Artel
Artel is a Chilean manufacturer and omnichannel retailer of school, art, craft, office, and children's creative products, serving families, students, teachers, and artists through owned e-commerce and a nationwide physical store network across Chile.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1940
- HeadquartersQuilicura, Chile
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Artel does
Artel S.A. is a Chilean manufacturer and retailer of school, art, craft, office, and children's creative products, operating under the holding company OFESA. The company organizes its portfolio into five product sub-categories — Arte Pro (professional art supplies), Escolar (school supplies), Manualidades (craft supplies), Kids (children's creative products), and Oficina (office supplies) — and also markets sub-brands Artecolor (paper products) and Nacional Librería (bookstore/office retail). Distribution runs through a nationwide physical store network called 'Librerías' across all Chilean regions and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform at tienda.artel.cl, with free shipping thresholds of 40,000 CLP in Santiago/Valparaiso and 80,000-120,000 CLP elsewhere.
Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time unit sales of physical goods at retail price points ranging from 350 CLP for basic items up to roughly 19,990 CLP for backpacks, with licensed character products (Disney and similar) supporting premium positioning in the kids segment. The company serves five distinct customer personas: students and families, teachers and educators, professional artists, children, and office workers, with back-to-school seasonality likely driving material revenue concentration. The underlying technology is conventional physical-product manufacturing and distribution; there are no disclosed AI, API, or proprietary software capabilities.
Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, combining owned e-commerce with physical retail and a content marketing ecosystem (multiple persona-targeted blogs plus active Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok channels). The company employs 501-1,000 people and reports 85 years of operating history in Chile and over 70 years across Latin America, operating as a privately held subsidiary within the OFESA corporate group with no public listing or disclosed external funding.
Artel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Artel
- Legal name
- Artel S.A.
- Website
- https://artel.cl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1940
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Artel is a Chilean manufacturer and omnichannel retailer of school, art, craft, office, and children's creative products, serving families, students, teachers, and artists through owned e-commerce and a nationwide physical store network across Chile.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Artel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art and School Supplies
- NAICS
- Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (459410), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)
- SIC
- Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Art & Drafting Supplies Retail (CRALABAG), Fine Art Materials Retail (Paint, Canvas, Drawing) (CRALACAB), Calendars, Planners & Organization Supplies Retail (CRALABAJ), Office, Stationery & Craft Supplies DTC (CRAFACAL)
Keywords
Where Artel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Quilicura
- HQ country
- Chile
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Artel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Direct sales of art, school, office, and kids creative products through e-commerce and physical retail stores. One-time purchase model for school supplies and art materials.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing for school and art supplies |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Artel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Artel manufactures, distributes, and retails art supplies, school stationery, craft materials, office products, and children's creative goods in Chile. The company sells its own branded lines (Arte Pro, Escolar, Manualidades, Kids, Oficina, Artecolor) plus licensed-character products (Disney, Stitch, Frozen) through the tienda.artel.cl e-commerce site and a nationwide chain of physical Librerías stores. It targets families, students, teachers, professional artists, and office workers across all Chilean regions.
Product overview
Artel is a Chilean school, art, office, and kids' supplies company with over 85 years of history, part of the OFESA group. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized into five main product sub-categories: Arte Pro (professional art supplies), Escolar (school supplies), Manualidades (craft supplies), Kids (children's creative products), and Oficina (office supplies). Key products include témpera paints in various formulations (standard, solid, metallic, fluorescent), notebooks and agendas/planners in multiple formats, sketchbooks, and the Artecolor line of paper products including cartulinas, crepe paper, foam sheets, and modeling paper. The company operates an e-commerce store and maintains a network of physical stores throughout Chile, with a focus on fostering creativity from early childhood through adulthood.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Artecolor: Brand for art supplies including cartulina, goma eva, and paper products
- Arte Pro
- Nacional Librería
Products and services
- Arte Pro Professional art supplies including art accessories (brushes, canvases, and related tools) aimed at artists and creative professionals.
- Escolar (School Supplies) School supplies for students including notebooks, pencils, markers, rulers, scissors, glue, backpacks, pencil cases, and art materials for classroom use.
- Manualidades (Craft Supplies) Craft supplies including adhesives, modeling materials, decorative items, and craft tools for DIY and creative projects.
- Kids (Children's Creative Products)
Companies that use Artel
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Artel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Artel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- OFESAcoreArtel is part of OFESA (nacional.cl), a larger corporate group. They share corporate infrastructure including the ethics hotline and compliance systems.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Artel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pilot: Japanese global writing-instrument brand (pens, markers, fineliners) with established distribution in Chile and across Latin America. Comparable to Artel's pen-focused SKUs in Escolar and Oficina.
- BIC: Global manufacturer of pens, markers, and stationery with deep Chilean and Latin American retail penetration. Comparable to Artel's writing-instrument and school-supply segments and competes for the same shelf space.
- Crayola: U.S. leading kids art and creative-supply brand with broad retail distribution. Directly comparable to Artel's Kids and craft segments, particularly in coloring and creative play products.
- Maped: French global stationery and school-supply brand offering pencils, scissors, sharpeners, and creative products. Closely overlaps with Artel's Escolar, Manualidades, and Kids categories.
- Stabilo: German writing-instrument and highlighter specialist with growing Latin American presence. Overlaps with Artel's pens/markers/highlighters within Escolar, Oficina, and Arte Pro.
- Faber-Castell: German-founded global art and writing instruments manufacturer with a very strong Latin America presence (notably Brazil). Directly comparable to Artel across professional art supplies (Arte Pro analog) and school/student products.
- Staedtler: German manufacturer of writing, drawing, and professional art products. Comparable to Artel's professional-grade offerings within the Arte Pro line and overlaps in technical drawing and school supplies.
Broad incumbents
- Office Depot: Large global office-supply retailer with multi-category stationery offerings. Overlaps with Artel's Oficina and Escolar SKUs at a broader retail level but does not specialize in the creative/art niche Artel leads.
- Staples: Global office-supply retailer offering broad stationery, school, and office assortments. Comparable to Artel's Oficina and broader retail function, though not specialized in art/craft and limited Chile presence.
Regional players
- Tilibra: Brazilian stationery and notebook brand competing across Latin America. Highly comparable to Artel's notebooks, agendas, and planners portfolio, but primarily operates in Brazil rather than Chile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Artel social profiles
Digital presenceArtel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Artel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Artel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Artel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Artel
What does Artel do?
Artel manufactures, distributes, and retails art supplies, school stationery, craft materials, office products, and children's creative goods in Chile. The company sells its own branded lines (Arte Pro, Escolar, Manualidades, Kids, Oficina, Artecolor) plus licensed-character products (Disney, Stitch, Frozen) through the tienda.artel.cl e-commerce site and a nationwide chain of physical Librerías stores. It targets families, students, teachers, professional artists, and office workers across all Chilean regions.
Is Artel a public or private company?
Artel is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Artel founded?
Artel was founded in 1940. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Artel based?
Artel is headquartered in Quilicura, Chile, in the Latin America region.
How does Artel make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Artel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pilot, BIC, Crayola, Maped, Stabilo, Faber-Castell and Staedtler. Broad incumbents are Office Depot and Staples. Tilibra is listed as a regional player.
Does Artel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Artel.
What industry is Artel in?
Artel's product category is Art and School Supplies. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALACAA, General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail, with a secondary code of CRALABAG, Art & Drafting Supplies Retail. Its NAICS code is 459410 and its SIC code is 3950.