What KATAG does

KATAG AG is a privately held German fashion service provider headquartered in Bielefeld, founded in 1923 and family-controlled by the Terberger lineage since 1937. The company operates a two-sided B2B platform that connects more than 800 brand suppliers with over 350 trading partners operating approximately 1,800 retail locations across Germany and Europe, generating platform turnover exceeding €1.6 billion. Its core offering centers on proprietary and licensed fashion brands (BASEFIELD, STACCATO, COMMANDER, CLARINA, IN LINEA, JETTE by STACCATO, MARC O'POLO JUNIOR, THE MERCER N.Y., LIVING DREAMS, and others) distributed through the KMK central purchasing organization, combined with Zentralregulierung — a centralized billing, payment, and document archiving service accessed via the ZR-Online Archive and EDI integration.

The technology stack is built around the KATAG Data Warehouse and MicroStrategy-based BI tooling that enables assortment benchmarking, KPI tracking, and market analysis across the partner network, supplemented by digital ordering integrations with Fashion Cloud, Quintet24, and contentKAUFHAUS, plus a dedicated iOS/Android app. Modular add-on services include KATAGprofession (corporate/workwear), KATAG Sustainability Index (B2B ESG transparency launched 2023), insurance brokerage, logistics (15,000 sqm facility), consulting and academy services, and a HILTES International Partners joint venture providing trade software. Revenue is generated through brand sales to trading partners, transaction-based fees on centralized clearing, professional services fees (insurance, sustainability consulting), and managed services for logistics and procurement — all under quote-based, multi-year B2B contracts.

The business is operated as a German stock corporation (AG) with approximately 240 employees at Bielefeld headquarters, three regional showrooms (Bielefeld, Munich, Hofheim), and a company-owned outlet store. The company holds GOTS certification (since 2017), amfori BSCI membership (since 2013), and amfori BEPI participation (since 2023), and is led by CEO Dr. Daniel Terberger with Knut Brokelmann and Henning Gerbaulet on the Executive Board and Ingrid Hertsch chairing the Supervisory Board. No external venture capital, private equity, or institutional investor ownership has been disclosed.

Name

KATAG

Legal name

KATAG AG

Website

https://katag.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KATAG AG is a family-owned German fashion service provider, founded 1923 in Bielefeld, operating a B2B platform connecting 800+ brand suppliers with 350+ trading partners and 1,800+ retail locations, generating over €1.6 billion in annual turnover through centralized clearing, proprietary brands, and modular retail services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion Wholesale Distribution and B2B Apparel Services

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Apparel Sourcing, Buying Houses & Trading Companies (CRAAAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workwear, Uniforms & Corporate Apparel Wholesale (CRAOADAF)

Keywords

• Fashion wholesale distribution
• Centralized payment regulation
• Private label apparel brands
• Corporate workwear services
• B2B fashion platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bielefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Brand Sales: Sale of proprietary fashion brands including BASEFIELD, STACCATO, COMMANDER, CLARINA, IN LINEA, and JETTE to trading partners and retailers
2. Centralized Billing Services: Financial services including centralized billing, payment processing, and invoice management for trading partners. Revenue generated through transaction fees and processing charges.
3. Insurance Brokerage: Insurance products and brokerage services offered to trading partners and fashion industry clients
4. Logistics and Procurement Services: Centralized procurement, logistics coordination, and supply chain management services for trading partners
5. Sustainability Consulting: Consulting services for sustainability compliance including GOTS certification support and amfori BEPI environmental management

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KATAG AG operates a B2B fashion service platform serving more than 350 fashion retail trading partners across 1,800+ retail locations in Germany and Europe. The company develops and distributes proprietary and licensed fashion brands (BASEFIELD, STACCATO, COMMANDER, CLARINA, IN LINEA, JETTE by STACCATO, (THE MERCER) N.Y., MARC O'POLO JUNIOR, ZAB Company, LIVING DREAMS, ATTENTION) and provides centralized payment/settlement (Zentralregulierung), KMK central purchasing, KATAGprofession corporate/occupational clothing, KATAG Sustainability Index, Clearing Center, Insurance Service, Logistics, Consulting, and Academy services. Annual turnover exceeds €1.6 billion across the trading partner network.

