What Nijha does

Nijha B.V. is a privately held Dutch manufacturer and wholesaler of sports and play equipment, founded in 1922 and headquartered in Lochem, Netherlands. The company designs, produces, and installs play equipment, sports installations, outdoor fitness, and urban sports facilities from its own Lochem factory using steel, wood, stainless steel, and plastic across a catalog of more than 1,000 products under sub-brands such as Kloek, Kratos, SportContrainer, SportCourts, Buitengymzaal, Fit+, GALM, PlayCycle, and Cruyff Courts.

The company operates a B2B-led go-to-market across four primary verticals: primary and secondary education, public space (municipalities), sports facilities, and healthcare. Distribution combines field sales (buitendienst), inside sales (binnendienst), and a B2B quotation webshop (shop.nijha.nl), supplemented by a MijnNijha customer portal. Revenue streams combine wholesale hardware sales, direct-to-consumer webshop sales (iDEAL prepayment only), and recurring services including inspection, maintenance, multi-year budgeting (meerjarenbegroting), and project guidance. Strategic partnerships with the Cruyff Foundation (since 2008) and the Krajicek Foundation extend reach into community sports projects and underserved neighborhoods, while KOMO and SVS certifications create regulatory entry barriers for inspection services in the Dutch market. Geographic reach spans the Netherlands and Belgium.

Name

Nijha

Legal name

Nijha B.V.

Website

https://nijha.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Nijha B.V. is a Dutch manufacturer and B2B wholesaler of sports and play equipment, founded in 1922 and headquartered in Lochem, serving municipalities, schools, sports facilities, and healthcare providers across the Netherlands and Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports and Play Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992), Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (339920)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Physical Education & Athletics Equipment (Gym, Sports Gear, Scoreboards) (EDAEAIAG)

Keywords

• Outdoor play equipment
• Sports facility installations
• Playground manufacturing
• Urban sports equipment
• Exercise garden equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Lochem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Wholesale: Nijha operates as a wholesaler selling sports and play equipment to governments, educational institutions, healthcare providers, entrepreneurs, and sports associations. Products include play equipment, sports materials, and outdoor fitness equipment manufactured in their own Lochem factory.
2. Direct-to-Consumer Webshop: Direct consumer sales via webshop with iDEAL prepayment only for individuals. B2B customers receive invoice-based payment terms.
3. Inspection & Maintenance Services: Nijha provides inspection and maintenance services for sports and play equipment, including annual inspections per WAS regulations, repairs, and long-term maintenance contracts. The company employs KOMO-certified inspection and repair teams and an SVS-certified Inspector Spelen 2 inspector.
4. Project Guidance: Nijha offers project guidance services including multi-year budgeting (meerjarenbegroting) for clients managing sports facilities and play equipment portfolios.
5. Custom Installation Services: The company provides installation services for play equipment and sports courts, including turnkey Cruyff Courts and multi-sport facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nijha designs, manufactures, installs, and maintains sports and play equipment for education, public space, sports facilities, and healthcare sectors. The company produces over 1,000 products from its own factory in Lochem, including play equipment, sports installations, outdoor fitness equipment, urban sports installations, and exercise gardens, complemented by inspection, maintenance, multi-year budgeting, and project guidance services.

Product overview

Nijha is a Dutch sports and play equipment company founded in 1922, operating from Lochem, that brings joy of movement to education, public spaces, sports facilities, and healthcare. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of over 1,000 sports and play products across multiple categories. Core product lines include branded offerings such as Kloek (natural wooden play equipment), Kratos (outdoor calisthenics and fitness), SportContrainer (mobile shipping container sports units), SportCourts (modular multi-sport courts), and the PlayCycle (100% circular play line). The product range spans A-Z sports equipment, play equipment, play materials, sports facilities/installation equipment, education materials, and healthcare/rehabilitation products. Nijha also provides services including inspection and maintenance, multi-year budgeting, and project guidance. The company manufactures equipment in their own factory in Lochem and operates both a main website (nijha.nl) and a webshop (shop.nijha.nl).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kloek: Product line for natural play with wooden equipment encouraging children to explore, push boundaries, climb and balance
• SportContrainer
• Kratos
• WISH
• Fit+
• GALM
• Buitengymzaal
• Cruyff Courts

