Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH

What Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH does

Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH (RFW) is a German editorial services bureau headquartered in Cologne at the medienzentrum süd campus, operating as a private GmbH under co-managing directors Andreas Mayer (editorial) and Meike Huster (finance/administration). The company functions as an external full-service redaktion for publishers, companies, and associations, producing a portfolio of roughly 21 print and digital magazine titles spanning sports (BASKET since 1994, BRAVO SPORT, BOXSPORT, BIG, AKTIV LAUFEN, Volleyball Magazin), automotive (AUTO CLASSIC), photography (fotoMAGAZIN, FOTOwirtschaft), lifestyle and travel (WOHNIDEE, Wanderlust, FLÜSSE), B2B trade (outdoor.markt, tabak-MARKT, PROFILE), and special-interest verticals (Mein Pferd, Food & Farm, Apotheke der Natur).

RFW delivers end-to-end magazine production services — strategy and concept, editorial writing, graphic design and layout, prepress, and cross-media publishing — for publisher clients including Köln.Sport Verlag, BPV Medien, GeraMond Verlag, SportCombi Verlag, Bauer Media Group, Egmont, Panini, and Delius Klasing. Digital distribution is enabled through the PressMatrix platform (iOS, Android, web) with multimedia features, complemented by ecosystem extensions including a Patreon supporter community, Spreadshop merchandise, and the BRAVO SPORT Update podcast. Revenue is generated through project-based editorial mandates and ongoing production contracts with publishing partners across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH).

Name

Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH

Legal name

Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH

Website

https://rfw-koeln.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH is a Cologne-based editorial services bureau producing roughly 21 print and digital magazines on behalf of publishers, associations, and brands across sports, lifestyle, automotive, photography, and B2B verticals in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Editorial and Magazine Production Services

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports & Recreation Magazines (MPAJAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH)

Keywords

• Magazine editorial services
• Custom publishing solutions
• Special-interest magazines
• Corporate publishing services
• Digital magazine publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Production Services: RFW acts as an external full-service editorial bureau producing magazines for publishers. Services include strategy, concept development, editorial writing, design/layout, prepress, and cross-media production. Revenue is generated through project-based fees and ongoing editorial mandates from publishing partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH is an external full-service editorial bureau producing magazines and editorial content on behalf of publishers, companies, and associations. Services span concept and strategy, editorial writing, graphic design and layout, prepress, corporate publishing, cross-media strategy, and digital publishing via the PressMatrix platform. The company operates a portfolio of more than 21 special-interest magazines across sports, lifestyle, health, automotive, photography, equestrian, outdoor, and B2B trade sectors.

Product overview

Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH is a specialized editorial services provider producing print and digital magazines across sports, lifestyle, health, automotive, and B2B sectors. The company operates a diverse magazine portfolio including flagship sports titles BASKET (NBA basketball), BRAVO SPORT (youth sports), BOXSPORT, and AKTIV LAUFEN, alongside lifestyle publications such as WOHNIDEE, automotive titles like AUTO CLASSIC, health magazines including Apotheke der Natur, and B2B trade publications like outdoor.markt and FOTOwirtschaft. Services extend beyond editorial to include digital publishing via PressMatrix, corporate publishing, and advertising/marketing solutions. The company is part of medienzentrum süd network and produces content for publishers including Köln.Sport Verlag, BPV Medien, and GeraMond Verlag.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BASKET: Germany's leading German-language NBA and international basketball magazine, published since 1994, reaching over 2 million basketball fans annually through print and digital channels.
• BRAVO SPORT
• Apotheke der Natur
• BIG – Basketball in Germany
• Volleyball Magazin
• PROFILE – Das Trendmagazin für die Parfümerie
• Auto Classic
• BRAVO SPORT Podcast

