CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Conrad Electronic SE
CT #181 Das 100jährige E-Commerce Start Up - Ralf Bühler, CEO von Conrad Electronic
30 Jahre Expertise in Marketing, Vertrieb und E-Commerce brachte Ralf Bühler mit, als er 2019 den Posten als Chief Sales Officer B2B bei Conrad Electronic übernahm. Keine zwei Jahre später übernahm er dann auch schon die Rolle des CEO für das traditionsreiche Unternehmen - und stand damit an der Spitze eines beispiellosen Transformations-Projekts. Von den Höhen und Tiefen dieses Vorhabens berichtet Ralf im ChefTreff Podcast Interview mit Sven Rittau. Denn Conrad Electronic entschied sich für einen radikalen Kurswechsel - vom Elektronikhändler mit zahlreichen Filialen in DACH zur B2B-Beschaffun...
About Ralf Bühler
Ralf Bühler, CEO of Conrad Electronic, has discussed the company's transformation from a business-to-consumer (B2C) to a business-to-business (B2B) electronics supplier. In podcast interviews from 2023 to 2025, Bühler stated that Conrad shifted its revenue from approximately 80% B2C to 80% B2B within about five years. He described the decision as requiring "Mut und Einsicht" (courage and insight) and said the company's approach combined digital transformation with maintaining personal customer relationships. Bühler noted that Conrad focuses on digital procurement solutions, including eProcurement systems, and limits its marketplace to quality partners such as manufacturers and authorized distributors. Bühler characterized Conrad as "die Gallier des E-Commerce" (the Gauls of e-commerce), emphasizing the need for proactive employees with internal drive. He said the company aims to solve B2B challenges such as supply chain security and resource efficiency. Reflecting on his career, Bühler stated that he received some roles because he was "frech genug und fordernd genug" (bold and demanding enough) to assert his readiness, and he advised his younger self to be even more curious and self-confident.
Transcript (39 segments)
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Sven Ritter0:00
In today's edition of Cheftreff, we look at 100-year-old company histories, entrepreneurship, transformation, clarity in action, and a very exciting business case that started early on moving from classic B2C into B2B. A great conversation with the CEO of Conrad, Ralf Bühler.
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Welcome to a new episode of Cheftreff. I'm excited to speak with a billion-dollar player, a family-owned company from Bavaria. I welcome Ralf Bühler, CEO of Conrad.
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Ralf Bühler2:27
Thank you, glad to be here. I grew up in Munich, so it's a home game. I lived around the world but Munich is home.
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Sven Ritter2:49
You've been with Conrad since 2019, CEO since 2021. Your background is in the tech industry, right?
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Ralf Bühler3:13
I've always been in technology. Conrad was an institution in Munich; I got my first PC there. My career was in semiconductors and distribution, mostly B2B. That experience led me to Conrad when they decided to move into B2B.
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Sven Ritter4:28
That's a good point. Conrad has undergone an extreme transformation, moving from B2C to B2B. You've always had business customers, but now it's shifted significantly in the last 5-7 years.
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Ralf Bühler4:58
There are themes that run through the company history, one is the ability to recognize and seize opportunities in technology. We started as a B2C player, but by the mid-90s we understood our value proposition resonated with business customers. It took a while to cement it structurally, but about 8-10 years ago we said we can work on this meaningfully. Then changes in consumer behavior and the decision that B2B is not just an add-on but something that can carry the company into the future. So 5 years ago we started the transformative path to move from our core business firmly into B2B, leveraging our strengths and investing. Digital transformation in procurement was the right time to shift to B2B.
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Sven Ritter6:44
Remarkably, you also closed your physical stores. I remember a discussion about the complexity of omnichannel. Conrad's owner said omnichannel was done by his great-grandfather with stores and catalogs. But now you made the strategic decision to go fully towards distance selling. That's extreme clarity from management.
