Rapesco

What Rapesco does

Rapesco Worldwide is a privately-held, owner-managed UK office stationery manufacturer founded in 1956 and registered in England and Wales (company number 634473), headquartered in Sevenoaks. The company designs and manufactures staplers, hole punches, tape dispensers, scissors, filing products, and related desk accessories spanning 400+ SKUs across categories including Stapling, Punching, Tape Dispensers, Filing, Scissors, DIY/Tools, Laptop Sleeves, Pencil Sharpeners, Clips/Supaclips, and Cash Boxes. Two proprietary sub-brands anchor the portfolio: Germ-Savvy®, an ISO-certified antimicrobial line incorporating an agent that removes 99% of bacteria across multiple product types, and ECO, a sustainable range using GRS-certified recycled plastics under a stated mission to become one of Europe's most sustainable office product suppliers. The company also offers USB-powered electric staplers and pencil sharpeners as newer product innovations.

The business operates primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce on its own multi-language storefronts (rapesco.com plus dedicated sites for Italy, Germany, Spain, and France), supplemented by a B2B Business Packs channel for bulk institutional and corporate purchases. Revenue derives from one-time hardware sales and recurring consumables (staples, tape rolls, replacement parts). The horizontal customer base spans Business/Enterprise offices (primary), Education institutions, and Work from Home users, with no named anchor customers disclosed. Marketing relies on the company's e-commerce platform, SEO, and Instagram-led organic social campaigns centered on sustainability messaging and brand heritage. As an owner-managed business with 11-50 employees and no external PE/VC or parent company affiliation, Rapesco has operated continuously for nearly 70 years without disclosed funding events, acquisitions, or leadership changes.

Name

Rapesco

Legal name

Rapesco Worldwide

Website

https://rapesco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rapesco Worldwide is a privately-held UK office stationery manufacturer founded in 1956, producing staplers, hole punches, tape dispensers, scissors, and filing products across 400+ SKUs. It sells through direct-to-consumer European e-commerce storefronts and B2B business packs, anchored by the Germ-Savvy antimicrobial and ECO sustainable sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Office Stationery & Filing Products

NAICS

Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (459410)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

General Office Supplies Retail (CRALABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Forms, Labels & Shipping Supplies Retail (CRALABAI)

Keywords

• Office stationery products
• Stapling equipment
• Hole punch products
• Tape dispensers
• Filing supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Sevenoaks

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Products: One-time purchase of physical office products including staplers, hole punches, tape dispensers, scissors, and accessories. Revenue generated through individual unit sales and bundled business packs.
2. Consumables: Recurring revenue from consumable products including staples (various series), tape rolls, and replacement parts. Sold in various pack sizes from individual packs to bulk quantities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rapesco designs, manufactures, and sells physical office stationery and desk accessories including staplers, hole punches, tape dispensers, filing products, scissors, laptop sleeves, pencil sharpeners, and related consumables such as staples and tape. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (rapesco.com) with multi-language storefronts for European markets and offers business pack configurations for office and institutional buyers.

Product overview

Rapesco is an office products company offering a comprehensive range of physical stationery and desk accessories. The portfolio is organized into distinct product categories: Stapling (staplers, staple removers), Punching (hole punches), Tape Dispensers, Filing products, Scissors, Clips/Supaclips, Pencil Sharpeners, Cash Boxes, Laptop Sleeves, and DIY/Tools. Two key sub-brands structure the offering: ECO (sustainable, recycled materials, GRS-certified) and Germ-Savvy® (antimicrobial protection removing 99% of bacteria, ISO certified). The company emphasizes design quality, longevity, and sustainability across its nearly 70-year history as an owner-managed business.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECO: ECO is Rapesco's sustainable product line, described as the new standard with continuous efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle. The ECO range includes GRS-certified recycled materials.
• Germ-Savvy®
• Business
• Work from Home
• Filing
• Stapling
• Tape Dispensers
• Punching

