
Owning a piece of Bremen’s vibrant economy is perfectly achievable – thanks to shares! We have taken a closer look to find out which companies from Bremen are traded on the stock markets.
But first, a little clarification: Not all German public limited companies (‘Aktiengesellschaft’ or ‘AG’) are listed on a stock exchange. In fact, most of them are not. First and foremost, an AG is one of a range of legal forms a business can choose – other options include the private limited company (‘GmbH’) and a partnership under the German Civil Code (‘GbR’). The AG belongs to the category of companies limited by shares (‘Kapitalgesellschaft’). Natural or legal persons inject capital (money) into the company and the company can use this capital to operate. In return for their funding, the capital contributors receive shares – certificates proving that they own a stake in the company.
If a company wants its shares to be traded publicly, it can become listed on a stock exchange and make an initial public offering (IPO). As part of an IPO, the company or its shareholders sell some of the company shares to interested investors and thereby raise fresh capital. From this point onwards, these shares can be traded freely.
When a company becomes exchange-listed, it may also be included in one or more share indices, which are lists of stocks used for analytical purposes. The best-known share index in Germany is the DAX, which includes 30 top-tier stocks ranging from A for Adidas to W for Wirecard.
At present, almost 500 companies in Germany are listed on an exchange and therefore publicly tradeable. This number changes constantly because new companies enter the market with an IPO, like JDE Peets – a coffee company with roots in Bremen – did in May 2020, while others disappear from the stock market as a result of mergers, insolvencies or other events.
A number of companies from Bremen are listed on stock exchanges and we would like to take this opportunity to present them to you: