Hamburg, 7 January 2020. Visable, the parent company of the leading B2B marketplace "Wer liefert was" (wlw) and the B2B platform EUROPAGES, looks back on a successful 2019. The company closed the year with profitable record turnover of around 55 million euros and growth of around ten percent.
This makes 2019 the most successful year in the company's 88-year history, if the existence of "Wer liefert was" is taken into account. On 27 May 2019, Visable was created in response to the challenges of internationalisation and digitisation in the B2B sector from the companies "Wer liefert was" and EUROPAGES.
- Visable, the operating company of the B2B platforms "Wer liefert was" and EUROPAGES, increases turnover by around ten per cent in 2019
- The company now employs over 380 people in Hamburg, Berlin and Paris
- Targets for 2020: Further growth and expansion into the UK
- Search queries from 218 countries: Visable platforms are also used in Vatican City and on the Pacific island of Palau
With the launch of Visable, the company has set the course for further growth. This is also proved by the increased number of employees. A total of 75 new employees were hired. This brings the number of employees to over 380. Since April 2019, the Berlin location, which was created by the acquisition of the start-up gebraucht.de, has made a significant contribution to the number of employees: "The shortage of skilled workers continues to be one of the biggest challenges for us as an Internet company," says Peter F. Schmid, CEO of Visable. "With the location in the capital we now have better access to the important Berlin job market and can position ourselves even better as an attractive employer in the 'War for Talents'". In addition to Berlin, where 25 employees work, and the headquarters in Hamburg, Visable has another location in Paris, where around 50 employees work.
Targets for 2020: growth, expansion into the UK and technology development
Visable has ambitious plans for the year 2020. Investments in its own product, i.e. the marketplaces "Wer liefert was" and EUROPAGES, and an active market entry in the UK should ensure that sales continue to rise in 2020. "The market in the United Kingdom has enormous potential for us. After Germany, the UK is the second largest economy in Europe. We want to tap into this market," explains Schmid. Until now, Visable has not been actively represented on this market. From January 2020, Visable will launch a sales offensive for the UK with its own sales team consisting of native speakers. Visable CEO Schmid does not even shy away from the Brexit planned for the end of January: "British companies want to continue selling their B2B products after the Brexit, and preferably in Europe. With 'Wer liefert was' and EUROPAGES we offer them the right platforms for this.”
In addition to expansion, massive investments are planned in the technological development of "Wer liefert was" and EUROPAGES. "The users of our platforms, the professional buyers, expect functionalities in the B2B sector similar to those in the B2C sector. This is why we will above all significantly improve our search functions and make them more intuitive. All in all, we are investing a high single-digit million euro amount here for 2020, primarily in setting up development teams in order to improve our products a little bit every day", Schmid sets the direction for the new year.
Searches from 218 countries, including Vatican City and Palau
In 2019, "Wer liefert was" with over 75,000 queries per day via the country domains wlw.de, wlw.at and wlw.ch as well as EUROPAGES with over 68 million searches per year were once again the most frequently used B2B platforms in Europe. Most search queries, both for "Who delivers what" and for EUROPAGES, come from Europe. This is followed at EUROPAGES by Asia, Africa, North and then South America. At "Wer liefert was" China is in second place, ahead of the USA, followed by Asia, Africa and South America.
The most remote enquiries about EUROPAGES came from the Pacific islands of Palau and Tuvalu, from Greenland and from the Vatican City. While at Palau the search for fans can still be explained by the tropical climate there, the search for frozen products from Greenland appears amusing, at least at first glance. Several searches came from Vatican City, including for sandals, stairs and a factory for religious articles.
The most searched categories in 2019 were:
„Wer liefert was“ EUROPAGES
1. Mechanical engineering 1. Cosmetics
2. Automotive 2. Food
3. LED lights 3. Clothing
4. Screws 4. Agricultural products
5. CNC milling work 5. Working and processing of metals
6. Plant construction 6. Plastic packaging
7. 3D printing 7. Road transport
8. Cosmetics 8. Pharmaceutical preparations
These products were most frequently searched for at „Wer liefert was“ 2019:
1. Screws
2. Residual items
3. Key ring
4. Turned parts
5. Packaging machines
6. Disposal of used tyres
7. Forklift truck
8. Construction wagon
Selection of curious search queries in 2019:
„Wer liefert was“ EUROPAGES
Unicorn Air Explosion-proof air conditioning system
Brain pacemaker Salmon factory
Chastity Belt Domestic animal washing system
Acid resistant toilet seat Himalayan lick salt for pets
Shamanic robe Nurse Call System
You can find a photo of Visable CEO Peter F. Schmid here.
Here you can download the press release as a pdf file.
