Our management
Gebr. Heinemann is overseen by the company owners Claus Heinemann and Gunnar Heinemann, who represent the fourth generation of the Heinemann family. Management is in the hands of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Max Heinemann, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Raoul Spanger, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Kay Spanger and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Stephan Ernst.
The family business is managed by cousins Claus and Gunnar Heinemann since 1978
The biggest family-run company...
...on the global travel retail market.
Expansion since 1879
Among the global players of the Duty Free sector, Gebr. Heinemann is the only family-run business. We now have more than 8,000 employees whose welfare is the personal concern of the company’s owners. Our headquarters are situated in the HafenCity area of Hamburg. In 2018 the company achieved a controlled group turnover of 4.6 billion euros.
Here you can download our annual report and obtain an overview of our business areas.
Retail at a glance
In the retail sector, Gebr. Heinemann operates more than 340 Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value shops, fashion label boutiques under licence and concept shops at 74 airports in 28 countries. The company also runs shops at border crossings along with over 40 shops aboard 20 cruise liners and two ferries. In 2018, we served more than 40 million customers across total sales space of approx. 160,000 square metres.
Distribution at a glance
More than a thousand retail customers in 100-plus countries take advantage of our distribution and advisory expertise when compiling ranges of branded goods tailored to the needs of specific markets and regions. We supply airports, airlines, ferries, cruise liners, border shops, downtown shops, duty-free zones, the military, ship’s chandlers, diplomatic missions and crew shops.
Logistics at a glance
In our logistics centres nearly 50,000 articles are permanently in stock and are delivered to numerous international customers according to individual requirements, on a just-in-time basis every day. Our facilities in Hamburg-Allermöhe and Erlensee near Frankfurt are amongst the most modern on the global travel retail market.
Such efficiency also impacts positively on warehousing costs for our customers: we can supply any required quantity of goods at any time – from minimal quantities to large containers.
Our product portfolio
Gebr. Heinemann’s product range comprises more than 1,500 international brands directly sourced from a thousand suppliers around the world. In spite of the large number, every single article is highly important to our business. Moreover, every product that we add to the range must meet one criterion above all else: it must have sufficient appeal that our retail consumers and distribution clients will repeatedly return to us as partners. Ultimately, we believe only brands that our customers appreciate are likely to sell well.
Our product categories:
- Perfumes and cosmetics
- Fashion and accessories
- Watches and jewellery
- Wines, spirits and Champagne
- Confectionery and delicacies
- Toys and souvenirs
- Tobacco goods
Our global gateway.
From Hamburg to the world.
Partnership beyond boundaries
For Gebr. Heinemann, Hamburg has always been the oft-cited gateway to the world. Today we maintain trade relations in many different countries across five continents, from the world largest arrival duty free airport shop in Oslo to Joint Ventures in Russia or Frankfurt, from the border shop in the Czech Republic to Heinemann Americas, our American branch in Miami.
To facilitate further healthy growth while breaking into new markets, Gebr. Heinemann will continue to conclude exclusive partnerships for the long term that are of benefit to both parties.
In the process we will combine our decades of experience in the travel retail market with established partners’ understanding of regional markets. At present Gebr. Heinemann works with 89 subsidiaries and holding companies in 39 countries at home and abroad. This is the basis on which we jointly develop effective solutions for distribution and retail.
Heinemann Asia Pacific: Applying hanseatic know-how to Asian markets
The particular expertise of Gebr. Heinemann on the global travel retail market has produced quite a number of success on emerging Asian markets too.
From its base in Singapore, our subsidiary Heinemann Asia Pacific maintains business relations in 10 different nations, having established an extensive network spanning from Indonesia to Myanmar. More than 60 staff members at the Head Office collaborate with strong local partners in the distribution and retail fields, capitalising on significant growth on what is currently the world’s most dynamic travel retail market.
Alongside our know-how and wealth of experience, clients in Asia value something regarded by our business partners in other parts of the world as a standard Gebr. Heinemann package: namely, no other distributor offers such a wide service portfolio in addition to goods deliveries. On request, architects, marketing experts and product range managers guide clients all the way – from initial shop plans and store openings to support communications during actual business operations.
Heinemann Americas – Our gateway to the American continent
Business is best acquired locally. Such was the principle we applied when we realigned the company to face Asia and established our subsidiary Heinemann Asia Pacific – and it holds true today for Heinemann Americas.
The international cruise market is dominated by American shipping companies, so in order to expand our cruise liner business it was essential to set up an office of our own in the USA. In November 2013, Gebr. Heinemann consequently opened the subsidiary Heinemann Americas, Inc. in Miami. From this base, the company acts as a retail and distribution partner to organisations such as MSC Cruises, supplying its fleet in Miami, the Caribbean and South America. The continually growing team also supports cruise sector clients in matters of shop design, trade marketing and product selection. Establishing Heinemann Americas was a strategic milestone in terms of our profile in the USA – a profile we intend to raise in the years ahead.