Brand profile · Germany
esn Revenue, search volume and competitors 2026
AcquiredGermany's sports nutrition heavyweight, united with More Nutrition under the umbrella of The Quality Group.
Fact sheet
- Founded
- 2005
- Founders
- Stephen Greis, Jan Lehmkuhl
- Headquarters
- Hamburg (Holding), Produktion in Elmshorn
- Company
- The Quality Group GmbH (vormals Fitmart GmbH & Co. KG)
- Employees
- über 1.600 (Gruppe)
- Die Höhle der Löwen (German TV show)
- Did not appear
- Funding
- No venture capital known
- Investors
- CVC Capital Partners (Private Equity, Mehrheit an der Holding seit 2022)
- Funding rounds
- 2022: Mehrheitsübernahme der Holding durch CVC, nicht veröffentlicht
Background and milestones
ESN emerged from the German bodybuilding forum Team Andro, from which its own supplement shop was built. The brand was later professionalized through Fitmart GmbH in Elmshorn.
- 2005
ESN founded in the context of the Team Andro forum (sources also give 2007).
- 2019
Fitmart takes over ESN including the forum and brand rights.
- 2021
Fitmart and More Nutrition merge into The Quality Group GmbH.
- 2022
CVC Capital Partners acquires more than 80 percent of the group.
- 2024
Heikki Takala becomes CEO of The Quality Group.
SWOT analysis of esn
Editorial assessment based on the sources listed and the radar data.
Strengths
- Established brand since 2005 with about 673,000 brand searches per month in Germany.
- Rooted in the fitness community through its forum origins.
- Part of The Quality Group with group revenue above EUR 1 billion (2025) according to Wikipedia.
Weaknesses
- The group's advertising claims were the subject of court rulings.
- Criticism of working conditions: customs raids in December 2023 at group companies.
Opportunities
- Expansion abroad through the group, for example the US expansion started in 2025.
- Range extension through sister brands in the holding.
Threats
- A private equity holding period of typically 5 to 7 years can mean a change of ownership.
- High competition and strict regulation for food supplements.
What is behind the demand?
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Sources
- Handelsblatt via Wikipedia (The Quality Group)
- Business Insider
- Wikipedia: The Quality Group
- Unternehmerblatt: Wem gehört ESN?
- Gründer.de: ESN Gründer
- Sportster: ESN und More Nutrition
Frequently asked questions about esn
How much revenue does esn make?
esn generated around 800 million € (TQG) in revenue in 2024 (rough figure from interviews and press). For 2025: Ziel >1 Mrd € (TQG). The full revenue history and a model estimate of organic revenue (brand vs. non-brand) are in the brand profile after login.
Who founded esn?
esn was founded in 2005 by Stephen Greis and Jan Lehmkuhl. The company is based in Hamburg (Holding), Produktion in Elmshorn.
Was esn on Die Höhle der Löwen?
No, esn did not appear on the German TV show Die Höhle der Löwen.
Is esn backed by venture capital?
No, there is no known venture capital funding for esn. Shareholders include CVC Capital Partners (Private Equity, Mehrheit an der Holding seit 2022).
How much does esn spend on marketing?
esn does not publish its ad budgets. What can be measured is how much demand the brand creates: brand searches show whether social media, ads and word of mouth are working. The higher that share, the less esn has to pay for each visit.
How much revenue does esn make through Google?
The model estimate combines brand searches and organic traffic of esn with the niche's purchase intent, conversion rate and basket size. It separates brand revenue (people who already know esn) from non-brand revenue (new customers via SEO). The figures are in the brand profile after login.
What would the organic traffic of esn be worth as a Google Ads budget?
Every organic click replaces a paid one. Organic clicks times the keywords' cost per click gives the equivalent ad budget. The brand profile shows the organic traffic and ranking keywords of esn after login.
How do I find out the SEO revenue of my own website?
With your free Visibly account, which also works on antonioblago.com, you connect Google Search Console and see which keywords and pages bring you clicks, split into brand and non-brand. That lets you run the same numbers for your own domain as shown here for esn.
Want to make your own brand this visible?
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