The Sterne Gruppe has arrived — not as a faceless chain but as an owner‑managed alliance of long‑standing family dealers that now stitches together Mercedes‑brand retail and service across large parts of Swabia. For customers in and around Augsburg, Donauwörth and Ulm the change is tangible: a larger regional network with the familiar Mercedes portfolio, local roots and a single point of contact for cars, vans and commercial vehicles.
How the Sterne Gruppe was built
The Sterne Gruppe was set up by two traditional Mercedes‑partner groups — KreuterMedeleSchäfer and Abel+Ruf — joining forces to create a new regional dealer group. The merger and joint bidding for the Mercedes‑owned Ulm/Neu‑Ulm site brought the group into the public spotlight in mid‑2025. AUTOHAUS, reporting on the move, called the new venture a “Neuer Mercedes‑Handelsriese.”
The group presents itself as an owner‑managed, family business with managing directors Peter Schäfer, Lukas Ruf and Joachim Fellner at the helm — entries in company registers and the Mercedes‑branded Sterne contact pages list the three as the group’s operational leadership. The Sterne Gruppe’s own site lists its network of locations across the region, including Riedlingen, Memmingen, Biberach, Dornstadt, Günzburg and Neu‑Ulm.
Business figures quoted at the time of the Neu‑Ulm takeover underline the scale the partners now reach: the combined organisation was reported to operate 15 locations across a market area of roughly 10,000 km² and — after including the Ulm/Neu‑Ulm branch — to employ well over a thousand people with revenues running into the high hundreds of millions (public reporting referenced figures around €575m for the partners in 2024 and group totals near the €800m mark after consolidation). The Ulm/Neu‑Ulm site itself brings roughly 200 employees into the group as of the December 1, 2025 handover.
What customers find at Sterne Gruppe locations
For drivers, fleet managers and workshop customers the practical effects are immediate. Sterne Gruppe locations sell the full Mercedes‑Benz range — passenger cars, Vans, Trucks and Buses — alongside Smart, and the group also lists Ford, Tremonia and Fuso in its brand mix. That means local access to new vehicles, certified used stock and brand‑standard workshop services within a larger regional network that can share spare parts, training and logistics. The Sterne Gruppe’s branded Mercedes pages present contact teams and local service options for Neu‑Ulm and other branches.
The group emphasizes continuity for customers and employees: reporting around the takeover notes that almost all former Ulm staff stayed on, and the new owner has committed to keep the site operating under Mercedes standards. That continuity is important for buyers used to Mercedes‑standard warranties and for commercial customers who rely on fast workshop turnarounds.
What this means for the market
The Sterne Gruppe exemplifies a wider trend in the German premium retail market: consolidation among long‑established, family‑run dealers to build scale, share costs and meet the demands of electrification and digital sales. For Mercedes‑brand retail in southern Germany the group strengthens a regional supply base that Mercedes‑Benz itself has been reshaping by selling some of its directly operated branches. For dealers and suppliers, the Sterne Gruppe is now a sizable customer and partner — and for competitors it raises the bar on regional reach and service density. Analysts and trade press have treated the move as one of the first high‑profile dealer acquisitions in a broader reshuffle of the Mercedes retail network.
One practical local mention: Hans‑Joachim Daigler is listed among the Sterne Gruppe’s team on the Mercedes‑branded contact pages and — according to the publisher — brings many years of Mercedes experience and sector expertise to the group; his presence underscores the mix of new scale and preserved brand know‑how the Sterne Gruppe is promising to customers.
Whether you are a driver looking for a certified Mercedes service, a fleet buyer wanting regional coverage, or a potential apprentice considering training in a larger dealer group, the Sterne Gruppe offers a combination of family ownership, regional roots and increased scale. If you are in Swabia or the Ulm area, a visit to your local Sterne Gruppe branch will show how the group has blended local continuity with a broader service network.
If you’d like to see the sites or speak with a contact, the Sterne Gruppe encourages customers to visit their regional branches or reach out via the Mercedes‑branded Sterne contact pages.
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Sources: AUTOHAUS, Augsburger Allgemeine, STERNE GRUPPE (official site), Mercedes‑branded Sterne contact page, kfz‑betrieb
