Simplex

What Simplex does

Simplex AG Bern is a privately held Swiss distributor, importer, and brand operator specializing in office, school, and lifestyle products. Founded in 1875 as Müller & Cie in Erlach am Bielersee and headquartered in Zollikofen since 1958, the company is currently led by the seventh generation of the Müller and Mühlemann families. Its core activity is wholesale distribution of branded products through specialist stationery retailers, gift boutiques, department stores, garden centers, hospitals, care homes, wholesalers, and online platforms across Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The company operates a multi-brand portfolio spanning 14 owned, acquired, and exclusively distributed brands, including Avery Zweckform/Z-Design (labels and office supplies, exclusive since 1985), NITRO Bags (lifestyle and school backpacks, exclusive since 2013), FUNKI (preschool bags, owned since 2011), Rabauz (modular school backpack system, launched 2025), Transicom, Natur Verlag, artbula, Carta Jordi, Rössler, Gutsch Verlag, Rachel Ellen, Colourbook, and Simplex Classic. The product catalog covers over 10,000 SKUs, including Switzerland's largest agenda/planner selection (200+ items). Beyond product distribution, Simplex runs in-house merchandising and rack-jobbing field services delivering shelf setup, restocking, and POS optimization directly to retail locations, and operates a B2B dealer e-commerce shop at simplex-shop.ch.

Revenue is generated through product wholesale/import (one-time purchases of branded goods) and professional services (merchandising and rack jobbing). Pricing is structured around a CHF 100 minimum order (CHF 20 surcharge below), CHF 12 domestic shipping fee for orders under CHF 400, 30-day net payment terms, and 5% default interest on late payment. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, FSC, IQNet, and 100% renewable electricity certifications. Operations are national (Switzerland and Liechtenstein), with no disclosed revenue, external funding, or AI/technology platform.

Name

Simplex

Legal name

Simplex AG Bern

Website

https://simplex.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1875

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Simplex AG Bern is a 150-year-old Swiss family-owned distributor and importer of office, school, and lifestyle products, serving approximately 1,000 B2B customers across Switzerland through a portfolio of owned and exclusively distributed brands, complemented by in-house merchandising and rack-jobbing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zollikofen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Wholesale/Import): Simplex AG Bern generates the majority of its revenue through the import and wholesale distribution of branded office, school, and lifestyle products. The company holds exclusive distribution rights for brands such as Avery Zweckform and NITRO Bags in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and sells its own proprietary brands (FUNKI, Rabauz, Simplex Classic, Transicom, artbula, Carta Jordi). Products span labels, planners/agendas, school backpacks, greeting cards, and lifestyle accessories. The company maintains its own warehouse and works with logistics partners.
2. Merchandising & Rack Jobbing Services: Simplex offers merchandising and rack jobbing services to retail clients, both internally for their own brands and to external customers. Services include in-store product presentation, restocking, shelf maintenance, returns handling, and point-of-sale optimization. This is a professional services revenue stream delivered by regional field teams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Simplex AG Bern is a Swiss importer, distributor, and wholesaler of branded office, school, and lifestyle products operating through both owned brands (FUNKI, Rabauz, Simplex Classic, Transicom, Natur Verlag, artbula) and exclusive distribution rights for international brands (Avery Zweckform, NITRO Bags, Rössler, Colourbook, Carta Jordi, Rachel Ellen, Gutsch Verlag). The company supplies over 10,000 SKUs across agendas/planners, labels, greeting cards, bags/backpacks, and stationery to specialist retailers, department stores, gift boutiques, and wholesalers across Switzerland, complemented by in-house merchandising and rack jobbing services at retail point-of-sale.

