LR Opens an IT Hub in Athens

LR Health & Beauty, the digital social selling company for high-quality health and beauty products with its head office in Ahlen/Westphalia, is expanding its IT landscape with a new near-shore IT hub in Athens. In line with its business strategy, in the future LR aims to develop and operate most of its own business applications internally. “Our business model places such specific demands on a software solution that there is no alternative to an in-house development”, emphasises Axel Koß, Vice President for Information Technology at LR. The company will therefore develop customised solutions for the sales partner segment itself, thereby strengthening its ability to create high-quality in-house IT services. The employees of the information technology and sales division based in Ahlen will work hand in hand with their new colleagues in Greece.

Key factors in the decision to choose Athens as the new location include the dynamic IT infrastructure and the rich talent pool. This strategic expansion will enable the company to further advance the digitalisation of its business processes and adapt them even further to the needs of the LR sales partners.

“The kick-off will take place in autumn 2024 with the start of the recruitment for the first IT colleagues in the areas of software development, UX, and solution design for the LR site in Athens”, says Koß. A transition phase is planned as part of the set-up. The LR business applications currently administered and developed by external service providers will be successively handed over to the in-house employees of the hub. The opening of the new centre of excellence is planned for the beginning of 2025. The IT hub will then be expanded further by the end of 2026 in close cooperation with the Greek organisation. By this time, a double-digit number of new employees will be working in the IT hub in Athens.

“We are convinced that this strategic expansion to Athens, one of the most promising IT markets in Europe, will further advance our vision of a future-oriented IT landscape”, says Dr Andreas Laabs, CEO of the LR Group. “The 'IT hub' project offers us decisive advantages. On the one hand, LR is bringing IT expertise in-house that was previously supplied by external service providers and, on the other hand, we are reducing our dependence on these strategically important resources for our company”.

LR Group

Following the motto "More quality for your life" the LR Group with headquarters in Ahlen/Westphalia successfully produces and markets various high-quality nutritional supplements and cosmetic products in 32 countries. As an attractive social commerce company, LR supports the personal exchange in its community with efficient, digital solutions. The holistic tool "LR neo" offers the international partnership all business-relevant key figures and information for their LR business in one dashboard.

LR has been firmly established on the market since 1985 as a "people business" company that focuses on people and personal advice. In times of changing working environments, the business model particularly appeals to those who are looking for more flexibility, a better work-life balance and greater financial independence.

The processing of Aloe Vera has been one of the core competencies of LR for more than 20 years. Only the valuable inside of the leaf is used for the products. In Ahlen, the company has established one of the most modern Aloe Vera production sites for Aloe Vera Drinking Gels in Europe.

In autumn 2009, LR founded the LR Global Kids Fund e.V., which supports deprived children and their families in many countries around the world efficiently and unbureaucratically in cooperation with local institutions. For further information on our commitment to sustainability, please read our sustainability report.

LR currently has around 1,200 employees and hundreds of thousands of registered community members.

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