Product overview

KATAG AG operates as a fashion services company combining proprietary fashion brands with a comprehensive B2B service platform. The core offering includes 14 private label and licensed fashion brands (BASEFIELD, STACCATO, (THE MERCER) N.Y., COMMANDER, CLARINA, IN LINEA, JETTE by STACCATO, MARC O'POLO JUNIOR, ZAB Company, LIVING DREAMS, ATTENTION) spanning women's, men's, children's, and home textiles categories. The service platform centers on Zentralregulierung (centralized payment processing) and the KATAG Brand Office (KMK) for partner coordination, supplemented by modular add-on services including KATAGprofession (corporate fashion), KATAG Sustainability Index, Clearing Center, Insurance Service, Logistics, Sortimentsvergleich (assortment benchmarking), Consulting, Academy, and the KATAG App. The company also operates a physical Fashion Outlet. Digital platforms including Fashion Cloud, contentKAUFHAUS, and MicroStrategy-based analytics enable partner collaboration and data-driven decision making.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• STACCATO: Women's, men's, and children's fashion brand under KATAG AG portfolio
• BASEFIELD
• (THE MERCER) N.Y.
• COMMANDER Finest Clothing
• COMMANDER flag
• CLARINA
• IN LINEA
• JETTE by STACCATO
• MARC O'POLO JUNIOR
• TFP
• ZAB Company
• LD (Living Dreams)
• Attention
• KATAGprofession
• KATAG Sustainability Index (SUSI)
• KATAG Brand Office (KMK)

