Cairo

What Cairo does

Cairo AG (CAIRO Aktiengesellschaft Einrichtungsversand) is a German multichannel designer furniture retailer founded in 1995 and headquartered in Groß-Umstadt. The company was established by Gerhard Wolf with capital from members of the creativen inneneinrichter (ci-Verband) buying group of independent furniture retailers, who continue to operate as shareholders, supervisory board members, and a distribution channel. Cairo serves both private consumers (B2C) and business customers (B2B) in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France, offering designer furniture, office furniture, lighting, and accessories from premium manufacturers including Vitra, USM Haller, Kartell, Artemide, and Thonet.

The company's core operational technology is an in-house logistics and warehouse management system supporting a purpose-built high-bay warehouse in Groß-Umstadt, enabling its central value proposition: orders placed by 16:30 are processed and shipped the same day, with delivery to German customers the next business day. The catalog holds approximately 2,828 items ready for immediate shipment, pre-purchased at international trade shows and held on the company's own balance sheet. Distribution combines an e-commerce platform (cairo.de plus country-specific shops in Austria, Switzerland, and France), printed catalogs (Cairo Designkatalog and Cairo Classic Katalog), two physical Designstores in Frankfurt am Main and Nürnberg, and direct sales to business customers.

Revenue is generated through transactional retail sales at unit pricing, with net prices displayed for business customers and a 2% Skonto discount available for advance payment. Add-on services include furniture assembly, free color and material samples, and a USM Haller 3D configurator. The company operates with 50+ employees across 10 specialized departments and does not publicly disclose revenue. As an Aktiengesellschaft under German law, it has formal shareholder structure, but its shares are not listed on any public exchange.

Name

Cairo

Legal name

CAIRO Aktiengesellschaft Einrichtungsversand

Website

https://cairo.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cairo AG is a German multichannel designer furniture retailer, founded 1995 and owned by an independent retailer cooperative, selling premium brands (Vitra, USM Haller, Kartell, Artemide, Thonet) online, via catalog, and through two Designstores in Germany with next-day delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Groß-umstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Designer Furniture and Accessories Retail: Sale of designer furniture, office furniture, lamps, and accessories through multiple channels including online shop, catalogs, and physical design stores. Revenue generated from individual product transactions at net prices (excluding VAT for business customers).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cairo AG is a multichannel retailer of designer furniture, office furniture, lamps, and accessories, selling through its own e-commerce platform (cairo.de), printed catalogs, and physical Designstores in Frankfurt and Nürnberg. The company pre-purchases over 2,800 items and offers next-business-day delivery on orders placed before 16:30 across Germany, with international online shops in Austria, Switzerland, and France. It serves both private consumers and business customers with curated designer assortments from premium manufacturers.

Product overview

Cairo AG operates a multichannel designer furniture retail platform combining an e-commerce online shop (cairo.de), printed catalogs (Cairo Designkatalog and Cairo Classic Katalog), and two physical Designstores in Frankfurt and Nürnberg. The core offering centers on designer furniture, office furniture, lighting, and accessories from premium manufacturers such as Vitra, USM Haller, Kartell, Artemide, and Thonet. A distinguishing operational feature is same-day ordering (before 16:30) with next-business-day delivery across Germany, supported by an in-house logistics center and high-bay warehouse in Groß-Umstadt. Add-on services include furniture assembly, free material samples, and a USM Haller 3D configurator. The company also publishes a newsletter with a 10 euro signup voucher and offers a direct catalog-ordering channel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cairo Online-Shop (cairo.de) E-commerce platform offering designer furniture, office furniture, lighting, and accessories with same-day ordering (before 16:30) and next-business-day delivery across Germany, plus country-specific sites for Austria (cairo.at), Switzerland (cairo.ch), and France (cairo.fr).
• Cairo Designstores Physical retail stores in Frankfurt am Main and Nürnberg city centers where customers can experience designer furniture and accessories in person, with small items available for immediate purchase.
• Cairo Designkatalog and Cairo Classic Katalog Printed catalog portfolio featuring designer furniture and lighting selections, including the Cairo Designkatalog (new arrivals and trends) and the Cairo classic Katalog (design classics and iconic pieces), distributed to customers and supporting the mail-order business.
• Cairo Direktbestellung (Direct Order)

Named customers2 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USM HallercoreTechnology or IntegrationPremium partner and featured manufacturer. Cairo offers USM Haller configurator for custom furniture design, plus USM Kaffeebar inspiration content.
• VitracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured manufacturer of design classics including pieces by Charles & Ray Eames. Vitra has been successfully introduced through the Cairo catalog.
• KartellcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured premium manufacturer in the Cairo catalog.
• ArtemidecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured manufacturer of designer lighting in the Cairo catalog.
• ThonetcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured manufacturer of classic bentwood furniture in the Cairo catalog.
• Creativen inneneinrichtercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner group of furniture retailers who established Cairo AG in 1995. They remain as shareholders and supervisory board members, using Cairo as their quick-delivery program.
• Creditreform Boniversum GmbHminorOthersCredit agency used for creditworthiness checks when Cairo AG provides advance payment ( Kauf auf Rechnung).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Connox: German online retailer specializing in designer furniture, lighting, and home accessories from brands such as Kartell, Artemide, and USM Haller. Closely overlaps Cairo's premium design assortment and next-day-from-stock value proposition.
• smow: German retailer of designer furniture and classics with both online and physical showrooms, distributing Vitra, Thonet, USM, and similar brands. Direct competitor in the same premium segment with a multichannel model comparable to Cairo.
• Einrichten Design: German online retailer of designer furniture and lighting with curated assortment and design-classic focus. Directly comparable to Cairo on product mix and target customer (design-savvy B2C/B2B).
• Made.com: Originally UK-based online retailer of design-led furniture, now operating across several European markets including Germany. Direct peer in curated designer furniture e-commerce, though currently smaller and more challenged than Cairo.
• Nordic Nest (formerly Scandinavian Design Center): European online retailer of Scandinavian and international designer furniture, lighting, and home accessories. Comparable to Cairo on curated design assortment, multi-country e-commerce, and premium price positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Westwing Group: Berlin-based home & living e-commerce company operating across DACH and other European markets. Competes with Cairo in the design-leaning online furniture segment but with a broader, more promotional assortment.
• home24: Major European online furniture retailer (now part of XXXLutz) carrying both premium design brands and mass-market assortment. Overlaps with Cairo in design-furniture e-commerce but at meaningfully larger scale.
• XXXLutz: Austrian-headquartered European furniture retail giant operating large-format stores and online channels. Competitor in the broader German furniture market and owner of home24; relevant as a scale benchmark for premium design assortments.

Regional players

• Möbel Kraft: Large German furniture retailer with physical showrooms, offering designer and mainstream furniture. Competes with Cairo's designstore/showroom proposition in Germany, though its assortment is broader and less curated.

Others

• Vitra: Swiss manufacturer of designer furniture (Eames, Nelson, etc.) and a key supplier-brand featured by Cairo. Increasingly sells direct to consumers online, making it both a partner and an adjacent competitor/ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cairo_de
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cairoag

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Cairo