Germany Dietary Supplements Market - Retailer Landscape Analysis

Report Overview

Germany’s dietary supplements retail sector is adapting rapidly to evolving consumer behavior, characterized by growing interest in preventive wellness, natural formulas and convenience. Traditional pharmacies continue to play a pivotal role because German consumers frequently associate supplements with health and trusted advice rather than purely lifestyle purchases. Simultaneously, drug‑store chains and specialist health‑food retailers are gaining traction by offering broader assortments, value‑based options and formats like gummies or vegan capsules that appeal to younger demographics. At the same time, the growth of online and mail‑order channels is reshaping access, enabling consumers to shop outside conventional store hours and compare dozens of brands and formats at their leisure.

Retailers are responding via a mix of strategies: pharmacies are enhancing their professional service offering, incorporating specialized supplement counselling and premium branded assortments, while ensuring their digital presence supports click‑&‑collect and in‑store pickup. Drug‑store chains and health‑food outlets are emphasizing clean‑label, plant‑based formulations, affordability and promotional bundles to attract wellness‑oriented shoppers. Meanwhile e‑commerce players and mail‑order pharmacy models are leveraging subscription models, tiered loyalty and targeted content marketing to build stronger direct relationships with consumers and capture repeat purchase behavior.

Regulatory oversight remains especially important in Germany because dietary supplements are subject to stringent food‑law rules rather than being classified as medicines, but many products still sit at the boundary between nutrition and health claims. Retailers must therefore ensure compliance with rules on allowable claims, correct labelling under the Food Information to Consumers regulation and the German NemV (food supplements regulation) regarding permitted vitamins, minerals and dosages. Because of this regulatory complexity, successful retailers invest significantly in supplier vetting, training of staff on claim‑compliance and monitoring online/multi‑channel listings to avoid reputational or regulatory risk.

Germany dietary supplements market: Retail Sales by Top 5 Brands in Pharmacies & Drug Stores, 2024

Supermarkets and hypermarkets in Germany are increasingly relevant channels for dietary supplements as they offer broad assortments within high‑traffic grocery environments and cater to the growing consumer trend of “wellness while doing the weekly shop”. Shoppers are drawn to the convenience of picking up supplements alongside food and household items, and retailers are capitalizing on wellness zones, attractive promotional bundles and shelf space allocation that aligns with preventive‐health behaviour. Many of the chains have increasingly diversified their assortments with “beauty from within”, plant‑based, vegan and clean‑label supplement formats, making the supermarket channel more appealing to younger, health‑conscious consumers.

EDEKA, Germany’s largest supermarket, leveraged its broad store network and local focus to emphasise fresh, health‑oriented private‑label lines alongside branded supplements and food products. Its online arm (EDEKA24) incorporates fitness and health nutrition categories, reflecting a dual offline online strategy.

Pharmacies in Germany continue to lead the retail landscape for dietary supplements due to the enduring trust consumers place on pharmacist expertise and the health‑oriented positioning of supplements in this market. These outlets offer a sense of professional reassurance shoppers often view supplements in pharmacies as part of broader preventive or therapeutic regimens, not just lifestyle choices, which strengthens their appeal in 2024. The top five pharmacy chains in Germany DocMorris, Brand 2, Brand 3, Brand 4, and Brand 5, lead the country’s dietary supplements pharmacy segment by combining trusted healthcare expertise with strong omnichannel capabilities. DocMorris, an online‑pharmacy brand active in Germany that underscores this trust‑led model. DocMorris leverages its strong digital platform to deliver vitamins, wellness and nutrition products alongside its medical offering, blending convenience with the credibility of the pharmacy channel.

In Germany’s dietary supplements market, drugstore chains have become increasingly relevant due to their strong value‑and‑lifestyle positioning and ability to reach wide consumer segments outside the more medically‑oriented pharmacy channel. The most popular drugstore dm‑drogerie markt, has built its appeal by offering broad assortments that include health supplements, nutrition and wellness items alongside beauty and everyday goods, making the supplement purchase a convenient and integrated part of regular shopping. Their strategy emphasizes in‑store and online synergy (e‑shopping, app, express pick‑up) and an own‑brand focus (for example their “dmBio” label) which resonates with cost‑ and health‑conscious consumers. This approach, combined with the growing consumer trend toward preventive health and convenient access, is helping the drugstore channel gain recognition and share in the German supplements market in 2024.

Amazon, particularly through its German site (Amazon.de), has solidified its position as a leading online channel for dietary supplements in Germany by executing a multi‑faceted e‑commerce strategy tailored to this category. Its strategy includes fast delivery through Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), competitive pricing, and a marketplace model that supports third-party sellers with tools and advertising. Amazon also ensures compliance with German regulations on dietary supplements, making it a trusted platform for consumers. These strategies help Amazon maintain its dominant position in the German online supplements market.

Sunday Natural stands out as a major direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) player in Germany’s dietary supplements market due to its premium positioning, strong online‑first model, and focus on wellness‑oriented nutritional products. Founded in Berlin, the brand operates primarily through its own e‑commerce platform, offering a wide assortment of vitamins, minerals, plant‑based supplements and superfoods under a “True Clean Label” philosophy, emphasizing minimal additives, vegan formulations and sustainably‑sourced raw materials. Sunday Natural’s D2C strategy is underpinned by direct control over product formulation, messaging and customer experience, which allows it to rapidly respond to consumer trends such as beauty‑from‑within, immunity and vegan wellness.