Europe’s Largest Photo Alliance – And Much More
Interview with Thilo Röhrig, Managing Director of Ringfoto GmbH & Co. KG
For over 60 years, Ringfoto has pooled the power of over 1,200 photo retailers in Germany and 26 other European markets, and goes far beyond just consolidating their procurement activities in both its self-concept and range of services. Managing Director Thilo Röhrig recently launched a new well-attended industry event called Imaging World – and with the construction of a new logistics center and the expansion of the private label business, he has many more initiatives planned for 2026.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Röhrig, for 60 years now, a total of 1,200 independent photo retailers have joined together in Ringfoto, Europe's largest purchasing cooperative – and your range of services goes far beyond mere procurement.
Thilo Röhrig: Indeed, we aim to support our retailers with a variety of services to help them succeed in frontline direct customer contact. In addition to our matured competence in sourcing, during which we also maintain close exchanges with the Japanese headquarters, our solid banking rating – especially in the context of the current tense overall economic situation – represents an important added value in the financial support of our member companies: For decades, we have been known to the relevant credit insurers as a down-to-earth and solvent address.
Wirtschaftsforum: Additionally, your proven prowess in logistics is on display.
Thilo Röhrig: We aim to further sharpen this next year by establishing a fully automated logistics center. While our error rate in the warehouse is already well below 0.5%, a significant part of the workforce there will retire over the next three years. We want to be prepared for that. At the same time, the demands of end consumers are increasing, fueled among other things by their diverse e-commerce experiences. Therefore, we will also be focusing more on the topic of dropshipping in the coming years: If one of our dealers does not have a certain product immediately in stock, we will take care of the fastest possible delivery on their behalf, without Ringfoto appearing as a brand at all.
Wirtschaftsforum: You are also currently setting important new impulses in your own brand business.
Thilo Röhrig: Thanks to our own brand Voigtländer, which is well-known and reputable worldwide, but especially in Europe, we have been successfully marketing our lens lineup for years. We would like to significantly expand the range soon, including new binoculars that are technically on par with absolute premium products and are also very attractively priced. Additionally, our brand Alfo, which has mainly been associated with passport photos until now, also offers photo books and related products.
Wirtschaftsforum: With the Alfo Marketplace, this brand is now expected to have an even broader impact.
Thilo Röhrig: When a consumer searches online for a camera or a similar product, they should ideally be redirected directly to alfo.com, where, thanks to their geolocation data, one of our 1,200 dealers nearby who has the desired item in stock will be displayed. Many of them, of course, also offer e-commerce solutions – but the more pleasant customer journey will probably still involve visiting the physical store in the future, simply because our product range is rather high-end and thus requires a lot of consultation. It's quite possible that the consumer will then be inspired on-site by further products they had not even considered before.
Wirtschaftsforum: Are the requirements of your target groups in your business field currently changing as well?
Thilo Röhrig: We operate in a niche market, which is extremely profitable because our audience is usually very dedicated to their hobby. However, we can well imagine expanding our customer base for our dealers in the future. When I talk to well-known influencers, I am always surprised how many of them work with standard smartphones and do not know that relatively inexpensive photo and video setups can easily produce even more professional results. Smartphone manufacturers often promote their products solely with the camera as a feature – which shows how large the potential demand for attractive photo and video
Video solutions in this customer segment are significant. Especially in the video sector, we see strong growth potential for Ringfoto and our dealers.
Wirtschaftsforum: With Imaging World, you have also recently hosted your first own consumer fair/festival.
Thilo Röhrig: For years, there has been no leading trade fair in our market field. That's why we wanted to create such an event ourselves, based on our own in-house fairs, where not only new products were introduced, but particularly new industry impulses were set. We succeeded in doing this for our 15,000 visitors – among other things with impressive speakers on the main stage, our playgrounds where new features could be tried out, and our Influencer Dome, where new video presentations took place every hour. 2026 will definitely see our next fair!