Mémoire-projet

Abstract

Stûv, a Belgian SME specialised in the design and manufacturing of mid-premium wood and pellet stoves, generates 80% of its turnover through exports to over 500 distributors across twenty countries. Yet despite Germany being the world’s third-largest wood and pellet heating market, Stûv’s penetration there remains marginal: fewer than 30 units sold annually, against close to 8,000 worldwide. Past attempts have failed for documented reasons; insufficient strategic preparation, poor resource prioritisation, lack of local anchoring through solid partnerships, and incomplete product-regulatory adaptation. This master’s thesis-project therefore addresses a clear strategic question: how can Stûv build an effective market entry strategy in Germany to establish a stable presence, mobilise the right channels and durably grow sales in a demanding environment? The methodology combines a literature review on SME internationalisation (Uppsala, OLI, TCE, IMP, RBV), an external diagnostic of the German market (PESTEL, Porter, Hofstede), an internal audit of Stûv, and a qualitative field study based on semi-directive interviews with German dealers and industry stakeholders. The three sources are systematically triangulated. Findings show that Germany is attractive but exigent: the mid-premium segment represents around 46,000 units per year, yet access is filtered by specialised dealers, installers and Schornsteinfeger, for whom trust and continuity matter more than product quality alone. The main barrier proves to be internal, limited German-speaking resources, weak cross-functional alignment, and a 1.59% dealer activation rate in 2026. The recommended entry mode is structured direct exporting through a curated local-partner network, supported by a dedicated in-house commercial presence. Deployment follows three sequenced phases ; exploration, structuration, acceleration, focused first on Western Germany and on reactivating dormant dealers. Beyond a commercial objective, Germany represents a genuine test of Stûv’s organisational maturity.