Products and services

• Kloek Wooden Play Line A wooden play equipment line for natural outdoor play, encouraging children to explore, climb, balance, and take measured risks with adventurous play experiences, offered to municipalities, schools, and public space clients.
• Kratos Calisthenics Line Outdoor fitness and calisthenics equipment developed with urban athletes, offering maintenance-free installations with optimal thickness and smoothness to prevent blisters, modular design for beginners and professionals in calisthenics, Ninja Warrior, and urban sports, sold to public space and sports facility buyers.
• SportContrainer Mobile Sports Container A mobile converted shipping container that enables sports in daily life, installable in one hour, available in variants for calisthenics, survival, and obstacle/ninja training, available for rent or purchase to municipalities, schools, and public space operators.
• SportCourts Modular Multi-Sport Courts Modular sports courts that bring sport to neighborhoods, multifunctional and suitable for football, basketball, volleyball, hockey, and tennis, with double-wire mesh fencing with special protection for durability and noise reduction, supplied to municipalities and public space clients.
• Buitengymzaal Outdoor Gymnasium An outdoor gymnasium allowing year-round outdoor physical education, located in neighborhoods where schools and community members have access, bringing movement to public spaces, offered to schools and municipalities.
• PlayCycle Circular Play Line A 100% circular product line for play equipment where all components can be fully recycled, reflecting Nijha's sustainability commitment, supplied to municipalities, schools, and public space clients.
• Click & Play Flexible Play System A flexible play system allowing play or sports locations to scale with the changing needs of the neighborhood, sold to municipalities and public space operators.
• Urban Dance Ground Dedicated outdoor dance sports facilities designed for girls and young women to participate in urban sports, the first of its kind in the Netherlands, launched in Utrecht, offered to municipalities.
• SportBox Sports Machine A sports machine making sports locations accessible to everyone, containing various sports equipment in a compact unit, supplied to public space and sports facility buyers.
• Beweegroutes Movement Routes Movement routes that encourage people to be active from A to B, with practical examples designed to fit into neighborhoods, supplied to municipalities and healthcare providers.
• Beweegbank Movement Bench A movement bench combining exercise and social meeting, designed for outdoor use in care and public spaces, supplied to healthcare facilities and municipalities.
• Fit+ Beweegtuin Exercise Garden Exercise garden equipment with adjustable devices for individual fitness levels, focused on balance, flexibility, and muscle maintenance, often serving as community meeting points, supplied to healthcare facilities and municipalities.
• GALM Elderly Movement Stimulation Program A movement stimulation method and exercise program for elderly with motor and physical limitations, providing programs that promote fitness and help prevent falls along with healthy lifestyle information, delivered to healthcare and care organizations.
• Cruyff Courts Multi-Sport Facilities Multi-sport courts developed in partnership with the Cruyff Foundation since 2008, placed at special education schools, healthcare institutions, public spaces, and rehabilitation centers, typically including football fields, 3x3 basketball courts, and calisthenics equipment.
• Krajicek Playground Playgrounds developed in partnership with the Krajicek Foundation to bring sport and play opportunities to neighborhoods in need, supplied to municipalities and community organizations.
• Inspection and Maintenance Service Inspection and maintenance service for sports and play equipment ensuring safety and optimal condition, including annual main inspections per WAS regulations, preventive maintenance, repairs, KOMO-certified inspection teams (BRL 9921), SVS Inspector Play 2 certified inspectors, and inspection reports with cost estimates.
• Meerjarenbegroting Multi-Year Budgeting Service Multi-year budgeting service helping clients plan financial resources for maintenance, replacement, and depreciation of sports and play equipment portfolios, delivered to municipalities, schools, and facility owners.
