Leipziger Kommissions- und Grossbuchhandelsgesellschaft mbH (LKG)

Leipziger Kommissions- und Großbuchhandelsgesellschaft mbH (LKG) is a German publishing distribution company headquartered in Rötha-Espenhain near Leipzig. Founded on 14 June 1946 by Karl Klaer and Walter Bleck, it began operations in the damaged Deutsches Buchhändlerhaus in Leipzig's Graphisches Viertel with seven employees, a handcart, three sack barrows, a packing table, three desks, nine chairs and a broken typewriter. By the end of 1947 it was already distributing for 15 publishers to 384 booksellers across the Soviet occupation zone and the western zones. During the German Democratic Republic (GDR) era, LKG became the dominant intermediary book trade enterprise. After the 1948 currency reform triggered a liquidity crisis, the private company passed into party ownership in 1949, reached market leadership by 1951, and was nationalised in 1963. Its 1952 reforms — including the LKG advance announcement service (Vorankündigungsdienst), collective invoicing, and the "parking and bundling" principle — made it one of the most modern German book trade intermediaries, though its monopoly also ended private intermediary book trading in East Germany. By 1989 LKG employed 1,200 people and generated turnover of 1.2 billion East German marks, making it the highest-revenue publishing distributor in Germany at the time. After German reunification, LKG lost its monopoly but was continued under private ownership. It diversified temporarily into beverage wholesale, licence plate embossing, a book wholesale market and retail bookshops to sell off old GDR stock. On 25 August 1992 it was privatised through a management buy-out with annual turnover of 20 million DM and 60 employees. In 1995 the company moved its headquarters from Leipzig to Espenhain, and in 1996 it returned to profit. From 1999 onward its warehouses were progressively equipped with new high-bay racking and powerful stacking technology. In 2001 LKG won the tender to distribute Ravensburger Buchverlag, and with the start of distribution on 2 May 2002 it gained a second independent distribution line and a new high-bay warehouse with 12,000 additional pallet spaces; that year turnover exceeded 120 million euros for the first time. On 1 January 2009 the then shareholders Ute Haft, Andreas Hengst and Jürgen Petry sold their stakes to the Stuttgart-based publishing distributor Koch, Neff & Oetinger (KNO-VA). Today LKG operates as a full-service distribution partner for publishers, offering warehousing with up to 50,000 pallet spaces, delivery, bundling, accounting, returns handling, customer service, in-time printing and e-commerce services through its agorando platform. According to Wikipedia, the company employs 160 people and generated turnover of 150 million euros as of 2020.

