17.12.2024
Legends of Music – Employee Xmas Party
10.12.2024
“Behind the passion” documentary
01.03.2024
70 Years of Passion
70
13
1802
Treppendorf (Bavaria)
Berlin
Erlangen
Valence (France)
Frankfurt
Hamburg
Düsseldorf
Hausen (Bavaria)
Eisingen (Bavaria)
Paris
Copenhagen
London
Madrid
We are music
Everything we do is deeply rooted in music. Music is our passion. We love rock, pop, jazz, classical and electronic music just as much as traditional folk music, death metal or the twelve-tone technique. Music is business and hobby at the same time. When you think of music, you should be thinking of Thomann.
We are 100% customer focussed
Our customers’ satisfaction is our top priority. We don’t distinguish between beginners and professionals. We use all our expertise on products, markets, technologies and trends to develop the best services and shopping experiences.
We join the local and the global
Treppendorf is our origin, home, and future. We are aware of our responsibility and embrace our region. At the same time, we are a company operating globally. With more than 18 million customers world-wide and business partners on 6 continents.
We think of the day after tomorrow
All our actions are determined by long-term thinking. Profits are not directed into speculation but reinvested in the company directly. For example, into the continual expansion of our logistics. Or into the training of more than 50 apprentices or grants for young musical talents.
We remain independent
Thomann is and will remain a family company. No investor decides what we do, we determine our objectives and strategies ourselves. Our independence has stood the test especially of times of crises. This is how we can guarantee our staff job security.
Music makes the world a better place. This is why we want to inspire everyone and entice them to make music. And every single colleague is an important part of this mission.
Our Company History:
70 Years of Passion for Music
Usually, we only look ahead. But here we are making an exception and cast our eyes on seventy years of company and family history.
The world’s largest Music shop
2024 Not only are we celebrating 70 years of our existence; we are also setting further ambitious objectives; for example, we are planning the expansion of the music shop at our main location in Treppendorf. The showrooms, sales floor and storage space will increase from 5,200 sqm to more than 10,000 sqm. Work is expected to be competed in 2027.
Finally, no longer a construction site – for the moment
2022 With the inauguration of VW3, our third administration building including a multi-storey car park, a long-term construction project comes to an end. The new building comprises meeting rooms, a modern Fun & Health Area as well as enough office space for more than 300 customer service staff.
“brand eins” – the man who beat amazon
2015 In April, the business magazine “brand eins” dedicates its title story to Thomann. The occasion for doing so is a study on factors of success in e-commerce, which selects us as the best online shop. According to the study, we even beat Amazon. But there’s something that made us even happier than this award: we have realized that we have the best and most loyal customers in the world.
New online shop goes live
2008 To satisfy the rush of more than 2 million customers from all over Europe, we completely re-vamp the website. The programme code contains more than 120,000 lines. Two new data centres with 160 servers in total guarantee the web shop’s reliable operation.
The Campus keeps growing
2003 Kick-off for a true marathon of construction projects in Treppendorf. For more than 20 years, there has been barely a single day without the soundtrack of construction machinery. It all started with the construction of a logistics centre (see picture). Then came a container warehouse, a four-storey office building and the inauguration of new showrooms for the guitar, brass and strings departments (2005). Shortly afterwards, we opened our new supply depot (2006), a new service building including an amphitheatre (2013), our company canteen “t.kitchen” (2015) as well as the new logistics and dispatch centre (2017). To be continued….
Thomann Audio Professionell
2001 Due to increased demands relating to audio, video, lights, and media installation, we decided to open a dedicated department for these. Ever since, Thomann Audio Professionell has been planning and implementing projects for theatres, parish halls, museums and other event locations throughout Europe. The team has grown to more than 20 specialists.
Shop expansion and new Customer Service
1998 Outsourcing has never been our thing. In the 1990s, many companies joined the rush to relocate their call centres into low-wage countries. We remain convinced that advice by phone has to come from on-site. Because we like being around our friendly colleagues. And for a better quality of advice. This made the decision to set up our future “Customer Service” department in Treppendorf easy. In parallel, a new wing of the shop was built for the large PA/Light hall with adjoining studio and drum departments.
Pioneer on the internet
1996 We are the first German music retailer to develop a website. In the beginning, e-mails were printed out, taken to the various departments and answered by mail. This really wouldn’t work anymore – what with more than 500,000 e-mail daily.
One year later, we took over the largest mail-order company for musical instruments in Germany at the time – the Robostar company. This doubled the number of our customers to about 100,000 at one fell swoop.
Birth of the Hot Deal
1992 We launch our Hot Deals. The first ad brochures (a run of about 10,000) were distributed mainly in the Bamberg region and contained barely 100 items – without images. Thankfully, we were later able to hand this job over to a professional printer’s; we just cut out the pictures from manufacturers’ materials and handed them over alongside the texts, hand-written on scrap paper.
Handing over management
1990 After 36 years at the head of the company, Hans Thomann Sr. passes the company on to the next generation. His eldest son, Hans Thomann Jr, takes up his mantle and remains in this role today.
The residential shop
1980 This is what our music shop looked like until well into the late 1980s. The barn is home to the lights department and box storage. The former children’s room is turned into the bookkeeping department. In 2023, the Thomann residence is finally torn down to make space for the expansion of the music shop.
The wild 70s
1970 Over the years, more and more living space is converted to show rooms and sales floors. Hans Thomann Sr. has already made a name for himself. The product range keeps growing. These were the glory days of home organs, guitars and the first synthesizers. Hans Thomann Jr., still a teenager, is already actively helping his father.
A wish
1954 Hans Thomann Sr. retires from busking (having played for circuses, among other gigs – see picture) and decides to settle down with his own music shop. Additionally, he continues to take care of the family farm. Almost daily, he commutes 70 km to Würzburg to study the trumpet there.
