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For international fishing tackle manufacturers looking to expand into Europe, Germany remains an attractive proposition. However, while its established angling culture and substantial retail network offers considerable potential, successfully entering the market requires more than finding a distributor and waiting for the orders to arrive.
That is the view of Thilo Schulze, a lifelong angler who has built a career combining fishing industry experience with digital marketing and business development. Schulze signed with UK carp brand Nash Tackle as a team angler at the age of 14 and later joined the company as Content Marketing Specialist, helping to build the brand’s German market. He went on to found Nax Stream, a streaming platform for carp anglers, which he sold in 2026 after five years.
Now heading an agency – Berlin-based Ad Social – Schulze believes there is a significant opportunity for brands prepared to challenge traditional approaches and invest in building their presence among German anglers.
“The German market is the biggest market in Europe,” he says. “Everybody says it is hard to crack, but most brands haven’t tried it in the right way.
“During the pandemic, many retailers bought heavily because they expected the market to keep growing at that pace. The market is still growing, just not at Covid speed. So a lot of businesses are now focused on moving existing stock while still needing room for new products.”
Schulze says this creates a difficult balancing act for retailers, who need fresh products to attract customers but must also release the capital tied up in existing stock. Nevertheless, he sees opportunities for manufacturers that understand how to generate consumer demand and establish a distinctive position.
For Schulze, the key is understanding that successful brands must increasingly combine traditional business-to-business (B2B) distribution with business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing. Historically, many manufacturers have concentrated on supplying retailers, leaving the shops to establish relationships with anglers. Schulze believes that approach is no longer sufficient on its own.
“Brands need both to grow in a healthy way. You need the marketing budget to be visible, so you need the margin to advertise.”
By building consumer awareness while maintaining strong retail relationships, manufacturers can give anglers a reason to seek out their products and retailers a stronger incentive to stock them.
Schulze says parts of the fishing industry have been slow to adopt marketing techniques already commonplace in other consumer sectors, including cosmetics and nutritional supplements. “Over the last four years we’ve grown strongly outside of fishing, working with brands in other consumer sectors, and learned a lot about AI, data and new technology along the way. That’s why we see what’s possible elsewhere. Those brands use digital advertising, customer data and performance tracking to understand their audiences and measure what works. Fishing brands have access to the same tools, but rarely use them to their full potential. That’s exactly what we’re now bringing into the fishing industry.
“With AI, software solutions and attribution tools, you have different options to track your marketing. Even if you can’t track the sale in the end, you can track your customers and the data.”
He also stresses the importance of community building, arguing that brands need to develop a recognisable identity and establish trust rather than simply paying well-known influencers to promote products. “Smaller creators with loyal audiences can be particularly valuable because their recommendations may carry greater credibility.”
For Schulze, the objective is to build lasting relationships with anglers through content, events, social media and product education.
One of his strongest messages to international manufacturers is that appointing a German distributor does not automatically establish a brand. “A distributor can provide access to retailers, but cannot guarantee that consumers will recognise a product or actively seek it out.
“The biggest mistake is to think that if you have a distributor in the country, you’ve cracked it,” he says. ‘You need demand. You need people asking for the product and people knowing about the product.”
His advice is to identify the target audience, understand its needs and develop a clear proposition that explains why anglers should choose the brand.
Importantly, this does not necessarily mean developing new products specifically for Germany. “You don’t need a new product,” Schulze says. “You just need to market it in a new way. The product must suit the market, but its positioning, messaging and marketing may need adapting to German consumers.”
He also believes brands should recognise that only a proportion of potential customers will be ready to buy immediately. Others need to discover the product, understand its benefits and develop confidence in the brand.
By creating content that addresses these different stages of the purchasing journey, manufacturers can build awareness and generate demand over time.
Despite his optimism, Schulze cautions against treating Germany as an easy alternative for businesses struggling in their home markets. “If your product works somewhere and fits the German market, you can definitely do it here,” he says. “But if it’s not working in your home market, you shouldn’t just run to Germany and try it there.”
Companies must also consider their operational readiness, including logistics, customer service and the ability to fulfil orders if demand grows.
For manufacturers willing to invest in understanding the market, he believes the opportunity remains substantial.
The message is clear: Germany may be a demanding market, but distribution alone will not unlock its potential. Brands need the right product, a clear identity, a defined audience and a marketing strategy that creates consumer demand.
For Schulze, combining that approach with genuine fishing knowledge and measurable results is the key to helping international manufacturers turn their German ambitions into sustainable growth.
Want to talk about your brand in Germany? Then speak to Ad Social at ANGELWELT in Berlin from November 27th to 29th, where Schulze will also be speaking at the EFTTA Summit.
T: +49 174 272 2000
thilo@ad-social.eu
www.ad-social.eu/fishing
