The idea for stadtguthaben® arose 2017 primarily as a result of the rapid growth of online retail. Every product is just a click away, and local retailers in many cities and regions are suffering as a result. Nowadays, many purchasing decisions are made based solely on price, and online retailers often have an advantage here because they do not have to rent retail space or employ sales staff. In some cases, customers even gather information from local retailers and then order online.
It is often forgotten that local shops and restaurants are not just places to shop and eat. They are also part of a city’s atmosphere and influence how liveable and attractive a city is.
That is why we have decided to actively support the strengthening of local businesses with the stadtguthaben®-system. Every Euro that has been deposited in the stadtguthaben®-system, cannot leave the city any more and can only be spent locally.
With head and heart involved
After the initial idea, Patrick and Lutz planned amd developed the first version of the system mainly in 2018 together with the feedback of two cities. The company then was set up beginning of 2019. Since then it was further developed on basis of practical feedback from the active cities. This is why it is so easy to use for over 200 operating municipalities, over 10.000 participating local businesses and several million using card holders.
We will remain involved with head and heart to hold the position as the no. 1 solution for local payment systems in Europe.
Patrick Koch, CEO
Patrick holds a degree in business administration and has over 15 years of consulting and management experience.
Lutz Maichel, CTO
Lutz is the technical mastermind behind the technology and has over 20 years of experience as a front-end and back-end developer.
Together with Patrick and Lutz, a dedicated team of five developers and customer service staff in Germany works to ensure that the system runs smoothly and that customers and users are happy.