Sponsored partner portrait: The Sterne Gruppe — a family‑owned Mercedes‑Benz dealer group active across southern Germany — has turned training and local roots into a clear strategic asset. For drivers, buyers, dealers and employees in Bavaria, that means more experienced workshop teams, a steady pipeline of trained technicians and a regional partner that keeps service and sales local.
From family roots to a training powerhouse
Founded by the established dealer families behind KreuterMedeleSchäfer and Abel+Ruf, the Sterne Gruppe presents itself as an owner‑managed, regional network that leans heavily on apprenticeship and long‑term employment. The group reports a broad footprint across southern Bavaria — with sites listed for Riedlingen, Memmingen, Biberach, Dornstadt, Günzburg and Neu‑Ulm — and an active careers and contact presence on its own website.
Industry reporting highlights the scale of the group’s people investment: AUTOHAUS and partner outlets list more than 1,400 employees in the enlarged group and around 280 apprentices currently in training — figures the company and local reporting cite when describing its strategy to secure skilled staff and to retain know‑how in the region. Those same reports attribute a revenue base in 2024 at the higher hundreds of millions, illustrating how training and growth are running in parallel.
Growth by careful acquisition: Ulm/Neu‑Ulm and beyond
On 1 December 2025 the Sterne Gruppe completed the takeover of the Mercedes‑Benz Ulm/Neu‑Ulm branch — one of the first examples of Mercedes‑owned retail being transferred to independent partners in the recent wave of dealer transactions. Local reporting and trade press describe the move as the start of a larger south‑German consolidation, and note that the Neu‑Ulm deal brought nearly 200 employees into the Sterne Gruppe fold. The takeover underlined the group’s ambition to combine family ownership with scale.
The new structure remains explicitly family‑centred and owner‑managed: management names reported in the trade press include Peter Schäfer, Lukas Ruf and Joachim Fellner, while the company impressum lists Peter Schäfer and Lukas Ruf as authorised representatives. Those links between established local dealer operations and the Sterne Gruppe are key to the company’s recruiting and retention message.
What this means for the market
For customers: a stronger regional dealer group can mean consistent aftersales standards, faster access to trained technicians and continued local showroom and service coverage — especially important where manufacturer‑run branches are being handed over to private partners. For dealers and employees: Sterne Gruppe’s emphasis on apprenticeship (roughly 280 trainees reported by trade press) signals a deliberate HR strategy to grow internal talent rather than rely on an increasingly tight external labour market. For dealers across Germany, the Sterne Gruppe is an example of how family ownership and scale can coexist to preserve jobs and local service networks after manufacturer restructuring.
People at the group are visible in local outreach and contact lists. For example, Hans‑Joachim Daigler is listed on the group’s Mercedes‑branded contact pages as a senior sales contact at the Neu‑Ulm operation; his profile and public network entries show long experience in Mercedes‑related sales and leadership — a practical demonstration of the sort of sector expertise Sterne Gruppe brings into its sites. We present this appreciatively, as public profiles indicate his long Mercedes background.
Visitors to any Sterne Gruppe location can therefore expect to meet sales and service teams with substantial Mercedes experience, a visible apprenticeship culture and a company that positions itself as a stable regional employer. The group’s site listings and local press coverage make clear where that presence is strongest: across a roughly 10,000 km² market area from Donauwörth and Augsburg down to the Allgäu and Ulm/Neu‑Ulm.
If you’re hiring, seeking training places for young professionals, or simply want a local Mercedes‑brand partner with a regional reach, the Sterne Gruppe presents a clear, verifiable profile: owner‑managed, family‑rooted and investing in its future workforce. We warmly invite readers to visit a Sterne Gruppe location or to contact the group directly to learn about apprenticeships, job openings and service offers — the company lists its branches and contact points on its website and dedicated Mercedes pages.
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Sources: AUTOHAUS, Sterne‑Gruppe.de, Abel+Ruf, Augsburger Allgemeine, mercedes‑benz‑sternegruppe.de
