2025

Strong partners for a strong future
With a new shareholder structure and Partner Tech Europe on board, the ANKER Group is setting the course for long-term growth and technological development. The entrepreneurial shareholder consortium not only brings stability, but also targeted expertise and international market access to the group of companies. Together with Partner Tech Europe, the cooperation in the areas of product development, production and sales will be strategically expanded - for even more innovative strength at the point of sale. ANKER will remain an independently managed company with a clear focus on customer-oriented solutions.

2022

After the Bielefeld-based ANKER Group has already positioned itself as an integrated provider of modern checkout and self-service systems for small retailers and large stores with the acquisition of PORESY Consulting GmbH and its own checkout software LocaFox, 2023 will be marked by a realignment: a single name, two divisions and the launch of an innovative software solution for the digitalization of all store processes.

2021

All good things come in threes: With the acquisition of PORESY, an implementation and service provider for POS systems, the ANKER Group is expanding its offering to include software development, customizing, implementation and long-term support for POS systems, including 24/7, first-, second- and third-level support.

2020

ANKER acquires the Berlin-based software company LocaFox GmbH. The cloud-based software solutions are primarily aimed at individual companies to small and medium-sized enterprises in the retail sector. This means that ANKER is returning to its roots as an integrated POS system provider for hardware and software.

2019

The management of ANKER takes over Anker Kassensysteme GmbH in a management buy-out together with Halder Beteiligungsberatung GmbH. Dr. Fabian Schühle, Managing Director, and Maik-Oliver Winzker, Operations Manager, are now co-partners. ANKER as a start-up company with 140 years of tradition has successfully re-established itself on the market 4 years after its re-founding and is now the market leader in German-speaking food retailing.

2015

With the help of German private investors, ANKER is spun off from the Oracle Group in 2015. The "ANKER Kassensysteme GmbH" is again an independent manufacturer of components for the point of sale.

2007

In 2007, the entire group is taken over by the financial investor Cerberus Capital Management through the newly founded Torex Retail Holdings Limited. In mid-2012, the company is taken over again, this time by Micros Systems, which in turn is acquired by Oracle in the summer of 2014.

1995

In 1995, the ADS ANKER group was sold to the European Acquisition Company (EAC).

1976

In 1976, the year of the company's 100th anniversary, the board of ANKER filed for bankruptcy. ANKER had failed to make the transition to electronic cash register systems. In the same year, the company's estate is bought by Kurt Vorlop. He continues the customer service and support, ADS-ANKER is founded.

1965

In 1965/1966, the company was renamed "ADS - ANKER-Data-Systeme". The new name reflects the beginning of the electronic age.

1950

In the 1950s, the economic miracle begins for ANKER, a new production program, the introduction of the employee magazine "Die Ankerkette", and the purchase of the "Anker-Burg".

1915

In 1915, the company is renamed "Anker-Werke AG". Sales from registration machines grow to 50% of total revenues and exceed the sales of the other business units for the first time.

1901

In 1901, Otto Kramer becomes commercial director and only a few months later sole director. The sewing machine and bicycle manufacturing booms and the company expands.

1895

In 1895, the company was converted into a public limited company: "Bielefelder Nähmaschinen und Fahrradfabrik AG vorm. Hengstenberg & Co."

1894

In 1894, bicycles were added to production as sales faltered. The company was now called "Bielefelder Nähmaschinen und Fahrradfabrik Hengstenberg & Co. In the same year, the brand name ANKER appeared for the first time on the sewing machine "Anker-Westfalia I".

1876

Founded in 1876 by Carl Schmidt as "Bielefelder Nähmaschinen Fabrik Carl Schmidt", with 70 workers and a 16 hp steam engine.

ANKER

History

Over 140 years in Bielefeld and the world