Herlitz

Herlitz A.G. is one of the most recognized traditional German companies, founded in Berlin by Carl Herlitz in 1904 as a wholesale firm of paper and office products.

History

During the 1950s and 1960s, Herlitz became one of the most important wholesale firms in Germany, thanks to a powerful product organization and distribution strategy.

In 1972 it became a public limited company, and five years later it became highly listed on the Berlin stock exchange.

On August 18, 1986, Herlitz and Parker entered into an agreement on the distribution of Parker products in Germany, prohibiting any export of mid-priced writing instruments without the written consent of Parker.

In the 1980s and 1990s it expanded its position at the European level.

In 2002 the company was forced to declare insolvency due to the financial problems it was facing, caused among others, by its policy of massive expansion during the 90s. The state of insolvency was successfully avoided for four months, changing finally, its classic tendency for a new strategic business orientation based on the structural and procedural simplification of the company, and a service extension policy as a second pillar, called "eCom Logistics" which is based on the development of solutions in products modified to particular requirements, seeking the optimization of the assortment and disposition of special products. Herlitz's clients, in this area, are: Tesa, Bic, Henkel, Schwan Stabilo, Rotho, Staedtler, Hewlett Packard and Hudson Kunert.

Activities

The company is also dedicated to retail trade, where distribution is carried out through the company McPaper GmbH and numerous stores and points of sale in Germany dependent on it. As part of its normal activity, Herlitz also distributes products from other manufacturers, both at the retail and wholesale stages.

Herlitz currently has an annual sales volume close to 350 million euros and is part of the main producers of paper and office products in Europe, mainly Eastern Europe, where Herlitz is today the market leader. Herlitz's workforce totals 3,000 in Germany and the rest of Europe. 67% of the company is owned by the banks and the rest by the respective parties as a limited company.

Herlitz is the only company that offers approximately 15,000 products to the European market. The Herlitz company carries out almost 1/3 of its commercial activities abroad.

The company works with sustainability standards, so the economy and society play an important role in its business development, such as human capital and ecology. Herlitz maintains strict policies with its suppliers, which is why they do not process tropical or native-native woods in their production.

• Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category Herlitz.