Haufe-Lexware is a German media group operating in business, law, and tax. The company was founded as Rudolf Haufe Verlag in 1934 in Berlin and now includes Haufe-Lexware, Haufe Akademie, Haufe-Lexware Real Estate, Verlag für Controlling Wissen (51% stake), Smartsteuer, and Schäffer-Poeschel. The group is primarily a software and online content provider, and the majority of its revenue comes from digital sales.

Analysis & Key Developments

Financial

For fiscal 2016, ending on June 30, 2016, Haufe reported corporate revenues of 304.5 million EUR (up 4% from 292 million EUR in 2015), with growth driven by its digital offerings.

The company plans to continue this direction in the years ahead by adding another 500 employees in a new facility in Freiburg, Germany. No details on revenues from publishing were released for 2016.

Haufe does not release any financial information except annual turnover (for buchreport’s German ranking). Fiscal 2015 (ending on June 30, 2015) saw significant growth over previous years, driven by the group’s focus on digital which accounts for 97% of all revenue. The recent surge was welcomed by management after results in 2014 of 235 million EUR had fallen short of expectations issued by CEO Markus Reithwiesner the previous year.

The Haufe-Lexware group closed fiscal 2013 ending June 30, 2014 with revenues jumping from 218 million EUR in 2013 to 251 million EUR despite the exit of some businesses. Group revenues continued to grow due to new digital services and the early implementation of a digital strategy, with 95% of corporate revenue from digital solutions.

Internal Organization

In August 2014, Haufe-Lexware and Wolters Kluwer’s imprint Akademische Arbeitsgemeinschaft formed a partnership to update the latest edition of Haufe-Lexware‘s tax filing software.

During fiscal 2013, Haufe acquired Schäffer-Poesche, a Stuttgart-based publishing house specializing in legal, economy and taxes. Haufe annually invests 16 – 20 million EUR in new technologies and solution providers.

In summer 2012, the group announced the acquisition of EDV-Software-Service (ESS), a leading real estate consulting company. Haufe-Lexware also continued to expand its B2B business by acquiring the e-procurement company Semigator, the largest German-speaking online marketplace for professional training. In January 2013, the managing director Birte Hackenjos was designated as COO. Hackenjos worked for Haufe for fifteen years and was tasked to restructure the company’s project management to create flexible project teams.

International

In early 2014, Haufe opened a new office in Silicon Valley to bring the company’s products to the US.

Digital

Digital revenue came mainly from products such as Haufe-Umantis (to manage recruitment), Haufe-Suite (a knowledge management toolset), and the tax management solutions Smartsteuer and Lexoffice.

Return to the full listing of the world's largest publishers.