Plan Concept GmbH

What Plan Concept GmbH does

Plan Concept GmbH is a German family-owned full-service promotional products (Werbeartikel) provider founded in 1993 by Christoph Ruhrmann and headquartered in Essen. The company operates across seven German locations (Essen, Hamburg, Oldenburg, Münster, Paderborn, Munich, Stuttgart) with 80+ employees, serving B2B enterprises such as Festool, Makita, Avacon, and ADAC with sourcing, customization, warehousing, and fulfillment of branded merchandise. Its product portfolio spans 60,000+ SKUs accessed through the proprietary werbeartikel.tv online shop, alongside custom productions, corporate fashion, calendars, premiums/rewards, and onboarding packages.

The company is structured around three interconnected brand entities: the core Plan Concept GmbH delivery and sales operation; Connect-io, a wholly owned IT subsidiary that develops and operates custom B2B and B2C online shops on the Shopware platform; and PC Works, an in-house production facility offering on-demand personalization, printing, embroidery, and finishing starting from a single unit. The technology stack integrates these assets with enterprise procurement systems through SAP OCI, SAP Ariba, SAML 2.0 single sign-on, and dropshipper connections, supported by monthly reporting modules. The company holds EcoVadis certification alongside a stack of compliance certifications including REACH, RoHS, EUDR, FSC, amfori BSCI, Sedex SMETA, and SA8000, addressing sustainability and supply chain due diligence requirements of enterprise procurement.

Revenue generation combines one-time promotional product sales, recurring hosting and managed services for custom online shops, transaction-based print-on-demand production, and managed logistics/fulfillment fees. Pricing is quote-based and customized per project scope with no public price list. Go-to-market combines a regional field sales team for enterprise accounts, inside sales for mid-market, and self-service e-commerce via werbeartikel.tv, supplemented by an annual NEWSDAY trade show with 70+ exhibitors. The company is currently undergoing a generational succession with Arian Reimann (son of the founder) joining managing directors Christoph Ruhrmann and Ulf Paschwitz.

Name

Plan Concept GmbH

Legal name

Plan Concept GmbH

Website

https://planconcept.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plan Concept GmbH is a German family-owned, full-service promotional products provider serving B2B enterprises across 7 locations with 80+ employees. It delivers sourcing, custom Shopware-based online shops, in-house production, and warehousing/logistics, supported by EcoVadis certification and SAP/SAML integrations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Promotional Products Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Retailer-Vendor Collaboration, Joint Business Planning (JBP) & Trade Terms Services (CRAOAOAJ)

Keywords

• Promotional products
• Corporate branded merchandise
• Custom promotional printing
• Promotional product sourcing
• Ecommerce shop development

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Promotional Products Sales: Sale of promotional items, corporate fashion, calendars, and advertising materials. Revenue from product sales including standard items and custom special productions.
2. E-Commerce Platform Services: Development and operation of individual online shops for B2B and B2C customers. Monthly hosting, maintenance, and support services.
3. Print-on-Demand & Personalization: Custom printing, embroidery, and personalization services starting from 1 unit. Revenue from print-on-demand production, textile printing, and custom finishing.
4. Logistics & Fulfillment: Storage, warehouse management, packaging, and shipping services included in full-service offerings.
5. Sourcing & Procurement: Procurement services for promotional items with access to global supplier network and 50,000+ products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Plan Concept GmbH is a full-service German promotional products provider that sources, customizes, and distributes over 60,000 branded merchandise items for B2B enterprises and B2C consumers. The company operates an own e-commerce shop (werbeartikel.tv) for self-service orders, develops individual Shopware-based B2B and B2C online shops via its IT subsidiary Connect-io, and runs an in-house production facility (PC Works) for on-demand personalization, co-branding, and custom manufacturing starting from one unit. Services span concept, design, procurement, custom printing/embroidery, warehousing, logistics, and order fulfillment.