• Projectbegeleiding Project Guidance Service Project guidance service accompanying clients from concept through completion of sports and play installations, delivered to municipalities, schools, and facility owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Buitengymzaal locations in Amsterdam, Oudenbosch, and Rijnsaterwoude providing year-round outdoor gym facilities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cruyff FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Since 2008, Nijha has partnered with the Cruyff Foundation to create spaces where children can develop, come together, and have fun. Nijha is involved in the design and realization of Cruyff Courts placed at Special Education schools, healthcare institutions, public spaces, and rehabilitation centers. The partnership focuses on creating inclusive sports facilities where everyone is welcome regardless of background or ability.
• KSP GroepminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Cruyff Court Frenkie de Jong project in Gorinchem, working together with the municipality and Gorinchem Beweegt.
• Gorinchem BeweegtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in the Cruyff Court Frenkie de Jong project in Gorinchem, contributing to community sports initiatives.
• Gemeente GorinchemminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipality partner for the Cruyff Court Frenkie de Jong project, providing local support and community engagement for the sports facility.
• BMN De Klerk BouwbedrijfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction partner for the Sporthal Oranje Wit Dordrecht project, collaborating with Nijha and the korfbal association Oranje Wit to transform an existing sports hall.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wicksteed Leisure: British designer and manufacturer of playground and leisure equipment with a heritage comparable to Nijha's 100-year history. Overlaps in product categories (play structures, outdoor fitness, sport courts) and in operating a long-tenured direct-sales model into local authorities and schools.
• eibe: German manufacturer of playground and outdoor sports equipment with a broad catalog of play systems, sports facilities, and urban furniture. Closely parallels Nijha's vertical integration and B2B distribution model targeting municipalities, schools, and sports clubs in DACH and broader European markets.
• Proludic: French designer-manufacturer of playground and sports equipment for public spaces, schools, and leisure facilities. Direct peer based on overlapping product categories (play structures, sport courts, outdoor fitness) and shared customer base of European municipalities and educational institutions.
• Lappset Group: Finnish manufacturer of playground equipment, outdoor fitness solutions, and sport parks. Closely comparable to Nijha's Kratos calisthenics and SportContrainer offerings, with a similar B2B sales motion into municipalities and a portfolio spanning inclusive play to outdoor sport facilities.
• KOMPAN: Danish global leader in playground and outdoor fitness equipment, manufacturing play structures, sport courts, and urban sports installations. Directly comparable as a vertically integrated manufacturer serving municipalities, schools, and healthcare with a similar product breadth to Nijha's play and sports equipment portfolio.
• HAGS: Swedish playground equipment manufacturer serving public spaces and schools across Europe with inclusive play and outdoor fitness products. Comparable to Nijha as a European mid-sized manufacturer competing in similar municipal and education tenders with equivalent safety certifications.
• Playworld Systems: US-based manufacturer of playground and fitness equipment for schools, parks, and community recreation. Comparable in vertically integrated manufacturing, inclusive-play product positioning, and serving public-sector procurement customers, though operating primarily in North America rather than Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Sport-Thieme: German broad-line wholesaler and catalog retailer of sports equipment for schools, clubs, and therapy. Overlaps with Nijha's A-to-Z sports catalog and education/healthcare segments but operates primarily as a distributor of third-party brands rather than a vertically integrated manufacturer with proprietary product lines like Kloek or Kratos.

Regional players

• Janssens Playgrounds: Belgian manufacturer of playground equipment primarily serving the Belgian market with wooden and metal play structures. Directly comparable product offering to Nijha's Kloek line and adjacent in market (Belgium is one of Nijha's two served geographies), but with a more limited product breadth and no outdoor sport/urban sports franchise.

Emerging players

• PLAYDECK Outdoor Sport & Spiel: Emerging European player in modular outdoor sport and play equipment, including calisthenics and urban sports installations. Overlaps with Nijha's Kratos and SportContrainer product lines but with narrower installed base and brand recognition compared to Nijha's 100-year heritage and Cruyff/Krajicek partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nijhabv

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Nijha