Edding

The company was founded in Hamburg-Barmbek in 1960 by Carl-Wilhelm Edding (1930–2021^[3]) and Volker Detlef Ledermann (1932–2021^[4]) with a starting capital of 500 DM. The two founders agreed on the company name Edding because they considered it more memorable and international. Initially, they only operated as an importer of felt-tip pens from Japan, until they offered their first own product, the "Edding No. 1" marker, which achieved great market success. These markers were initially significant only for the fields of warehousing and freight forwarding, but eventually found their way into office management, workshops, and studios because their special composition allowed them to be used on hot, greasy, or damp surfaces. The company's product range has since expanded to approximately 200 marker types.

In 1965, products for visual communication (presentation boards) were added to the range under the brand name "planMASTER". Five years later, the headquarters was moved to Ahrensburg. Since 1986, the year Carl-Wilhelm Edding left the company,^[5] the company's shares have been traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In the same year, the distribution and logistics center was built in Wunstorf.

Until 1992, Edding operated as a pure distribution company. After the acquisition of the East German brand "Markant" from Singwitz near Bautzen, the first dedicated production plant in Germany was established in Bautzen in 1993 under the subsidiary "V. D. Ledermann & Co. GmbH". By 2016, it had an annual production volume of 85 million units.^[6] The plant also serves as a center of excellence within the corporate group.

The Dutch company "LEGA Industrie B.V." in Lochem was acquired in 1998, and the two ranges LEGA and planMaster were continued under the Legamaster brand in 1999. The acquisition also led to the establishment of the subsidiaries "Edding Lega International B.V." in the Netherlands and in Mechelen, Belgium. Further expansion began in 2000, with branches established in Italy (until 2010), Greece, and Argentina, and since 2001 in France and Turkey. Today, Edding AG as an operating holding company includes subsidiaries in 10 countries. Edding International GmbH is responsible for production and distribution.

In February 2010, Edding reintegrated the German distribution for visual communication into Legamaster GmbH. The company achieves its largest sales growth with e-boards—interactive whiteboards where inputs on whiteboard surfaces are digitized and transmitted to computer systems. In the marker segment, the sub-brand "Edding Funtastics" was introduced for children aged 6 and over.

The company has been led since 2005 by Per Ledermann (son of co-founder Volker Ledermann).

(As of 8 July 2024)^[7]

• Common shares:
  • 600,000 units – 100 percent Ledermann family

• Preferred shares:
  • 455,815 units total
    • 365,898 units = 80.3 percent Ledermann family
    • 89,917 units = 19.7 percent Free float