Product overview

Plan Concept GmbH operates a multi-brand portfolio consisting of three main business units: the core Plan Concept GmbH entity providing full-service promotional product solutions and operating the werbeartikel.tv B2C e-commerce platform with over 60,000 products; Connect-io, an IT subsidiary developing custom Shopware-based B2B and B2C online shops; and PC Works, an in-house production facility offering on-demand personalization, co-branding, and customization services starting from 1 unit. The company offers comprehensive services including procurement, design, custom productions, warehousing, logistics, e-commerce solutions, and consulting. The product architecture integrates custom online shop development (Connect-io) with full-service promotional product fulfillment (Plan Concept GmbH) and flexible production capabilities (PC Works), enabling complete solutions from concept through delivery. Core services span promotional articles, corporate fashion, premiums/rewards, custom productions, and onboarding packages, supported by digital platforms for e-commerce, reporting, hosting, and system integrations with enterprise ERP and identity systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PC Works: In-house production division offering on-demand service, personalization, co-branding and customization for promotional products and textiles starting from 1 piece
• Connect-io

Products and services

• Werbeartikel (Promotional Articles) Core promotional products service offering over 60,000 branded merchandise items including idea development, marketing strategy alignment, briefing, and budget planning for marketing campaigns, customer gifts, employee retention, corporate fashion, and trade shows.
• Beschaffung (Procurement) Comprehensive procurement service for promotional products including technical consulting for custom productions, logistics planning, complex motif implementation, and access to over 50,000 products through a global supplier network.
• Prämien (Premiums and Rewards) Customer loyalty and employee motivation service featuring exclusive premium rewards, custom premium shops in corporate design, and points systems for performance incentives and customer retention programs.
• Corporate Fashion Branded workwear and corporate apparel service providing uniforms including T-shirts, hoodies, caps, and jackets with custom logo personalization for team building and brand visibility.
• Kalender (Calendars) Customized calendar promotional products including wall planners, desk calendars, and book calendars with brand-specific designs for year-round brand visibility.
• Sonderanfertigungen (Custom Productions) Custom promotional product manufacturing service for bespoke items with high recognition value, including creative new developments, functional and memorable products, and unique concepts tailored to brand requirements.
• On-Demand-Produktion (On-Demand Production) Flexible production service starting from 1 unit with print-on-demand capabilities, daily raw material supply, quick turnaround, and options for POS materials, latex printing, and professional photography, delivered through the PC Works in-house production facility.
• Onboarding New employee onboarding package service featuring customized welcome boxes with corporate-branded items including T-shirts, mugs, caps, USB drives, powerbanks, and sustainable packaging options for employer branding.
• Full Service Comprehensive turnkey service covering the entire promotional product lifecycle from initial idea through final delivery, including professional consulting, creative design, complete project management, warehousing, logistics, and order fulfillment.
• werbeartikel.tv (B2C E-commerce Shop) Proprietary self-service B2C e-commerce platform offering over 60,000 promotional products ranging from classics to custom special productions, with personal consulting and sustainable focus, available 24/7 for individual buyers and SMBs.
• Individual Online Shops Custom e-commerce platform solutions for enterprise customers, delivered and operated by Connect-io on Shopware, including hosting, SSL certificates, enterprise interfaces (SAP OCI, SAP Ariba, SAML 2.0/SSO), reporting, and creative design services for B2B or B2C use cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Employee retention campaigns can process 2,515+ orders with 8,899 items across 32 locations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Connect-iocoreTechnology or IntegrationIT subsidiary specializing in individual B2B and B2C online shop development based on Shopware platform. Develops and operates custom e-commerce platforms with continuous improvement through own IT solutions. Part of Plan Concept Group structure.
• PC WorkscoreTechnology or IntegrationIn-house production facility for On-Demand production, personalization, co-branding and customization of promotional items. Enables production starting from 1 unit with daily raw material supply, professional graphic services and product photography.
• SAPcoreTechnology or IntegrationSAP OCI and SAP Ariba integration capabilities for enterprise customers to connect promotional product procurement with their SAP systems.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plan-concept-gmbh

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Plan Concept GmbH