending

NAICS

Jewelry Retailers (458310), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

SIC

Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Pawn Loans (Pawnbrokers) (FSAKALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pawn & Collateral-based Jewelry Retail (CRAKAGAL), Precious Metals & Jewelry Collateral Loans (FSAKALAC)

Keywords

• Pawnbroker services
• Collateral lending
• Jewellery retail
• Luxury watch sales
• Gold buying

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest and Fees: Issuing cash loans against collateral (jewellery, gold, watches, cars) with interest charges. Loan amounts range from €10 to €100,000.
2. Jewellery and Watch Sales: Sale of pawned and purchased luxury items including jewellery, watches (Rolex, etc.), and branded bags through physical shops and online store.
3. Auction Revenue: Regular auctions of pawned items where unclaimed collateral is sold to the public.
4. Gold and Precious Metal Trading: Buying gold coins, jewellery, luxury bags, and watches from customers with immediate payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH operates four pawnshop branches in Hamburg that issue short-term, discreet cash loans (€10 to €100,000) against collateral including jewellery, gold, diamonds, branded watches, luxury bags, Apple products, and high-value vehicles, without transmitting borrower data to credit agencies such as Schufa. The company complements its lending business with retail sales of pre-owned and new jewellery and watches, gold and precious-metal purchasing, regular public auctions of unclaimed pawned items, and in-house goldsmith services covering jewellery repair, alteration, and custom manufacturing.

Product overview

Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH operates a multi-branch pawnbroker and jewellery business in Hamburg with four locations. The core offering consists of collateral-based loans (€10 to €100,000) accepting jewellery, gold, diamonds, watches, luxury bags, Apple products, and vehicles as collateral, with no credit agency data transmission required. The company also operates a retail jewellery and watch shop offering branded items (Rolex), custom jewellery manufacturing, repair services, and conducts regular auctions of pawned items. Additionally, the company purchases gold, jewellery, luxury bags, and watches from customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collateral Loans Short-term cash loans issued against physical collateral (jewellery, gold, diamonds, branded watches, luxury bags, Apple products, and vehicles) with loan amounts from €10 to €100,000 and no Schufa credit agency data transmission required. Targeted at individuals in Hamburg needing immediate, discreet liquidity.
• Loans against Cars Discreet and quick collateral loans secured against high-value old and new cars, available exclusively at the Hütten branch in Hamburg with appointments scheduled by phone. Targeted at vehicle owners seeking fast secured financing.
• Jewellery and Watch Shop Sale of new and pre-owned jewellery, branded watches (including Rolex), diamond pieces, and luxury goods via the four Hamburg branches and the online shop (shop.pfandhaus.de). Includes valuation, alteration, and repair services. Targeted at consumers seeking authenticated luxury items at competitive prices.
• Goldsmith Services In-house goldsmith services covering jewellery repair, alteration, and custom manufacturing to customer specification, plus watch strap changes and battery replacement at very reasonable prices. Targeted at customers wanting unique pieces or restoration of existing jewellery and watches.
• Pawned Item Auctions Regular public auctions in Hamburg of unclaimed pawned items, primarily jewellery and watches, open to walk-in buyers seeking authenticated luxury items at competitive auction prices.
• Gold and Precious Metal Purchasing Branch-based buying of gold coins, jewellery, luxury bags, and watches from customers at fair market prices with immediate payment, positioned as worth comparing with competitor offers. Targeted at Hamburg consumers seeking fast, discreet liquidation of valuables.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Verband (German Pawnbrokers Association)minorOthersCompany displays association logo at bottom of website indicating membership in a German pawnbrokers association or trade organization. Details of the association relationship are not specified.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• EZCORP: US-listed pawnbroker operating pawn lending and pre-owned retail across the Americas. Similar collateral-loan-plus-retail model with jewellery and precious metals as core collateral, but at materially larger scale and with broader geographic footprint.
• FirstCash Holdings: Largest publicly listed pawnbroker globally, operating thousands of pawn locations across the US and Latin America. Comparable core offering of collateral-based loans plus retail of unclaimed items, but at vastly larger scale and with broader geographic diversification.
• Bucherer: European luxury watch and jewellery retailer with deep Rolex and branded-watch assortment, in-house goldsmithing, and trade-in services. Comparable on the high-end jewellery/watch retail and service offering, though operating as a broader luxury incumbent rather than a pawnbroker.

Direct peers

• Wempe: German family-owned luxury watch and jewellery retailer with in-house goldsmithing, repair services, and branded inventory. Overlaps directly on the retail side (jewellery, watches, Rolex, custom manufacturing) and shares the German premium-market customer base.
• Borro: Asset-based lending platform specializing in loans secured against luxury collateral including watches, jewellery, and fine art. Comparable collateral-loan model with digital origination, representing the digital-native disruption vector that traditional pawnbrokers like Johannsen face.
• Christ Juweliere und Uhrmacher: Germany's largest specialist jewellery and watch retail chain offering branded watches, jewellery, repair, and gold-buying services. Comparable retail and trade-in/purchase model for jewellery and watches in the German market.
• H&T Pawnbrokers: UK high-street pawnbroker offering cash loans against jewellery, watches, and gold, plus retail sales of pre-owned luxury items. Closely comparable traditional pawn model with multi-branch urban density, though operating in the UK rather than Germany.
• Cash Converters: International pawnbroker and second-hand retailer with physical branches offering collateral-backed loans, jewellery sales, and auctions. Directly comparable business model combining lending with retail of pawned/used items, though operating at much larger scale across multiple geographies.

Emerging players

• PawnGuru: US online marketplace connecting borrowers with pawn shops. Represents the digital intermediation layer emerging in pawn lending, comparable in target customer and collateral type but operating purely online rather than through owned branches.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pfandkreditjohannsen
• Instagraminstagram.com/pfandkredit_johannsen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pfandkredit-johannsen-gmbh

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 Pfandkredit Johannsen GmbH