Products and services

• Zentralregulierung (Central Regulation) Digital centralized payment processing and settlement system between industry and trade. Includes ZR-Online electronic archive for trading documents, invoices, and account statements; minimizes payment risk and optimizes billing for trading partners and brand suppliers.
• KATAG Brand Office (KMK) Central interface connecting trade and industry partners, facilitating partnerships, sales support, market analyses, customer surveys, and seasonal workshops between 800+ brand suppliers and 350+ trading partners across 1,800+ retail locations.
• KATAGprofession Corporate fashion service providing customized business and occupational clothing for national and international enterprises, including CI design, production, online shops, and workwear delivery.
• KATAG Sustainability Index (SUSI) B2B transparency solution providing standardized sustainability data for fashion brands, including standards, certificates, audits, and initiatives for participating retailers and brand suppliers.
• KATAG Clearing Center Joint venture trade software service providing inventory management, point of sale, CRM, mobile solutions, and EDI clearing with shared master data for fashion retail trading partners.
• KATAG Insurance Service Insurance broker service specializing in risk protection for trade, manufacturing, and service companies, including risk analysis, coverage concepts, contract support, and claims processing.
• KATAG Logistics Centralized logistics center in Bielefeld (approximately 15,000 sqm) providing product distribution including worldwide transportation, import/customs clearance, picking, consolidation, just-in-time shipping, and freight settlement.
• Sortimentsvergleich (Assortment Comparison) Benchmark system based on KATAG Data Warehouse enabling partners to compare their own performance against market figures via table-based comparisons and dashboards.
• KATAG Consulting Strategic and organizational development consulting including sustainability consulting, interim management, succession planning, experience exchange, planning, and Academy training services.
• KATAG App Mobile application available on iOS and Android providing access to trend topics, product offers, marketing materials, events, order dates, digitalization services, insurance info, Academy content, Data Warehouse access, and partner contact directory for trading partners.
• (THE MERCER) N.Y. Premium cashmere line positioned in the high-end fashion market segment, launched in 2012.
• BASEFIELD Private label fashion brand for men and women with vertical brand concepts, including BASEFIELD MEN and WOMAN lines, sold to trading partners and retailers.
• STACCATO Women's fashion brand offering contemporary styles across multiple product categories, including JETTE by STACCATO licensed line.
• MARC O'POLO JUNIOR Children's fashion brand under licensing agreement, offering sustainable and contemporary children's apparel.
• JETTE by STACCATO Licensed women's fashion brand in collaboration with JETTE JOOP, including KIKO line extension, offering contemporary women's fashion.
• KATAG Fashion Outlet Physical outlet store located on KATAG AG premises in Bielefeld offering all KATAG brands at reduced prices for end consumers, open Tuesday to Friday 10:00-14:00.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over €1.6 billion annual turnover generated through trading partner network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• amfori BEPIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023KATAG joined amfori Environmental Performance in Trade initiative in 2023 to support environmental management and sustainability performance for trading partners.
• amfori BSCIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013KATAG has been a member of amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative since 2013, enabling the company to support trading partners with social compliance standards in their supply chains.
• Fashion CloudcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital ordering platform partner enabling trading partners to access and order fashion brands through the Fashion Cloud platform.
• Quintet24coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline ordering platform partner for fashion retail procurement, providing digital procurement capabilities to trading partners.
• contentKAUFHAUSminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital content distribution partner for fashion brand content and catalog distribution.
• KMK (KATAG Marketing und Kontor GmbH)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCentral purchasing organization operated by KATAG, connecting 800+ brand suppliers with 350+ trading partners across 1,800+ retail locations.
• GOTS Certification BodycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Organic Textile Standard certification partner for sustainable textile production verification.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• ANWR Group: ANWR is a German buying and service cooperative for footwear and fashion retail with a similar central purchasing, financial services, and brand distribution model serving independent retailers. It is one of the closest direct analogues to KATAG's KMK platform and Zentralregulierung concept in the DACH region.
• Klingel Group: Klingel is a German fashion service and retail group operating apparel brands and a multi-channel distribution platform for independent retail partners. Like KATAG, it combines proprietary brands, B2B services, and centralized fulfillment for fashion retail customers.
• Westmark Group: Westmark is a German fashion buying and brand group serving independent retailers with brand portfolios, sourcing, and central services. It mirrors KATAG's model of combining private label apparel development with retail partner distribution in the German market.
• JOOR: JOOR is a global B2B wholesale marketplace connecting fashion brands and retailers for digital ordering, assortment planning, and analytics. It is a direct digital analogue to KATAG's KMK and Fashion Cloud integrations, representing the platform-driven future of the buying-house function.
• NuOrder (Lightspeed): NuOrder is a B2B digital ordering and assortment platform for fashion brands and retailers, now part of Lightspeed. It competes in the same digital wholesale space as KATAG's B2B portal and Quintet24 integration, offering virtual showrooms and data-driven ordering.
• Hagemann Group (Bernhard Hagemann): Hagemann is a German fashion buying and service group serving independent retail with brand portfolios, sourcing, and operational services. It is a close functional peer to KATAG in the DACH textile buying-house market.
• Transcotex: Transcotex is a German fashion buying and brand agency connecting international apparel suppliers with European retail partners. It operates in the same trade intermediary niche as KATAG's KMK, providing sourcing and distribution services.

Broad incumbents

• Deichmann Group: Deichmann is a European footwear retail incumbent with significant vertical brand portfolios and centralized buying power. While broader in scope and retail-led, it overlaps with KATAG in private label brand development, multi-brand assortment, and centralized European distribution.
• Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof (HBC Europe): Galeria is a major German department store chain and historical customer/channel for KATAG's trading partner network. While a customer rather than direct competitor, its repeated insolvencies and store closures illustrate the structural pressure on KATAG's downstream retail base.

Emerging players

• Brandify / Brandful: Brandify is an emerging B2B platform for fashion brand-to-retailer distribution and digital ordering. As a smaller digital native, it represents the type of platform-native competitor that could erode KATAG's traditional KMK value proposition over time.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/katagfashionag
• Instagraminstagram.com/katag_fashion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/katag-ag

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 KATAG