Products and services

• ECO Sustainable Office Products Sustainable office products made with recycled materials, including GRS-certified recycled plastics, marketed as Rapesco's new standard focusing on reducing, reusing, and recycling.
• Germ-Savvy® Antimicrobial Office Products ISO-certified antimicrobial office products featuring an agent that removes 99% of bacteria, including staplers, hole punches, tape dispensers, laptop sleeves, scissors, and accessories for improved workplace hygiene.
• Filing Products Filing products including clipboards, ring binders, expanding files, popper wallets, display books, project files, punched pockets, report files, box files, clip files, and zip bags for document organization.
• Stapling Products Staplers ranging from everyday to heavy duty, including desktop, electric (USB-powered), long arm, pliers, and tacker styles, plus staple removers and staple guns.
• Tape Dispensers Desktop and packaging tape dispensers including heavy duty models, available in Germ-Savvy® antibacterial versions.
• Staples (Consumables) Galvanised and copper-plated staples in various sizes compatible with Rapesco staplers across multiple series (10, 13, 21, 24, 26, 53, 73, 923), sold in various pack sizes from individual packs to bulk quantities.
• Punching Products Hole punches ranging from 1-hole to 6-hole, including adjustable diary punches, heavy duty models, and replacement parts.
• Scissors Scissors including essential, soft grip, kitchen, and security paper shredder styles, with some models featuring titanium blades and Germ-Savvy® antibacterial protection.
• DIY/Tools DIY tools including staple guns, glue guns, and screwdrivers, with Germ-Savvy® antibacterial and ECO sustainable options available.
• Laptop Sleeves Laptop sleeves available in various sizes from 11.6" to 17.3", with Germ-Savvy® antibacterial protection.
• Pencil Cases and Desktop Organisers Desktop organizers and pencil cases including Germ-Savvy® antibacterial versions for workstation organization.
• Pencil Sharpeners Desktop and portable pencil sharpeners including USB-powered electric models and replacement sharpening units.
• Clips and Supaclips Foldback clips, letter clips, Supaclips® reusable clips, paper fasteners, and clip holders in various sizes and styles.
• Cash Boxes Secure cash boxes in various sizes from 6" to 12" for home and office cash storage.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% bacteria removal
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Office Depot: Office Depot is a large multi-category office supplies retailer selling staplers, punches, filing, and stationery products — a broad incumbent whose overlapping core office category offerings compete with Rapesco for SMB and enterprise office buyers.
• Staples Inc. Staples is a major global office supplies retailer and contract supplier offering staplers, filing, and stationery alongside a much broader catalog — a broad incumbent that competes with Rapesco at the category level but with vastly larger scale and B2B contract capabilities.

Regional players

• Lyreco: Lyreco is a large European office supplies distributor serving businesses with catalogs of staplers, filing, and stationery — comparable to Rapesco in European geographic focus and customer base but operating primarily as a distributor rather than manufacturer.

Direct peers

• Rapid (Isaberg Rapid): Rapid is a Swedish-origin stapler and staple gun manufacturer with a long European heritage — directly comparable to Rapesco's stapling portfolio and competing in similar office and DIY segments across European markets.
• Leitz (Esselte Leitz): Leitz (part of Esselte) is a European office supplies specialist offering staplers, hole punches, and filing products — directly comparable to Rapesco across its core stationery and filing categories and competing head-to-head in the same European markets.
• Swingline: Swingline is a long-established U.S. specialist in staplers, hole punches, and shredders — directly comparable to Rapesco's stapling and punching categories and competing for the same office/enterprise buyers with similar product form factors.
• Fellowes: Fellowes manufactures hole punches, binding machines, and shredders for office environments — a direct competitor to Rapesco's punching category and a comparable office equipment specialist with overlapping B2B and consumer channels.
• Esselte: Esselte is a long-established European office supplies brand covering filing, labeling, and desk accessories — directly comparable to Rapesco's filing product line and competing in similar European B2B and retail channels.
• Novus (acco Brands): Novus is a European office stapler brand owned by ACCO Brands, offering staplers, hole punches, and binding equipment — directly comparable to Rapesco's stapling and punching categories and competing for the same European office buyer.
• Bostitch (Stanley Bostitch): Bostitch manufactures staplers, staple guns, and related fastening tools serving offices and DIY users — a direct competitor to Rapesco's stapling line and DIY/Tools range with overlapping product technology and target customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/DSSnds0D8TV
• Xx.com/rapesco
• Facebookfacebook.com/RapescoOfficeProducts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rapesco-office-products-plc

Compliance2 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 Rapesco