Brief profile
In the year 2017 ALTERNATE celebrated its 25th anniversary and proudly looks back on a true success story.
Starting as a one-man business in 1992, ALTERNATE quickly made a name for itself in the IT trade with a constantly growing and highly motivated team, creativity and the willingness to take risks. Due to a keen sense for new trends and the courage for being one of the first suppliers to sell products in an online shop via the Internet in 1997, the company grew quickly and was a trailblazer for a completely new sales channel.
The product range, which has been growing steadily over the years, is now comprised of more than 75,000 products; the core range of classic IT products has been broadened in several stages to include consumer and household electronics, tools, garden and toys. ALTERNATE distributes its products to both private and business customers via three local shops and the TÜV-approved webshops in Germany and other European countries. The 35,000 m² of available storage space and an state-of-the-art logistics system ensure that goods are readily available and customers can be supplied quickly. More than 800 employees take care of the orders, wishes, enquiries and problems of the customers daily and stand for high service quality and excellent customer satisfaction.
The result: ALTERNATE has been repeatedly awarded as test winner by various magazines and also by consumers over the years and is one of the top 10 e-commerce companies in Germany today.
Apart from economic interests, ALTERNATE also invests in apprenticeships, environmental protection and sustainability, and takes on a pioneering role here as well. By introducing CO2 neutral shipping and as an EMAS-certified company, ALTERNATE proves its awareness of the environment and the responsible use of resources.
Through high training standards, close integration into work processes and practical, independent project work ALTERNATE has been preparing young people for their professional future for 20 years. More than 70 young people are being trained in commercial, technical and logistics professions at the same time. ALTERNATE offers comprehensive apprenticeship training within a future-oriented company in a modern branch of industry, an ideal start to a professional working life. If performance is good, there is no obstacle to employment with internal promotion opportunities. Former apprentices have already repeatedly occupied management positions in the past!
Areas of expertise
Shop online at ALTERNATE - this is internet shopping at its best with many extras. ALTERNATE is one of the most frequent award-winners of all IT and entertainment electronics retailers. We are glad to be able to tell you why.Dates & facts Are you interested in how many packages ALTERNATE dispatches a day? Which jobs we train people in? How much solar energy our photovoltaic installations produce? You can find an overview of facts worth knowing here.Alternate Company Equivalent
Occasionally, when two creators are striving to fill the same niche or appeal to the same demographic, one will end up creating characters and stories that bear a more-than-passing resemblance to the other's.Marvel Comics' Galactic Conqueror and DC Comics' Galactic Conqueror.
For instance, Marvel and DC, being the most prominent producers of superhero comics, have led a sizable rivalry, sometimes friendly, sometimes not. This is sometimes reflected in the creation of characters. You could argue that, given the sheer number of characters in comic books, certain superpowers will overlap. Occasionally a new character, even one who appears for a short time, seems suspiciously similar to another.
Usually, this is done as overt parody or homage. If not, it can be seen as one ripping off the other; however, occasionally it happens by pure coincidence, and the characters become fondly remembered equivalents. When the rival creators both fully embrace this trope, it may be hard to sort out the original characters from the Captain Ersatzes.
See also Expy, when a character is unambiguously based on another character but not supposed to be that very same character. When this happens to TV shows, video games or movies, you have Dueling Shows, Dueling Games and Dueling Movies, or a case of Follow the Leader.
'Entrepreneurship with a clear conscience'
As a trading company, ALTERNATE pays special attention to the balance between all areas of activity. For us, the compatibility of economic efficiency, resource conservation, assumption of responsibility, employee satisfaction, as well as customer and supplier needs do not conflict.
economy
As part of the German middle class, ALTERNATE takes its responsibility seriously. Cost awareness, reliability and consistency drive the company. We are open to changes and opportunities and we develop more and more. We are particularly proud of continued and responsible growth with our own resources.
Customer and supplier
Our customers are the mirror of the company's success. Treating our suppliers fairly and honestly is the basis. ALTERNATE is characterized by reliability and durability. Our clients' regular prizes reward our actions. We are honest and incorruptible in our opinion and our actions.
Employee
Our employees make a fundamental contribution to the company's success. By taking targeted action, we want to consciously increase satisfaction. Sustainable training, compatibility between family and career, work-life balance, health offers, team building measures and equal opportunities are just a few examples. ALTERNATE also has responsibilities outside of daily business.
environment
In our day-to-day business, we pay special attention to ecological sustainability. We actively contribute to the protection of the climate and the environment. Renewable energies are used whenever possible. We use resources consciously and purposefully. ALTERNATE looks particularly at logistical processes for specific industries. They are optimized in terms of sustainability.
Social and Responsibility
ALTERNATE assumes regional, national and international responsibility. We support a wide variety of projects side by side with our employees. The private non-profit foundation ALTERNAID mainly supports international funding projects.