Reformhaus
Type of retail store in Germany
title: "Reformhaus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cooperatives-in-germany", "retail-companies-of-germany", "1927-establishments-in-germany", "brand-name-diet-products", "lebensreform"] description: "Type of retail store in Germany" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformhaus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Type of retail store in Germany ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | neuform Vereinigung Deutscher Reformhäuser eG |
| logo | Reformhaus Logo.svg |
| logo_size | 220px |
| type | Cooperative of Reformhaus owners |
| foundation | 1927 |
| location | Zarrentin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany |
| products | Vegetarian groceries (mostly also organic), cosmetics and personal care products, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals |
| revenue | € 605 million (2006) |
| homepage | reformhaus.de |
| :: |
|name = neuform Vereinigung Deutscher Reformhäuser eG |logo = Reformhaus Logo.svg |logo_size = 220px |type = Cooperative of Reformhaus owners |foundation = 1927 |founder = |location = Zarrentin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany |key_people = |products = Vegetarian groceries (mostly also organic), cosmetics and personal care products, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals |revenue = € 605 million (2006) |homepage = reformhaus.de
Reformhaus (; "reform house") is a type of German retail store that specializes in groceries and personal care products according to the principles of the 19th-century Lebensreform movement, for example the products are vegetarian, often (but not necessarily) organic, and free of synthetic preservatives. In English-speaking countries, this particular form of retail shop is usually called a health food store. However, there are also other health food stores in Germany called Naturkostladen, which are the exact equivalent of a health food store, and not generally connected to the Reformhaus stores.
One of the first Reformhaus stores opened in Wuppertal in 1900. In 1927 the neuform cooperative of Reformhaus owners was founded. This cooperative became responsible for central purchasing, quality assurance, and marketing. The Reformhaus stores are independently operated by their respective owners, either as independent stores or regional chains, but since the branding is owned by neuform, all store owners have to be members of the cooperative in order to be allowed to call their store Reformhaus.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Deutsch_German_Reformhaus.jpg" caption="Entrance of a ''Reformhaus'' store"] ::
As of January 2007, there were 1,662 Reformhäuser in Germany and a total of 2,980 retail outlets in Germany and Austria.
It was reported in 2009 that Reformhaus revenues were in decline as other German organic grocers took away business, probably because grocery selection in a Reformhaus is typically relatively limited. To counter this development, a new flagship store with a larger floor area and product selection was opened in Frankfurt.
Reformhaus-Fachakademie
In 1956, the Reformhaus-Fachakademie was founded in Oberursel, an education center that serves both aspiring Reformhaus owners and their staff and the wider community. The center offers seminars on topics such as nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine, and ecology.
References
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H0828-0206-002,_Berlin,_Karl-Marx-Allee,_Reformhaus.jpg" caption="''Reformhäuser'' also existed in [[East Germany]], such as this one on [[Karl-Marx-Allee]] in [[East Berlin]] photographed in 1969."] ::
References
- "Willkommen bei neuformREFORMHAUS".
- "Willkommen bei neuformREFORMHAUS".
- "Willkommen bei neuformREFORMHAUS".
- [[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]: ''[https://www.faz.net/IN/INtemplates/faznet/default.asp?tpl=common/zwischenseite.asp&dox={6681615B-EA0B-77B7-3B4B-4C79EBED353A}&rub={BEFA4EA6-A594-41D9-8AC2-EC17C392932A} Mehr Platz im Geschäft]'' (2009-06-15)
- "Frankfurt am Main: Stiftung Reformhaus-Fachakademie".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::