Leipziger Kommissions- und Großbuchhandelsgesellschaft mbH (LKG) was founded on 14 June 1946 by Karl Klaer and Walter Bleck. It began in the usable part of the ruin of the Deutsches Buchhändlerhaus in Leipzig's Graphisches Viertel, equipped with a handcart, three sack barrows, a packing table, three desks, nine chairs and a defective typewriter, and staffed by seven employees on 43 square metres. By the end of 1947 LKG was already distributing for 15 publishers to 384 booksellers in both the Soviet occupation zone and the western zones. The currency reform of 20 June 1948 plunged LKG into a severe liquidity crisis, and in 1949 the private company passed into party ownership. By 1951 LKG had achieved market leadership in the GDR. In 1952 the SED leadership pushed for far-reaching reforms in the company's organisation. A revolutionary step was the introduction of the LKG advance announcement service (Vorankündigungsdienst, VD). As a free supplement to the Börsenblatt, it uniformly announced every book published in the GDR or imported for free sale. Until 1989 the VD remained the most important bibliographic tool in the GDR book trade. Further innovations included the introduction of collective invoicing and the principle of "parking and bundling". LKG now invoiced in its own name and bundled all deliveries from distributing publishers. It also gave smaller bookshops the option of "parking" — delivery only on a specific weekday. The 1952 reforms made LKG one of the most modern German intermediary book trade enterprises. However, the monopoly position it achieved at that time also meant the end of private intermediary book trading in the GDR. Of the former 26 private Leipzig commission agents, only two survived until the 1989 turning point. In 1963 LKG was nationalised. While the advantages the party enterprise had enjoyed, especially in technical equipment, disappeared, problems within LKG increased. There was too little space, too few and too small transport vehicles, and a lack of lifting and conveying equipment. Stocks rose and publishers did not pulp their old stock, which increased the space shortage year by year. In 1969 LKG was offered residential barracks in an old mining facility in Pötzschau near Leipzig. The barracks, only conditionally suitable as warehouses, were demolished and replaced by nine lightweight halls by 1972. Nevertheless, storage capacity remained insufficient. In 1973, 600 new publisher titles had to be stored outdoors under tarpaulins for the first time — a practice that recurred until 1989. In 1989 LKG employed 1,200 people and, with turnover of 1.2 billion East German marks, was the highest-revenue publishing distributor in Germany. With German reunification the company lost its former monopoly. Nevertheless, management decided to continue the firm under private ownership. To secure the survival of the core business, LKG temporarily moved into other business areas. It ran a beverage wholesale business, founded a licence plate embossing service, opened a book wholesale market and several bookshops to sell old GDR stock. On 25 August 1992 LKG was privatised through a management buy-out with annual turnover of 20 million DM and 60 employees. In 1990/91 LKG's stock comprised more than ten million books and brochures, mainly in pedagogy, social and legal sciences, but also literary works that had become unsaleable after reunification. LKG commissioned the company SERO to dispose of the pulp stock. Disposed books were discovered in the Espenhain open-cast mine in 1990. The destruction of the books met with criticism, although LKG management took full responsibility. In 1995 LKG moved its headquarters from Leipzig to Espenhain. In 1996 the company reported a profit for the first time. It had also caught up technically and logistically with competitors in the old federal states. From 1999 onward all warehouse halls were progressively equipped with new high-bay racking and powerful stacking technology. In 2001 LKG won the tender for distribution of Ravensburger Buchverlag. With the start of distribution on 2 May 2002, LKG had a second, independently operating distribution line as well as a new high-bay warehouse with 12,000 additional pallet spaces. In the same year turnover exceeded 120 million euros for the first time. To secure the future of the economically successful company, the existing LKG shareholders Ute Haft, Andreas Hengst and Jürgen Petry sold their shares to the Stuttgart-based publishing distributor Koch, Neff & Oetinger (KNO-VA) with effect from 1 January 2009. This was a historic step, for as early as 1951 LKG and the "people-owned" house Koehler & Volkmar had been merged by the state. Moreover, in 1990 Jürgen Voerster, then head of KNO-VA, had refrained from taking over LKG and had instead actively advocated its continuation.

• LKG founded by Karl Klaer and Walter Bleck in Leipzig.

• By year-end, LKG distributes for 15 publishers to 384 booksellers.

• Currency reform triggers liquidity crisis; company passes into party ownership in 1949.

• LKG achieves market leadership in the GDR.

• SED reforms introduce the LKG advance announcement service (VD), collective invoicing and 'parking and bundling'.

• LKG nationalised.

• LKG moves into barracks in Pötzschau; replaced by nine lightweight halls by 1972.

• 600 new publisher titles stored outdoors under tarpaulins for the first time.

• LKG employs 1,200 people and reaches turnover of 1.2 billion East German marks.

• LKG privatised through management buy-out with 20 million DM turnover and 60 employees.

• Headquarters moved from Leipzig to Espenhain.

• LKG reports profit for the first time.

• Warehouse halls progressively equipped with new high-bay racking and stacking technology.

• LKG wins tender for distribution of Ravensburger Buchverlag.

• Distribution for Ravensburger begins; second distribution line and new high-bay warehouse with 12,000 pallet spaces; turnover exceeds 120 million euros.

• Shareholders Ute Haft, Andreas Hengst and Jürgen Petry sell their stakes to KNO-VA.

Full-service publishing distribution partner combining tradition since 1946 with modern logistics and e-commerce solutions.

• Publishing distribution services

  Full-service distribution for publishers, including warehousing, delivery, bundling, accounting, returns handling and customer service.

• Warehousing

  Up to 50,000 pallet spaces with every article in hand storage for fast access.

• In-time printing

  High-quality, fast availability of book titles without print-run risk.

• agorando e-commerce

  Platform and interfaces for selling products on online marketplaces.

• Destruction of pulp stock

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• Introduction of the LKG advance announcement service (VD)Other

• Management buy-out privatisationOther

• Sale to KNO-VAOther

1. 1LKG – Leipziger Kommissions- und Großbuchhandelsgesellschaft mbHlkg.eu
2. 2Leipziger Kommissions- und Großbuchhandel – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3Leipziger Kommissions- und Grossbuchhandel – Wikidatawikidata.org