Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG

What Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG does

Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG is a German building-services wholesale partner house (Fachgroßhändler) operating within the GC-GRUPPE federation of 100+ personally managed wholesale houses. Founded in 1921 and headquartered in Stuhr (Bremen metropolitan area), the company sells sanitary, heating, air conditioning, electrical, roofing, and civil-engineering products exclusively to registered trade craftspeople (Fachhandwerker) under the German three-tier distribution model. Its regional footprint includes branch partner houses in Stade, Osnabrück, and Emden, ELEMENTS bathroom showrooms in Bremen, Oldenburg, Walsrode, Lingen, Bremerhaven, Buxtehude, and Buchholz, plus ABEX pickup warehouses in Achim and Delmenhorst.

The company operates on a shared digital-and-logical platform stack provided by GC-GRUPPE: GC ONLINE PLUS e-commerce (5 million articles), GC24-Express 24-hour delivery (100,000 articles), the 920-location ABEX pickup-warehouse network (9,000 articles each, including ABEX 24/7 QR-code self-service and the February 2025-launched ABEX Fast Lane scan-and-go), GC DigitalBox, GC FinanzBox financial services, and the GC-Förderdatenbank subsidy database. Complementary service lines include Montageservices (assembly/dismantling labor) and PV-Service (photovoltaic installation packages tied to Germany's energy-transition demand).

Revenue is generated primarily through account-based B2B transactional wholesale on monthly billing cycles, supplemented by logistics services (express delivery, pickup warehousing) and showroom-driven end-consumer demand that converts into trade-partner sales via ELEMENTS. Pricing is individually negotiated with no public list, and customers must register and be approved as professional tradespeople. As a privately held KG (Kommanditgesellschaft) under the strategic operating parent GC Großhandels Contor GmbH (managed by Thomas Werner, André Wedemeyer, and Uwe Niederprüm), Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG is one regional node in a network with 20,000+ highly specialized employees in Germany and 30,000+ worldwide.

Name

Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG

Legal name

Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG

Website

https://gc-gruppe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG is a German building-services wholesale partner house within the GC-GRUPPE network, selling sanitary, heating, air-conditioning, electrical, and roofing products exclusively to registered trade craftspeople across the Bremen metropolitan area and northern Germany via branch houses, ELEMENTS showrooms, and ABEX pickup warehouses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuhr

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Trade - Building Services Products: GC-GRUPPE generates revenue by selling plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, roofing, and civil engineering products to registered trade craftspeople (Fachhandwerker). The company operates through a three-tier distribution model (stufiger Vertriebsweg).
2. Logistics Services: Revenue generated from logistics services including GC24-Express (100,000 articles delivered within 24 hours), ABEX pickup warehouses, and delivery services to construction sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG is a regional partner house within the GC-GRUPPE wholesale network, distributing sanitary, heating, air conditioning, electrical, roofing, and civil engineering products to registered trade craftsmen (Fachhandwerker) in the Bremen metropolitan area. The company operates a three-tier distribution model supported by ABEX pickup warehouses, ELEMENTS bathroom showrooms, GC24-Express delivery, and digital platforms including GC ONLINE PLUS for trade professionals.

Product overview

Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG operates as a partner company of the GC-GRUPPE, one of Germany's largest wholesale networks for building services (SHK - Sanitär, Heizung, Klima) with over 920 locations. The company offers a comprehensive digital and logistics ecosystem centered on GC ONLINE PLUS as the core e-commerce platform for trade professionals, supplemented by the GC DigitalBox digital toolbox and GC FinanzBox financial services. Logistics capabilities include the ABEX network of over 920 pickup warehouses (including 24/7 and Fast Lane options), GC24-Express 24-hour delivery service, and full assembly services including a dedicated PV (photovoltaic) installation service. The ELEMENTS bathroom exhibition brand provides 270 showrooms for end-customer consultation. The company distributes brands from industry partners through its nationwide logistics network and personal advisors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ELEMENTS: Bathroom exhibition/showroom brand operated by GC-GRUPPE partner houses, offering bathroom planning services and product displays for end consumers.

