About us

A life for photography

In 1903, Foto Erhardt was founded in Brandenburg an der Havel by Gothilf Erhardt. At that time Foto Erhardt was still a photo drugstore. It was not until 1929 - together with his son Ottomar - that the chemist's shop became a photo specialty shop. After the end of the war and his imprisonment, Ottomar Erhardt built up the company with retail, wholesale and industrial sales in Osnabrück.

In 1974, he handed over the business to his three children Wolfgang, Norbert and Lieselotte. The third son Dieter Erhardt emigrated to Switzerland and opened numerous photo shops there under the Foto Ganz and Foto Pro brands. In the years that followed, Foto Erhardt grew steadily and opened numerous branches in Northern Germany.

By 1997, Foto Erhardt had grown so large that the head office on Möserstraße in Osnabrück was no longer sufficient.So the head office moved to Gartenkamp 101 in Westerkappeln, where there was enough space for offices and a modern high-bay warehouse.

On 30 March 1999, our online shop www.foto-erhardt.de went online and developed into one of the most important photo online shops in the following years. Since May 2014, the company has been run in the fourth generation by Christian, Birthe and Anabel Erhardt.

Foto Erhardt is now one of the leading photo retailers in Germany. More than 2000 customers are served daily.The branch network comprises 12 shops in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bremen. In addition there are nine affiliated photo studios, the Foto Erhardt Academy, a wholesale business and the online shop.

But the Foto Erhardt team is not resting on its laurels. Over 140 employees take care of the customers' needs and wishes every day. As the largest trainer in the industry, the company is also thinking about tomorrow. Around 25 young people are constantly completing their training at Foto Erhardt. Through this training, Foto Erhardt is successfully countering the shortage of skilled workers, so that customers can also customers can continue to rely on the excellent advice and good service at Foto Erhardt.

The chronicle of the Foto Erhardt company from 1903 to the present:

June 1903
Gotthilf Erhardt founded a photo drugstore in Brandenburg/Havel.
Gotthilf was himself an enthusiastic amateur photographer and tried to get his customers interested in his hobby.

1929
Together with his son Ottomar, the photo drugstore became the first specialist photo shop with its own laboratory inBrandenburg.

1947
After the end of the war and after his imprisonment, Ottomar Erhardt moved to Osnabrück and rebuilt his business.with retail, wholesale and industrial sales.
Ottomar was supported by Horst Späthe, who had already joined Foto Erhardt in 1938 as an apprentice in Brandenburg.Erhardt in Brandenburg.

1952
A commercial building with shop, warehouse and administration is built in Möserstrasse in Osnabrück.

1965
Opening of the first branch in Krahnstrasse in Osnabrück

1974
Generation change - daughter Lilo and the two sons Wolfgang and Norbert take over the management of the company.Photo Erhardt.
The third son Dieter makes a career of his own with photo businesses in Switzerland.

1980-1990
Over the years, further branches are opened in Vechta, Cloppenburg, Münster and Hildesheim.

1990
The Foto Erhardt company now already has 18 branches.
Now also back in Brandenburg, where it all began in 1903.

1992
The Erhardt siblings found the Osna-Foto photo wholesale business in Magdeburg.
Osna-Foto supplies drugstores, photographers, public authorities and industry.

1997
As the head office in Möserstrasse is now bursting at the seams, a new head office is built at Gartenkamp 101 in Westerkappeln.Westerkappeln, a new head office with high storage was built.

1999
www.foto-erhardt.de goes online.
On 30 March, the homepage (www.foto-erhardt.de) is launched with extensive information on photography and an integrated online shop.integrated online shop on the internet.

2002
Foto Erhardt takes over three Photo Porst branches.

2003
Foto Erhardt celebrates its 100th anniversary.

2009
Opening of the Ahaus branch
First annual in-house exhibition in Westerkappeln: FOTOFACHTAGE 2009.

2010
after 10 years on the internet, a major relaunch of our online shop follows, fancier, faster, bigger.

2011
first annual FOTO ERHARDT Trainee Day 2011.

2012
Renovation of the Vechta branch.

2013
Renovation of the Ibbenbüren branch.

2014
5th anniversary of FOTOFACHTAGE, Northern Germany's largest in-house exhibition.
111th anniversary of the Foto Erhardt company.

2015
Opening of the Dülmen branch.
Generation change - Anabel, Birthe and Christian Erhardt take over the management of the company FotoErhardt.

2016
Relaunch of the online presence with responsive design and even more products and information on photography and related services.photography and related services.

2017
Opening of the branch in Münster at Prinzipalmarkt 4.

2018
Expansion of the logistics area by 50%
Opening of the branch in Bremen
Relaunch of the online presence with an even faster site and more payment options.

2021
Foto Erhardt's product assortment is now also presented in English (www.foto-erhardt.com) and French (www.foto-erhardt.fr).

2022
Opening of the branch in Essen at Flachsmarkt 1.
Takeover of the fotogena brand with locations in Darmstadt and Worms.

2023
Foto Erhardt celebrates 120 years.
The first branch was opened in Brandenburg in 1903. The second generation opened a branch in Osnabrück in 1949 and the second one shortly afterwards. The third generation took over in 1974 and more branches were opened in Germany. The fourth generation, Birthe, Anabel and Christian Erhardt have been running the company since 2014 and there are currently 14 modern branches with expert advice and a large online shop.