A
Family
Enterprise
Over the past 25 years, the stamp album manufacturer Leuchtturm Albenverlag has grown into a multi-brand enterprise - the Leuchtturm Gruppe
During this time, we have become younger, progressively innovative, bolder and more creative. We have remained true to our deepest conviction: we are still a family-owned company. Our belief in the power of community has brought us together, as we strive unanimously to find the best solution and celebrate the joy of our shared successes.
In recent years, and with the accelerated pace of change in the company, we have asked ourselves: What is it that drives us forward? What makes Leuchtturm special? What designates the inner core of our group, the red thread that holds everything together and serves as a guide for our large team?
We spoke with our employees, had interviews conducted and asked business partners. We met with experts and consultants. But above all, we have given these questions a great deal of thought ourselves, discussed them and did our utmost to find answers.
What we discovered, is that it's always the real things that interest and inspire us. Because we are firmly convinced that despite digitisation - which makes many things easier and more efficient - the world we live in is a real world. We live in real houses, drink real coffee in the morning and surround ourselves with many real things that make our lives more convenient, aesthetically pleasing or more interesting.
We believe in the beauty of these real things, we believe in the beauty of the real things!
This is how we observe the wishes and suggestions of our customers, find individual solutions for them and deliver what they expect from us. We do this with great passion, endurance and attention to detail.
For us, the beauty of the real things is for us the summary of everything we work for, what inspires and motivates us and what we stand for.
Axel and Max Stürken
A
Global Player
from Geesthacht
Our
Locations
The Team of
Leuchtturm Gruppe

Björn Augustin
Team Manager
Corporate Gifts

Stephanie Barthold
Senior Marketing Manager
Leuchtturm1917

Michael Bibow
COO

Sven Bohlmann
Head of Business
Solutions

Anne Brackelmann
Retail Manager
Bethge Treuleben

Sönke Brandt
CFO

Denis Braun
Warehouse Manager

Philip Döbler
Managing Director
Leuchtturm1917

Kakhaber Dzebisashvili
Key Account Manager
Leuchtturm

Ramona Evers
Manager
Production control

Johannes Görtz
Head of Brand
Semikolon

Dix Greese
Head of Brand
Leuchtturm

Ronald Grüneberg
Head of Logistics
Leuchtturm Gruppe

Léo Guiziou
Key Account Manager
Leuchtturm

Michaela Herting
Head of Brand
Stilform

Enrico Hoppe
Head of Creation
Leuchtturm Gruppe

Tanja Hubert
Management Assistant

Fabian Justa
Head of Purchasing
Leuchtturm Gruppe

Arne Knecht
Director Brand and Product
Bethge Treuleben

Thorsten Kohn
Head of Production
Leuchtturm Gruppe

Silvia Lindemann
Management Assistant

Philipp v. Ludowig
Brand Director
Leuchtturm1917

Philipp Lux
Head of Purchasing
Torquato

Georg Motschmann
Sales Director B2B
Leuchtturm

Maren Nabben
Head of Sales B2C/
Customer Service
Leuchtturm

Mathias Ortiz von Dessauer
Key Account Manager
PBS

Evangelia Papatrecha-Zahid
Brand Manager
Semikolon

Jasmina Pasanbegovic
Wholesale Manager
Bethge Treuleben

Sabine Pick
Key Account Manager
PBS

Mark Schenkel
Head of Consumer Marketing

Oliver Schmidt
Head of Creation
Torquato

Kerstin Schulz
Key Account & Development Manager Semikolon

Georg Sostmann
Head of Retail
Torquato

Max Stöcker
Managing Director
Bethge Treuleben

Lennart Stuhr
Key Account Manager Packaging/
Head of Product Development
Leuchtturm

Axel Stürken
Managing Director
Co-Owner

Kurt Stürken
Managing Director
Co-Owner

Max Stürken
Managing Director
Co-Owner

Moritz Stürken
CEO
Torquato

Timo Tegtmeier
Head of IT

Frank Wendt
Head of
Human Ressources

Christina Wöhler
Head of Customer Service
Torquato
For over
100 years
1917
The KABE publishing house is founded by Paul Koch in Aschersleben. The company produced the KABE stamp albums, which are still published today.

1948
Following the war, Paul Koch reestablishes the business in Hamburg.

1956
Relocation to Geesthacht near Hamburg,
the company headquarters to this day.

1959
The Hamburg businessman Wolfgang Schön joins the Leuchtturm Albenverlag as Managing Partner. Comprehensive reorganization of the company begins.

1962
Kurt Stürken joins the company and in the following years, builds up the export business together with Wolfgang Schön.

1967
The subsidiary Lighthouse Publications, Inc. is founded in New York, USA
1969
Relocation to the current headquarters - Am Spakenberg in Geesthacht

1972
Kurt Stürken becomes a shareholder and partner of Wolfgang Schön.
The subsidiary Lighthouse Publications (Canada) is founded in Montreal, Canada.
1977
Waltraud Bethge founds her company Bethge in Hamburg- Eppendorf with a retail shop and a print studio behind it in the courtyard building.
1988
Günther Dezlhofer founds Semikolon and develops the first collection with solid-coloured linen book covers in his studio on Lake Starnberg
1997
Acquisition of the KABE publishing house and fusion of Paul Koch´s
two album publishing companies.
Kurt Stürken's son Axel is appointed Managing Partner.

2000
The subsidiary Torquato mail order house is founded.
2002
When the euro currency is introduced, Leuchtturm is the first supplier to market a euro collector’s album and sells 500,000 units in the first year alone.
New construction of a production hall and high-bay warehouse at Spakenberg

2003
Kurt Stürken's son Max is appointed managing partner

2005
Philip Döbler joins the company and builds up the Leuchtturm1917 stationery brand.
Kurt Stürken's youngest son Moritz joins the company and continues to expand the Torquato brand and business. In 2010, he joins the Board of Directors and becomes shareholder of Torquato.

2007
Expansion of the high-bay warehouse to a total of 8,000 pallete bays and new construction of the canteen.

2009
The subsidiary Leuchtturm Hungary is founded, which has by then become the site where all
stockbook stamp albums are produced.
2013
Acquisition of a factory in South China, where the Leuchtturm coin albums are now produced.
Philip Döbler is appointed Managing director.

2014
Acquisition of the stationery brand Semikolon, with a bookbinding factory in the Czech Republic.

2015
Acquisition of the stationery brand
Treuleben & Bischof.
Trademark application for the
brand Legendär

2016
Acquisition of Bethge, “the” institution in Hamburg for premium leather and stationery goods of sophisticated design.
Launch of the Treuleben brand.
Opening of an additional warehouse site in Hamburg-Billstedt with 5,000 palette bays
Leuchtturm Asia Pacific in Shanghai is founded as a permanent representative office
in Southeast Asia.

2017
100 year Anniversary
Leuchtturm Gruppe
2019
Kurt, Axel and Max Stürken accept the Family Business of the Year Award.

2020
Torquato opens the brand's new flagship store, “Torquato Haus” in Hamburg, in the midst of the Corona crisis.

2021
Acquisition of the Stilform pen brand.
Relocation of the production to Geesthacht-Düneberg.
Opening of the Buttstraße location at Hamburg Fischmarkt for the young
brands of the Leuchtturm Gruppe as well as web development and consumer marketing
2022
New brand appearance of the Leuchtturm Gruppe