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Ralf Bühler7:40
Such transformation requires courage and insight. You have to realize it can't go on like this and choose a clear path. Omnichannel is complex, especially when you decide for B2B. Corona accelerated our clarity. We saw that the shift to distance selling is irreversible. We made the decision to close stores with discussion and emotion, but it was right for the strategy. However, physical presence can still provide value for B2B customers in terms of convenience and speed. So we are testing a new format called 'Profi Stores' at two locations to see if omnichannel is still part of our value proposition.
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Sven Ritter10:48
Where are you starting these tests?
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Ralf Bühler10:50
We started in Hürth near Cologne, just before Corona, which was a challenging time. Now we are testing in Regensburg and Mannheim. Early results suggest we continue testing, and the future will show if we roll out further.
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Sven Ritter11:25
I saw that the shift from 25% B2B share to about 70% is a massive confirmation of your strategy.
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Ralf Bühler11:48
It's nice when the plan works. The potential of B2B for Conrad was noticed before me. What we have done well in the last 5 years is combining digital transformation with human knowledge and personal touch. We have about 70% of our revenue in B2B, and half of that via e-procurement where we have direct system connections to customers, making transactions faster and more efficient. We are still learning, like a 100-year-old startup. We test, test, learn. We are good at quickly moving from idea to implementation, and if it doesn't work, we move to the next idea. Customers appreciate that we don't force a one-size-fits-all approach but adapt to their environments.
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Sven Ritter14:36
You have about 700 million euros in revenue, which is substantial. I had a conversation with Max Meister from Ludwig Meister, who also deeply integrates into customers' value chains, even predicting parts needs. Are you also moving in that direction?
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Ralf Bühler15:15
Our approach is different. We use the term 'fire brigade' – we solve problems that are not foreseeable. To do that, we need a huge range of products. Our focus is on providing access to a curated assortment so that customers get a one-stop-shop experience. When something is missing, they call Conrad. We use AI to extract relevant information from the massive data we have (100 million visitors, 30-40 million transactions) to predict similar or replacement products. We are not in the business of predicting needs across 9 million products broadly, but we have segments where we can do that.
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Sven Ritter18:45
Interesting that you started building a B2B marketplace early on, a curated assortment through third-party sellers. Can you elaborate?
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Ralf Bühler19:13
To create the one-stop-shop experience, we need more than our own inventory. So we built a marketplace with curated third-party sellers that meet Conrad's quality and service standards. We don't want 500,000 sellers but maybe 500-1000 that fit. There is also a sustainability angle: why produce goods that already exist in the supply chain? We aim to make existing goods visible and available across borders. Cross-border e-commerce in B2B is complex due to different VAT laws, but we are working on it.
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Sven Ritter20:58
You mentioned internationalization. Conrad is present in 17 European countries. How does the B2B shift vary across these markets?
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Ralf Bühler21:22
Conrad has been in 17 countries for a long time, each with its own history. Since we grew organically, each country has its own characteristics. In some countries we were always more B2B, so the shift feels like coming home. In others, we had more investment needs. We are now focusing on serving foreign markets more strongly. The challenges are the same across Europe: unstable supply chains, aging population, complex B2B procurement. We believe our model has relevance in all major European markets.
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Sven Ritter23:50
What fascinates me is that you have both B2C and B2B in one company. B2C is advanced digitally, B2B lags behind. Your setup leverages learnings from B2C. How much easier was that for you?
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Ralf Bühler24:43
The benefit is the understanding of how to serve the end consumer. We applied that to B2B, helping the strategic buyer maintain control while allowing users like a foreman to order. We learned not to go in with a one-size-fits-all approach but to listen to customers and adapt. That legacy from B2C made it easier.
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Sven Ritter27:05
Can you give some customer examples, without naming names, to make it more tangible?
