Kores

What Kores does

Kores is a 138-year-old private stationery and office supplies company headquartered in Vienna, Austria, operating under the Swiss parent holding company Kores Holding Zug AG. The company manufactures and distributes a broad portfolio of physical products across categories including gluing, colouring, correction, marking and highlighting, writing instruments, measuring tools, sharpeners, modelling supplies, erasers, carbon paper, printing accessories, and office accessories. Its product portfolio is organized under four end-user categories — Pre-School, Learn & Study, Office, and Hobby & Crafts — with specialty sub-brands including Kolores (FSC-certified premium coloured pencils), Grafitos Style (graphite pencils), K-Markers, Pastel Line, and Metallic Style. The company differentiates through trend-focused design (pastel, metallic, neon palettes), child-safe non-toxic formulations, and FSC-certified sustainable materials (FSC-C183931).

Kores generates revenue through one-time sales of physical goods via a multi-channel GTM model: direct e-commerce on kores.com, dedicated Amazon marketplace storefronts in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Mexico, regional e-commerce partners (South Africa, Colombia), and local country-specific sites across Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The company operates in at least 14 countries (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, South Africa, China) with a wholly-owned regional subsidiary in Colombia. Marketing is conducted organically through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, supported by a Creative Corner content platform that publishes DIY projects and craft inspiration to drive brand engagement.

The company holds 501-1,000 employees, operates with a horizontal segmentation approach, and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no public funding rounds, no disclosed revenue figures, and no M&A activity. Recent strategic activity has focused on product line extension (Pastel Line in 2020, Style line in 2020, Brush Tip Markers in 2022, Kreative Marker Acrylic Duo-Tip in 2025) and geographic expansion into Latin American and African markets via Amazon and regional partners.

Name

Kores

Legal name

Kores Holding Zug AG

Website

https://kores.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kores is a 138-year-old Austrian stationery manufacturer selling creative tools, writing instruments, and art supplies through own e-commerce, Amazon marketplace stores, and regional partners across Europe, Latin America, and Africa, serving consumer and SMB customers in education, office, and hobby segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stationery and Office Supplies

NAICS

Office Supplies (except Paper) Manufacturing (339940), Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (459410)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Art & Drafting Supplies Retail (CRALABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Office Supplies Retail (CRALABAA), School Supplies Retail (CRALABAF)

Keywords

• Stationery manufacturing
• Office supplies
• Colouring pencils
• Art and craft products
• School supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Stationery and Office Supply Products: Kores generates revenue through the sale of physical stationery products including glues, colored pencils, markers, erasers, correction products, measuring tools, writing instruments, sharpeners, modeling supplies, printing accessories, and office accessories. Products are sold through direct e-commerce, Amazon marketplace stores, and regional distributors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kores manufactures and sells physical stationery, office supplies, and creative tools including glues, coloured pencils, markers, erasers, correction products, writing instruments, sharpeners, modeling supplies, printing accessories, and office accessories. The company serves educational, office, and hobbyist use cases through product families such as Kolores Selection premium coloured pencils, the Kreative Marker Acrylic Duo-Tip, the Style line (Metallic, Neon, Pastel) and the Pastel Line, distributing via its own e-commerce, Amazon marketplace stores, and regional websites across Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

Product overview

Kores is a traditional stationery and office supplies company offering a wide range of physical writing, art, and craft products. The product portfolio includes core categories such as Gluing (glue sticks including Metallic Style variants), Colouring (Kolores Selection Premium coloured pencils, brush tip markers in Metallic and Pastel Style variants, acrylic markers with dual-tip design), Correction (correction pens), Marking & Highlighting (K-Marker products), and general Writing Instruments and Office Accessories. The company differentiates through specialty lines including the Style line (Kolores Style coloured pencils, Grafitos Style) featuring trendy metal, neon, and pastel colours, and the Pastel Line (pastel-coloured glue sticks, markers, correction pens, coloured pencils). Products are organized under category brands (Pre-School, Learn & Study, Office, Hobby & Crafts) with availability across multiple international markets including Europe, UK, Mexico, Colombia, and South Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kolores: Premium colored pencils product line with FSC certified wood, available in sets of 24, 50 and 72 pencils. Part of KORES Style product family.
• Grafitos Style
• K-Markers
• Pastel Line
• Metallic Style

Products and services

• Kreative Marker Acrylic Duo-Tip Dual-tip acrylic markers with brush and cone tips for creative use on paper, wood, glass, and canvas; non-toxic, available in packs of 2, 6, or 12 colours. Targeted at hobbyists, craft enthusiasts, students, and design-conscious consumers.
• Kolores Selection Premium Coloured Pencils

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AmazoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKores distributes products through Amazon marketplace stores in UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Mexico, reaching customers through Amazon's e-commerce platform.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tombow: Japanese stationery specialist known for correction tape, markers, and creative tools; comparable to Kores in correction pens, markers, and adhesive products.
• Stabilo: German marker and highlighter specialist whose K-Marker line is comparable to Kores' own K-Marker sub-brand; competes head-to-head in markers, highlighters, and writing instruments across Europe.
• Caran d'Ache: Swiss premium stationery and art supplies manufacturer; competes with Kores' premium Kolores line and shares a Swiss/Austrian DACH regional footprint.
• Pentel: Japanese writing instrument and marker manufacturer with global presence; parallels Kores' writing, marking, and creative product categories.
• Maped: French school and office supplies manufacturer with strong European retail presence; comparable to Kores across glues, sharpeners, correction, and creative tools.
• Faber-Castell: Global premium stationery and art supplies manufacturer headquartered in Germany with a broad product portfolio spanning writing, colouring, and creative materials — directly comparable to Kores' core art, school, and office range.
• BIC: Mass-market global manufacturer of writing instruments, correction products, and stationery with wide retail presence — directly overlaps with Kores' correction, writing, and office categories.
• Helix (Lyra / Eberhard Faber): European-brand cluster (Lyra, Eberhard Faber) active in coloured pencils, graphite pencils, and school art supplies — directly comparable to Kores' Kolores and Grafitos Style ranges.
• Staedtler: German-headquartered manufacturer of writing, colouring, and drafting instruments with global distribution; one of Kores' closest direct competitors in coloured pencils, markers, and correction products.

Emerging players

• Staedtler Mars / Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer (Premium Pencil Lines): Premium artist-grade coloured pencil lines from major European peers that compete for the same institutional, design, and hobbyist segments targeted by Kores' Kolores Selection premium line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KoresGmbH
• Facebookfacebook.com/kores.group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kores
• Instagraminstagram.com/kores_group

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Kores