The London-based market research company Kantar has assessed the German brand landscape. The study “Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable German Brands 2026” shows that strong brands can grow even in a difficult economic environment. Despite the weak economy, the brand value of the 50 most valuable German brands increased by a total of 13 percent to around 571 billion US dollars (around 480 billion euros) in 2026. German brands stand for trust, quality and responsibility, according to the study, and strengthen Germany’s role as a reliable partner. They meet customer needs in the long term, but must continue to keep pace with the increasing pace of change.
The German brand with the highest brand value according to Kantar is Telekom / T-Mobile with a brand value of 124.6 billion US dollars (around 104.6 billion euros), followed by SAP and Siemens. Adidas is the first clothing company in the ranking at 11th place, followed by Birkenstock (27th place), Zalando (31st place), Otto (34th place), Hugo Boss (45th place) and Puma (48th place).
Overall, there is a mixed picture in the fashion industry. The most important brands include Adidas with a brand value of 16.3 billion US dollars (around 13.7 billion euros), Birkenstock with 2.6 billion US dollars (around 2.2 billion euros), Hugo Boss with 1.2 billion US dollars (around 1.0 billion euros) and Puma with 1.1 billion US dollars (around 0.9 billion euros). While Hugo Boss is growing by five percent, other brands are losing significant value, such as Adidas by 22 percent and Puma by 38 percent.
There is also movement in the fashion retail sector. Platforms and retailers such as Zalando (2.1 billion US dollars, around 1.8 billion euros) and Otto (also 2.1 billion US dollars, around 1.8 billion euros) continue to be among the relevant brands in the German retail segment, even if Zalando has recently lost 17 percent in brand value and Otto has gained 19 percent. The fashion retail sector in particular is struggling under a clouded consumer mood and is facing increasingly tough competition from fast fashion suppliers from the Far East, according to the study. It also shows that brand strength and differentiation are crucial to asserting oneself in an increasingly competitive market and in the face of various crises. Brands with high trust and sustainability scores also benefit with up to three times higher brand values.
According to Kantar, the analysis is based on 4.5 million consumer interviews, more than 5.5 billion data points and key financial figures from companies in 54 markets.