Tandem Verlag

Tandem Verlag GmbH is a German publishing, wholesale, and distribution company whose activities span printed books and a range of electronic and packaged media. The company was established in 1994 as a limited liability company by business partners Herbert Ullmann and Hermann Rauers. Its original headquarters were in Mönchengladbach, before the business moved in 1998 to Königswinter in the Cologne region of North Rhine-Westphalia. The company developed a business model that combined publishing with the sourcing, packaging, wholesaling, and distribution of media products. Its printed-book activities placed particular emphasis on wholesale and discount channels rather than only on traditional bookstore publishing. This orientation enabled Tandem Verlag to handle a broad assortment of relatively accessible and often packaged products, including books, reference and illustrated material, and other consumer-oriented titles. Beyond print, its catalogue and distribution operations included CD-ROM and DVD products, software and video-game packages, music CDs, and audiobooks. Tandem's growth was especially notable during the late 1990s. A 1999 BusinessWeek report described the company as Germany's fastest-growing publisher at that time and reported sales of DM 63.2 million, equivalent to a 70 percent year-on-year increase. The figure reflects the company's position during a period when publishers and media distributors were expanding beyond conventional books into multimedia formats and discount retail. Tandem's combined role as publisher, wholesaler, and distributor was suited to that environment because it allowed the company to manage products across multiple formats and sales channels. The business later remained associated with the German media and publishing sector, including relationships with publishing imprints and wholesale-oriented product lines. Reference material identifies h.f.ullmann as a publishing imprint owned by Tandem Verlag and notes its earlier connection with Könemann. In 2006, trade reporting also covered a management and ownership-related separation involving Herbert Ullmann and Ludwig Könemann, illustrating the changing relationships among German publishing businesses and imprints connected with Tandem. A 2007 reference reported sales of approximately US$16 million and a workforce of about 80 employees. Because the available reference material does not provide a current corporate website, ownership structure, leadership roster, or recent operating information, Tandem Verlag's present status and scale cannot be confirmed here. Historically, however, the brand is best characterized as a German multi-format publisher and media distributor with a strong emphasis on wholesale, discount, packaged, and accessible consumer products.

Tandem Verlag was founded in 1994 in Mönchengladbach by Herbert Ullmann and Hermann Rauers. Organized as a German limited liability company, it entered the market not only as a conventional book publisher but also as a wholesaler and distributor. This combined structure allowed it to develop and circulate products across publishing and consumer-media channels. The company's print business focused substantially on wholesale and discount markets. Rather than relying exclusively on conventional bookstore sales, Tandem worked with product formats and distribution arrangements suited to broad retail availability and price-sensitive consumers. Its activities extended beyond printed books to CD-ROMs, DVDs, software and video-game packages, music CDs, and audiobooks. This multi-format approach reflected the expansion of packaged electronic media during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 1998, Tandem moved its headquarters from Mönchengladbach to Königswinter in the Cologne region of North Rhine-Westphalia. The relocation placed the company within the wider Rhine-Ruhr and Cologne-area business environment while retaining its German operating base. The company attracted substantial attention during the late 1990s: a 1999 BusinessWeek report described it as Germany's fastest-growing publisher and recorded sales of DM 63.2 million, representing a 70 percent increase from the preceding year. Tandem's later activities were connected with publishing imprints and businesses associated with illustrated, reference, and packaged media publishing. The h.f.ullmann imprint is identified as being owned by Tandem Verlag and formerly connected with Könemann. Trade reporting in 2006 covered an immediate separation between Herbert Ullmann and Ludwig Könemann, indicating a significant change in the relationships among people and publishing interests linked to the company. By 2007, published reference material reported Tandem sales of approximately US$16 million and a workforce of around 80 employees. The available sources do not establish the company's current ownership, management, website, financial performance, or operational status. Accordingly, the historical record supports describing Tandem Verlag as a German publisher, wholesaler, and distributor of books and electronic or packaged media, but does not support definitive claims about its present-day scale or activity.

• 2007

  Reported sales and workforce

  [1]Tandem Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported approximately US$16 million in sales and about 80 employees.

• 2006

  Executive separation reported

  [4]Tandem: Herbert Ullmann trennt sich mit sofortiger Wirkung von Ludwig Könemannbuchmarkt.de

  BuchMarkt reported that Herbert Ullmann separated with immediate effect from Ludwig Könemann.

• 1999

  Rapid growth reported

  [2]Eggs, Milk, Cold Cuts—and Accounting Softwarebusinessweek.com

  BusinessWeek reported DM 63.2 million in sales and 70 percent year-on-year growth, describing Tandem as Germany's fastest-growing publisher.

• 1998

  Headquarters moved to Königswinter

  [1]Tandem Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Tandem relocated its headquarters from Mönchengladbach to Königswinter in North Rhine-Westphalia.

• 1994

  Company founded

  [1]Tandem Verlagen.wikipedia.org

  Herbert Ullmann and Hermann Rauers founded Tandem Verlag GmbH in Mönchengladbach.

A broad-assortment German publisher and media distributor focused on accessible print and electronic products, with particular strength in wholesale and discount channels.

• Books · 1994

  Printed books

  Printed books formed the core of Tandem Verlag's publishing activity. The company emphasized products suitable for wholesale and discount distribution, giving it a broad consumer-market orientation rather than a narrowly specialist profile. The available sources do not provide a complete subject catalogue or identify individual best-selling titles.

• Electronic media

  Electronic and packaged media

  Tandem published and distributed electronic and packaged media products, including CD-ROMs and DVDs. These formats complemented its print business and supported the company's role as a multi-format wholesaler and distributor during the period when physical media were widely used for educational, reference, entertainment, and software products.

• Software and games

  Software and video-game packages

  The company's reported product scope included software and video-game packages. The sources do not identify specific software brands, game titles, platforms, or release dates, so these products are documented only as part of Tandem's broader distribution portfolio.

• Audio media

  Music CDs and audiobooks

  Music CDs and audiobooks were among the audio products published or distributed by Tandem Verlag. Their inclusion demonstrates the company's expansion beyond books into physical audio formats, although the available reference material does not specify catalogue size, labels, performers, or individual audiobook series.

• Publishing imprint

  h.f.ullmann

  h.f.ullmann is identified in the reference material as a publishing imprint owned by Tandem Verlag and formerly associated with Könemann. The imprint forms part of Tandem's house and publishing-brand ecosystem, but detailed current ownership and catalogue information are not established by the supplied sources.

• 2006

  Separation involving Herbert Ullmann and Ludwig KönemannOther

  Background

  Trade reporting described business and publishing relationships involving Tandem Verlag, Herbert Ullmann, and Ludwig Könemann.

  Action taken

  Herbert Ullmann separated from Ludwig Könemann with immediate effect.

  Aftermath

  The report indicates a change in the management or business relationships connected with Tandem and related publishing interests, but the supplied sources do not detail the longer-term corporate consequences.

  Source

• 1998

  Relocation of company headquartersStrategy

  Background

  Tandem had originally operated from Mönchengladbach and was developing as a growing publisher and media distributor.

  Action taken

  The company moved its headquarters to Königswinter in the Cologne region of North Rhine-Westphalia.

  Aftermath

  The relocation established Königswinter as the company's reported headquarters and supported its continuing regional operations.

  Source

1. 1Tandem Verlagen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Eggs, Milk, Cold Cuts—and Accounting Softwarebusinessweek.com
3. 3Den Tandem-Verlag zieht es an die Fischbankgeneral-anzeiger-bonn.de
4. 4Tandem: Herbert Ullmann trennt sich mit sofortiger Wirkung von Ludwig Könemannbuchmarkt.de