Tengelmann-Unternehmensgruppe

Jörg Vogelsang Joins BCN to Drive Digital Growth

BCN, now The Brand Community Network, is a joint venture formed by Burda, Funke, and Klambt after rebranding from Burda Community Network. It began as Hubert Burda Media's sole marketer and is described as Germany's largest marketer of consumer magazines. Tobias Conrad says the company is creating a new area and will bring in a heavyweight to lead growth, with a focus on expanding digitally. Jörg Vogelsang has joined BCN's leadership as a noted expert in programmatic and digital advertising with more than 20 years in online marketing. He runs the consultancy 101con and previously served as Senior Director Client Development at The Trade Desk, with earlier roles at Index Exchange, Adform, Google, The Boston Consulting Group, and the Tengelmann Group. Vogelsang also serves in industry bodies, including deputy chair of BVDW's focus group Programmatic Advertising and Vice Chair of the Programmatic Trading Committee for IAB Europe.

Old German Retail Brands Reborn as E‑Commerce Players

Several well-known German retail brands that previously went insolvent — including Hertie, Praktiker, Schlecker, Quelle and Plus — have been relaunched online under new ownership or management using different e-commerce business models. Praktiker.de was relaunched as an affiliate/price-comparison site by Christoph Kilz and Dirk Oschmann (Praktiker Trade GmbH & Co. KG) after purchasing the naming rights; Hertie.de was relaunched as a full-assortment online shop by Jan and Nils Klöker under HDK AG. Schlecker.de currently operates as a small affiliate hub (two partners) managed by the insolvency administrator; Quelle is operated by Otto/Unito as an online universal retailer after a prior marketplace experiment; Plus.de remains online under Tengelmann E‑Stores and is tied to Edeka/Tengelmann corporate changes. Operators cite brand recognition, SEO and media interest as drivers of traffic.

Caterwings Pushes B2B Catering Marketplace Growth

Caterwings, a Rocket Internet venture launched in October 2015, is building a B2B marketplace to connect companies and catering providers. The startup operates in five German cities plus Amsterdam, employs about 50 people, and reports revenue in the high six‑figure range while the grossed (brokered) transaction volume is higher. Caterwings uses a commission/provision model (taking a share of caterers' revenue) and prioritises outbound B2B marketing — notably call‑center outreach to office managers — with online lead generation (search/SEM and partnerships) as a secondary channel. Investors include Holtzbrinck Ventures and Tengelmann (together with Rocket Internet cited as having invested roughly $6.7M). The company emphasises trust‑building and PR (e.g., TechCrunch placements) as part of customer acquisition strategy.