Product overview

Simplex AG Bern is a traditional office/school/lifestyle supplier operating as an importer, manufacturer, and retailer. The company offers a multi-brand portfolio spanning 13 product brands and 2 service offerings. The core product categories include: (1) Agendas & Planners with Switzerland's largest selection (200+ items, including own Simplex, RIDO IDE, and CHRONOPLAN); (2) Greeting Cards & Stationery through multiple acquired/distributed brands including artbula, Transicom, Natur Verlag, Rachel Ellen, Gutsch Verlag, Carta Jordi, and Colourbook; (3) Labels & Office Supplies via Avery Zweckform & Z-Design; (4) Bags & Backpacks including owned FUNKI (preschool) and Rabauz (modular school system), plus distributed NITRO Bags; (5) Classic Office Products under Simplex Classic. Services include Merchandising and Rackjobbing for retail partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FUNKI: Brand for preschool bags and accessories, developed and designed in-house at Zollikofen since 2011.
• NITRO Bags
• artbula
• Avery Zweckform
• Z-Design
• Carta Jordi
• Colourbook
• Natur Verlag
• Rabauz
• Rachel Ellen
• Rössler
• Transicom
• Simplex Classic Produkte
• Gutsch Verlag

Products and services

• Agenden & Zeitplaner Switzerland's largest selection of agendas and planners with over 200 varieties, including school agendas, personal planners, and business agendas in various sizes and layouts. Includes in-house production Simplex, as well as RIDO IDE and CHRONOPLAN brands. Targeted at retailers and institutional buyers.
• artbula High-quality photo greeting cards featuring nature photography by Ueli Bula, distributed to gift boutiques and stationery retailers in Switzerland.
• Avery Zweckform & Z-Design Leading label manufacturer offering over 2,000 articles including universal paper labels, specialty labels for harsh conditions, stickers, papers, foils, cards, folders, covers, and registers. Z-Design adds colorful sticker world with nostalgic, glitter, 3D-structured, and embossed designs. Distributed exclusively in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
• Carta Jordi Card assortment featuring 'Art of Nature' collection of high-quality photo art postcards and double cards. Distributed to Swiss gift boutiques and stationery retailers.
• Colourbook Colorful, fun, and original lifestyle collection from Naples, Italy, featuring colorful pens, fun erasers, and quality thermoses for the Swiss retail market.
• FUNKI Own-brand preschool bags and backpacks offering a large selection of bags for preschool and leisure, including Raumwunder backpack, gym bags, and kindergarten bags with colorful designs for children.
• Gutsch Verlag Berlin-based family card publisher since 1984, offering over 20 series of greeting cards, postcards, and stationery including Papelino, FUNKI Cards, Viva Natura, Midoro, Happy Notes, Kultura, and condolence cards.
• Natur Verlag Sustainable greeting cards focused on graphic designs made from FSC-certified paper, grass paper (40% grass content), and 60% recycled paper with plant-based inks.
• NITRO Bags Performance bags and backpacks for action, leisure, and school. Originally from the snowboard industry, now offering backpacks for school, commute, and mountains. Distributed exclusively in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
• Rabauz Smart modular school backpack system developed for Swiss Curriculum 21 (Lehrplan 21). Features growable Basic module with height-adjustable back system, ClassMaster for classroom, and Explorer for outdoor activities. Sustainable, durable, with reflective safety elements.
• Rachel Ellen Designs Established British brand known for cheerful, modern imagery with high recognition value, featuring clear shapes, vibrant colors, and loving details across greeting cards for birthdays, invitations, and spontaneous gestures.
• Rössler German paper products manufacturer since 1937, offering handcrafted products where silk bows are hand-tied and paper portfolios are hand-covered, including organization solutions, storage products, photo albums, and notebooks.
• Simplex Classic Produkte Classic office products including 'Oneco' carbon copy blocks, 'Platfix' writing plates, and 'Simfacture' payment slips, plus new 'Simfacture Swiss QR' invoice forms with Swiss QR Code for simplified payment processes.
• Transicom High-quality greeting cards brand offering designs for occasions including Anniversaire, Birthday, Wedding, and more. Collections designed and created internally, prioritizing card beauty, quality, and elegance.
• Merchandising Service Regional merchandising team providing point-of-sale services including shelf maintenance, order proposal capture via form or iPad, and returns management for retail clients including Papedis/Roost, Faber Castell, Happy Trade, and Splash Arts.
• Rackjobbing Service Full-service rackjobbing including sales floor setup (shelving, display stands), regular product presentation maintenance, product procurement and stocking, price labeling, returns options, and promotional materials delivered to retail partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Switzerland's most comprehensive agenda/planner selection with over 200 SKUs

