On 5 and 6 October 2026, the Bundesverband Direktvertrieb Deutschland (BDD) brought together 142 participants in Potsdam under the motto “Gemeinsam. Mehr!” (“Together. More!”). What stood out was how network marketing companies have moved from the edges of the German direct-selling landscape into a more central role—audited, recognized, and delivering measurable growth.
For decades the BDD primarily represented classic door-to-door and party-plan businesses. In recent years the association has opened its doors to carefully vetted network marketing companies after thorough review of business models, compensation plans, and practices. Membership functions as a genuine quality mark. Network marketing professionals now help shape the association itself. The board confirmed for the next two years includes Patrick Bacher of PM-International and Dr. Michael Russ of RINGANA, alongside representatives from Mary Kay, Vorwerk, AMC, and Ha-Ra.
The BDD market study, conducted under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Florian Kraus (University of Mannheim) and presented with Prof.
Dr. Manfred Krafft (University of Münster), showed direct selling in Germany reached €21.24 billion in 2025—up 1.7% from the previous year and roughly 30% over the past decade. The 128 surveyed companies expect average growth of 3.7% in 2026. Sales-partner numbers stayed nearly steady at 906,433, with 57% women.These official figures exclude many network marketing companies that are not yet BDD members. As a result, the true size of the overall direct-selling market in Germany is almost certainly larger. New international members joining the BDD this year—Déesse (Switzerland), Atomy Europe (Korea), and Union Energie (Italy)—further illustrate the channel’s broadening international character. Energy and service providers also earned recognition, pointing to continued interest in personal selling of everyday products and services.
In the large-company category (annual revenue of at least €50 million), the BDD company awards for percentage growth placed:
Two of the three fastest-growing large members are network marketing companies. For PM-International this marked the tenth consecutive company award—an impressive streak of consistent performance.
The Innovation Award, decided by live vote of attendees, went to energy supplier lekker for its environmental-education project in primary schools. Science Awards recognized research relevant to modern selling, including work on social selling in B2B settings, salesperson job satisfaction and commitment in network marketing, and how salespeople sometimes undervalue their own offers relative to customers.
PM-International, founded in 1993 by Rolf Sorg in Limburgerhof, Germany, has grown into one of the world’s leading direct-selling companies focused on health, fitness, and beauty products under the FitLine brand. The company remains privately held and family-oriented. Rolf Sorg continues as founder and CEO; his father has contributed engineering expertise to construction projects, his wife Vicki Sorg supports social initiatives, and other family members stay involved. International headquarters are in Schengen, Luxembourg, with major operations and logistics centered in Speyer, Germany, plus regional hubs in Singapore and the United States. The group operates in more than 45 countries across six continents and employs around 1,000 people.
By 2024, 2025 the company reported retail sales exceeding $3.25 billion and has continued strong growth into 2025, 2026, with more than 800 million to nearly 1 billion FitLine products sold since founding. Patrick Bacher, a founding-team member who has spent more than three decades with the company, now serves as CEO of the European Headquarters in Speyer and sits on the BDD board. Under this leadership the company has repeatedly ranked among the fastest-growing international direct sellers and appears high in the DSN Global 100.
FitLine products emphasize the company’s Nutrient Transport Concept (NTC), designed to support effective delivery of nutrients. They are produced to high standards in Germany (GMP), undergo independent testing (including by TÜV SÜD ELAB), and many appear on the Cologne List for doping-free assurance—important for the more than 1,000 professional athletes and multiple national sports associations that use them. Users and athletes frequently highlight quality, purity, and consistent results in energy, recovery, and overall well-being. The product range covers nutritional supplements, sports nutrition, and cosmetics, with ongoing investment in research, patents, and formulation improvements.
This combination of product focus, long-term partner support, and continuous small improvements in conditions has underpinned the company’s decade of consecutive BDD awards. As Patrick Bacher noted in Potsdam, the approach is a marathon rather than a sprint.
RINGANA, the Austrian fresh-cosmetics and supplements company co-founded by Andreas Wilfinger and Ulla Wannemacher, also continues its strong trajectory. It remains family-led, with the next generation already involved in leadership, and has expanded production capacity while maintaining a clear focus on natural, preservative-free formulations sold through its partner network.
Official market numbers represent a solid floor rather than the complete picture. Audited network marketing companies now sit alongside traditional direct sellers inside the BDD and are outgrowing many of them. New product categories, such as energy combined with network marketing models, are emerging. Most importantly, steady, year-after-year improvement in partner conditions and product quality continues to drive sustainable results.
The next Direktvertriebskongress is scheduled for 18,19 October 2027, the year the BDD marks its 60th anniversary.
Dirk Schiffner, the author of the original networker’s perspective on the congress, brings more than two decades of hands-on experience across companies including Vorwerk, PartyLite, and RINGANA. He is the author of the 2024 book Direktvertrieb, a Recommended Partner of the BDD, and works as a fractional executive and strategic advisor based in Switzerland. His reporting and analysis consistently highlight companies that combine strong products with long-term partner focus.
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