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Ralf Bühler27:17
For a small craftsmanship business, the owner's wife does purchasing after 5 PM and needs simple access to negotiated prices. For a large company with 10,000 employees across 300 locations, we built a system that provides consistent access to Conrad assortment in their system. For a medium company with 200 employees, we built a solution that gives the owner control over who buys what. We tailored solutions for each.
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Sven Ritter29:12
On your website, I saw the 'rent instead of buy' offering with Mitover. Is that being adopted? It seems the market still hasn't learned that.
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Ralf Bühler29:46
In Germany, the culture of buying is deeply ingrained. Renting/leasing is not yet a trend in B2B, except for consumer-near products like phones and printers. For capital goods like machinery, we are still far from it. France is a bit more open, Italy less. We are testing, but it's not prime time yet.
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Sven Ritter31:12
If you see yourselves as the technical procurement platform, you must think about other services. What is already there or what are you exploring?
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Ralf Bühler32:29
We have many product-proximate services, especially in measurement technology where we offer calibration. We also do turnkey solutions, e.g., we manufactured a charger for a major car manufacturer. On the digital side, we provide curated assortments and full digital solutions for procurement software. We look at a wide spectrum of services near the product or near digital procurement.
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Sven Ritter34:12
You've worked in London, Hong Kong, now in Hirschau. The special thing about Conrad is the family ownership with 100 years of history. The owner says he didn't have to go to banks or investors during Corona. That 'steady hand' is important. How do you moderate transformation as a family business with long-term employees?
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Ralf Bühler35:27
As a non-family member coming in, I looked at whether I could work with the owners and whether they were open to change. 100 years of success is both a blessing and a curse. I sensed pride but also openness and awareness that it can't continue forever. The long breath is key for transformation - we don't do everything right every day, but it helps to consistently pursue the strategy. This is not the first transformation for Conrad; it's likely the fourth or fifth in its history. We have proven we can do it. The steady hand makes it easier.
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Sven Ritter38:28
We have 100 years. Looking forward, what are the next three big challenges you want to tackle?
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Ralf Bühler38:47
Internally, we aim to advance digital procurement in companies to optimize costs, secure supply chains, and use resources sustainably. Externally, we must be more mindful with resources, avoid producing goods that already exist, make them visible and purchasable. We also face the challenge of AI and resource scarcity of people. We need to rethink processes with customers and suppliers. We are actively engaging with AI but don't have all solutions yet. Those are the three big topics.
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Sven Ritter41:41
How many employees do you have? Around 5000? And what about remote work?
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Ralf Bühler41:45
About 5000. Regarding remote work, we are extremely distributed. I work between locations. We have many employees in Hirschau but also in 17 countries. We have adopted remote work in Germany, but we believe in balance. Neither 100% office nor 100% remote is right. The German Mittelstand's strength came from collaboration and knowledge transfer. At Conrad, we are finding the right balance to maintain the Conrad spirit while allowing focused work from home. We are looking for entrepreneurial thinkers who enjoy working for customers. We are like the Gauls in the Roman empire – we need to be proactive.
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Sven Ritter43:49
I agree. Many thinkers say innovation comes from cooperation and storytelling. Cooperation needs trust, which requires coming together.
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Ralf Bühler44:56
Yes, we are an employer that balances tradition and modernity. Entrepreneurial thinking comes from interaction, not behind a screen. It's about recognizing and seizing opportunities, often days apart. Anyone who likes entrepreneurial work will feel at home at Conrad. We are the Gauls of e-commerce. We need employees with inner drive, customer-oriented, always looking to move forward. We are never satisfied; we always want to go further. And at the end of the day, we are a merchant at heart, serving the customer.
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Sven Ritter47:05
Final question: If you could travel back to any point in your career, what piece of wisdom would you whisper to your younger self?
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Ralf Bühler47:37
To be even more curious. I am relatively curious, but if you are not sure about yourself, dare to be more curious, dare to trust yourself more. The further I got in my career, the more obvious that became. I wish I had known that earlier.
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Sven Ritter48:19
Thank you very much. It was a pleasure.