Products and services

• Editorial Services
• Corporate Publishing
• Digital Media Services
• Publishing Consulting
• BASKET Magazine
• BRAVO SPORT Magazine
• Volleyball Magazin
• Auto Classic Magazine
• Apotheke der Natur Magazine
• BIG – Basketball in Germany
• PROFILE – Das Trendmagazin für die Parfümerie
• BRAVO SPORT Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• BRAVO Sport achieved +12.2% YoY circulation growth (Q1 2019 IVW), ranking 2nd in growth among German sports magazines.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BPV MediencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026BPV Medien (Rheinfelden, international Special-Interest publisher) partnered with RFW to launch the magazine 'Apotheke der Natur'. RFW is responsible for concept, editorial content, and design. The magazine launched March 30, 2026, with a quarterly frequency and 60,000 copy start run.
• PressMatrixcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2026PressMatrix (powered by platform X, a VNR Group company, Berlin) provides the digital publishing infrastructure for RFW's magazine titles. RFW titles including Football im Rheinland, BASKET, and BoxSport are available as digital editions via the PressMatrix app.
• GeraMond VerlagcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026RFW produces the magazine 'Auto Classic' (59,000 copies, 6x/year) in collaboration with GeraMond Verlag, which serves as the publisher.
• Köln.Sport VerlagcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Köln.Sport Verlag is part of medienzentrum süd and is a key publishing partner for RFW. RFW handles editorial responsibility for Köln.Sport titles including BASKET (since 1994), BIG (since 2011), and newly added Volleyball Magazin (from 2026). RFW's Geschäftsführer Andreas Mayer also serves as GF of Köln.Sport Verlag.
• SportCombi VerlagminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2017RFW launched the magazine 'FLÜSSE' for SportCombi Verlag — a twice-yearly magazine about rivers and waterway travel.
• Jahr MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJahr Media (Hamburg) is listed as a publishing partner and co-organizer of the outdoor.markt Trophy awards event with RFW.
• Football Association Rheinland (FVR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRFW produces 'Football im Rheinland' magazine for the FVR. The magazine has been available digitally via PressMatrix since July 2025.
• GeuermedienminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeuermedien handles marketing and distribution for PROFILE magazine (for which RFW provides editorial services), as listed in the PROFILE press release.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Motor Presse Stuttgart: Motor Presse Stuttgart is a leading German special-interest publisher focused on automotive, motorbike, and mobility titles. Comparable as a mid-to-large German specialty publisher with overlapping editorial production infrastructure.
• Hubert Burda Media: Burda is a major German media conglomerate with extensive magazine and digital publishing operations. Comparable as a large incumbent that could displace RFW by in-housing editorial production at scale.
• Egmont Publishing: Egmont is a Nordic-based media group with significant German publishing operations (e.g., comic and youth titles). It is an RFW customer and comparable as a broader incumbent with editorial production scale.
• Gruner + Jahr: Gruner + Jahr is one of Germany's largest magazine publishers (Stern, Brigitte, Geo, etc.) and now part of RTL Germany. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose in-house editorial teams represent the primary alternative to RFW's outsourced model.
• Ströer SE & Co. KGaA: Ströer is a major German outdoor advertising and digital content/media company. Comparable as a broad media incumbent that could expand into editorial production services, competing with RFW in publisher-adjacent content services.
• Bauer Media Group: Bauer Media Group is one of Europe's largest magazine publishers (BRAVO being among its titles). It is both an RFW customer and the largest in-house alternative publishers could use instead of external editorial bureaus — a benchmark for the in-sourcing threat.
• Panini: Panini is a multinational publisher known for stickers, trading cards, and comics with significant German operations. Listed among RFW's customers and comparable as a broader publisher incumbent.
• Delius Klasing Verlag: Delius Klasing is a German publisher specializing in sports, cycling, and maritime titles. An RFW customer and comparable as a specialty publisher with similar editorial production needs that could be served in-house.

Direct peers

• BPV Medien: BPV Medien is a German special-interest publisher (Apotheke der Natur, etc.) that partnered with RFW for editorial production. Comparable as a mid-sized DACH special-interest publisher with similar editorial-outsourcing model.
• GeraMond Verlag: GeraMond Verlag is a German special-interest magazine publisher (Auto Classic, Modelleisenbahner, etc.) that engages RFW for editorial production. Comparable as a similarly scaled German special-interest publisher operating in adjacent verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bravo_sport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redaktionsb%C3%BCro-wipperf%C3%BCrth-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Redaktionsbüro Wipperfürth GmbH