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NITRO BagscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Since 2013, Simplex AG Bern has held the exclusive distribution rights for NITRO Bags in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. NITRO is a well-established brand originating from the snowboard industry, now known for high-quality lifestyle and school backpacks. The distribution agreement covers the entire trade channel excluding the sporting goods sector. Simplex also operates the nitro-bags.ch online shop.
• Büro Blog SchweizminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSimplex AG Bern is a partner of Büro Blog Schweiz, a B2B blog covering interesting aspects of the office world. The partnership, active since 2020, supports content marketing efforts targeting office professionals in Switzerland.
• Papedis/RoostminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal merchandising client of Simplex's merchandising services. Papedis/Roost is a paper and stationery distributor to which Simplex provides in-store merchandising services.
• Faber CastellminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal merchandising client for which Simplex provides merchandising services at point-of-sale locations in Switzerland.
• Happy TrademinorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal merchandising client receiving Simplex's merchandising services at retail locations.
• Splash ArtsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal merchandising client receiving Simplex's merchandising services at point-of-sale locations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lyreco: Lyreco is a major European B2B distributor of office supplies, workplace, and industrial products. Comparable to Simplex as a multi-country office supplies wholesaler serving B2B customers, though substantially larger and broader in scope.
• Office Depot Europe (Office Club): Office Depot operates broad-line office supplies distribution in Europe under multiple banners. Comparable to Simplex as a competitor for B2B office supply contracts in Switzerland and surrounding markets, though with much broader assortment and scale.

Emerging players

• Ergobag: Ergobag is a German ergonomic school backpack brand with a modular, curriculum-aligned product concept. Comparable to Simplex's Rabauz in modular school backpack design for educational use cases, though Ergobag is German-market focused.

Direct peers

• Scout (Scout Schulranzen): Scout is a leading German school bag brand sold across European stationery retail. Comparable to Simplex's FUNKI and Rabauz portfolios in branded school backpacks distributed via specialist stationery channels.
• Hallmark Cards: Hallmark is a global greeting card publisher and licensor. Comparable to Simplex's greeting card publisher portfolio (Transicom, artbula, Natur Verlag, Carta Jordi, Rachel Ellen, Gutsch Verlag) in the same printed card category, though at vastly larger scale.
• Hamelin Group: Hamelin is a European stationery and school supplies manufacturer/distributor owning brands like Oxford, Elba, and Pukka. Direct comparable to Simplex as a multi-brand office and school supplies platform with distribution across European retail.
• Durable Hunke & Jochheim: Durable is a German manufacturer of office products, organization systems, and stationery sold through office and stationery retail. Comparable to Simplex's office supplies and organization categories across the DACH region.
• Brunnen (Baier & Schneider): Brunnen is a German school and office supplies brand with deep DACH distribution across stationery retail. Comparable to Simplex as a stationery school supplier with branded school and office product ranges sold through Fachhandel.
• Herlitz (Pelikan Group): Herlitz is a German stationery and school supplies brand within the Pelikan Group, selling backpacks, writing instruments, and office supplies through European retail channels. Comparable to Simplex's FUNKI and Rabauz portfolios in school and stationery categories.

Others

• Faber-Castell: Faber-Castell is a global writing instruments and art supplies manufacturer. Already a Simplex merchandising client in Switzerland, Faber-Castell represents both an adjacent comparable (DACH office/school/art supplies distribution) and a channel partner relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simplex-ag-bern

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Simplex