arko GmbH

arko GmbH was founded in Wahlstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, in 1948 by Cuno Rothfos and his father, Hamburg coffee merchant Bernhard Rothfos. The company name was derived from Arbeitsgemeinschaft für den Vertrieb von Konsumgütern – roughly “working group for the distribution of consumer goods.” Initially, arko sold roasted coffee and other everyday foods before developing a network of shops, mobile sales operations and later specialist retail stores.

Over time, arko became best known for coffee, confectionery, chocolate, biscuits and tea, but its assortment also included wine and spirits, including products sold as arko own brands. Historical trade material specifically describes spirits as part of the arko range and notes that many such products were marketed as proprietary arko products.

The company remained headquartered in Wahlstedt while also maintaining business links and addresses in Hamburg. Commercial-register data list the company’s corporate purpose broadly as the manufacture and distribution of consumer goods of all kinds, although this does not by itself prove that arko operated its own distillery.

By the twenty-first century arko had developed into a large German specialist retailer with an extensive network of stores and depot outlets. After financial difficulties and insolvency proceedings, substantial parts of the arko retail business and the arko brand were acquired by Viba sweets GmbH in 2024. The economic transfer took effect on 1 May 2024, with Viba taking over a large part of the store network and continuing the arko brand.