Products and services

• GC ONLINE PLUS Online shop and information platform for trade professionals (Fachhandwerk), planners, architects, and tendering entities, providing access to over 5 million articles with 100,000 articles deliverable within 24 hours via GC24-Express. Supports electronic invoicing via SFTP.
• GC DigitalBox Digital toolbox containing intelligent tools and applications connected via interfaces for trade businesses, part of the 'Von App bis Zange' (from app to pliers) concept for digital and local support of trades businesses.
• GC FinanzBox Financial services package providing information on credit insurance, guarantee insurance, end-customer financing, business consulting, and credit checks for daily financial challenges in trades businesses.
• ABEX (Abhollager / Abhol-Express-Lager) Network of over 920 pickup warehouses across Germany providing craftsmen with up to 9,000 articles for daily needs, including ABEX 24/7 for round-the-clock self-service access via QR code and ABEX Fast Lane for scan-and-go shopping.
• ELEMENTS Bathroom Exhibitions 270 bathroom exhibitions across Germany offering competent consultation and tangible bathroom products for visitors planning new bathrooms or modernizing existing ones. Includes 3D bathroom planner and catalog services; sales are conducted only through trade partners.
• PV-Service (Photovoltaik-Service) Complete planning and assembly service for photovoltaic projects, including full assembly, AC partial assembly, and DC partial assembly packages covering consultation, installation, grid registration, and warranty services.
• GC24-Express Express delivery service enabling 100,000 articles to be delivered within 24 hours, supporting rapid fulfillment for trade professionals.
• Montageservices (Assembly Services) Assembly services provided to support customers with dismantling and mounting tasks, helping to compensate for limited assembly capacities and shortage of skilled workers in the trades.
• GC BIB (Digital Catalog Shelf / Katalogregal) Digital catalog shelf offering 20,000 documents and materials for reference by trade professionals, planners, and architects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 articles deliverable within 24 hours via GC24-Express
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GC Großhandels Contor GmbHcoreOthersGC Großhandels Contor GmbH (Altenwall 6, 28195 Bremen) is the managing entity of the GC-GRUPPE network. It is represented by CEOs Thomas Werner, André Wedemeyer, and Uwe Niederprüm. All partner houses operate under this unified group.
• 100+ Partner HousescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 100 personally managed building services wholesale partner houses form the GC-GRUPPE network. Each operates independently but shares the GC brand, digital platforms (GC ONLINE PLUS), logistics infrastructure (ABEX), and marketing (ELEMENTS). Examples include Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG, Wilhelm Gienger KG, Bucher KG, and others across Germany.
• Industry SupplierscoreOthersGC-GRUPPE carries products from industry partners including Samsung (for smart home/electronics), and various manufacturers of plumbing, heating, and air conditioning equipment. The company actively markets supplier brands through its logistics network and services.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Würth Group: World's largest direct-to-trade supplier of fastening, tool, and installation consumables to trades businesses. Overlaps with C&G Bremen on sales-led, embedded-account, three-tier distribution to German trades professionals and apprenticeship-driven talent pipeline.
• BayWa AG: German diversified group with a large building-materials wholesale arm serving trades, contractors and energy/heat customers. Comparable regional wholesale structure, renewable-energy and heating exposure, and three-tier sales model to trade customers.
• Rexel Deutschland GmbH: International electrical products distributor operating in Germany with branch networks, e-commerce platforms (e.g., Eplan activity), and trade-craft customer relationships. Compares on distribution model and digital procurement depth, though narrower in scope than C&G Bremen's SHK breadth.
• Sonepar Deutschland GmbH: Global market-leading electrical distribution group with substantial German operations. Comparable to C&G Bremen in B2B trade-craft sales motion, three-tier distribution structure and digital procurement platforms, but specialised in electrical rather than SHK products.
• Hilti Deutschland AG: Direct-to-trade supplier of tools, fastening systems and software for construction trades professionals. Compares to C&G Bremen on field-sales, account-management and digital service models for installation specialists, even though the product categories are complementary rather than overlapping.
• Saint-Gobain Distribution Deutschland: Distribution arm of Saint-Gobain in Germany operating multiple specialty trade brands (including Raab Karcher). Highly comparable on Fachhandwerk customer base, branch-network distribution and HVAC/building products portfolio served by C&G Bremen.

Direct peers

• Raab Karcher GmbH: German specialist distributor of building services and installation products for trades professionals, owned by Saint-Gobain Distribution. Operates the same Fachhandwerk customer focus, shared specialist expertise, and project-site logistics model as Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG.
• EUROBAUSTOFF Handelsgruppe: German buying group and wholesale network for building materials and trades supplies, with a regional Fachhandel member structure analogous to GC-GRUPPE partner houses. Overlaps directly with C&G Bremen on plumbing, heating, electrical and roofing product distribution to trade and construction customers.
• Syspo GmbH & Co. KG: German Fachgroßhandel group organised along the same three-tier SHK distribution model as GC-GRUPPE, serving heating, sanitary and plumbing trade customers. Directly comparable as a regional cooperative of SHK wholesalers competing for the same Fachhandwerk customers and project sites in Germany.

Regional players

• Carl Berberich GmbH: Long-established southern German Fachgroßhandel for sanitary, heating and installation products serving trades and contractors. Comparable SHK product mix and Fachhandwerk service model to C&G Bremen, but primarily competes in Baden-Württemberg rather than northern Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GCGRUPPE
• Facebookfacebook.com/gcgruppe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11188773
• Instagraminstagram.com/gc_gruppe
• TikToktiktok.com/@gc_gruppe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cordes & Graefe Bremen KG