Intercoop House & Garden

What Intercoop House & Garden does

Intercoop House & Garden Cooperative is a Swiss purchasing organization (Genossenschaft) headquartered in Biel, founded on January 1, 2009, that coordinates goods procurement for 14 member retail cooperatives operating more than 5,000 stores across 11 European countries. Its core service is the bundling and optimization of purchasing volumes across the strategic product categories of garden, pet, house, and DIY, consolidating demand that would otherwise be fragmented across independent agricultural cooperatives. Intercoop negotiates at the European level with brand manufacturers, facilitates direct sourcing through an exclusive network of local agents in China (Chongqing, Shanghai) and Vietnam, and operates Lahrlogistics GmbH — a jointly controlled logistics subsidiary in Lahr, Germany, expanded to 45,000 pallet positions — that moves goods from factory to member stores.

The organization is built around three operational pillars. First, the IC Web Platform (overhauled in 2020 as "Platform 2.0") provides members with supplier information, sales statistics, master data, certifications, and direct supplier contact, while giving 400+ certified suppliers from 31 countries exposure to the European retail network. Second, an annual workshop held in Lahr, Germany convenes approximately 125 suppliers with member representatives for direct business development; this was virtualized during COVID-19 in 2020. Third, supply chain compliance is anchored by membership since 2017 in the amfori Business Compliance Initiative (BSCI/BEPI), with over 90% of suppliers holding valid social-compliance audits, making sustainability auditing a procurement gatekeeper. Governance rests on a six-seat Board of Administration (Verwaltungsrat) representing member organizations and an Executive Board led by CEO Juan Krapf (CFO: Lorenz Wüthrich; CPO: Björn Löhrmann), with the founder Heinz Wälti having retired in 2018.

Revenue is generated through membership contributions and procurement coordination / transaction fees on the €3+ billion in annual purchasing volume that flows from members through the platform and Lahrlogistics; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured per member based on volume and services. Intercoop does not sell to end consumers and has no parent company or external investors, reflecting its cooperative ownership model. With 11–50 employees and offices in Biel, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Ho Chi Minh City, the organization runs a lean coordination layer atop a large distributed retail and supplier network, with its commercial moat derived from network scale, exclusive Asian sourcing agents, and logistics infrastructure rather than technology differentiation.

Name

Intercoop House & Garden

Legal name

Intercoop House & Garden Cooperative

Website

https://intercoophg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Intercoop House & Garden is a Swiss cooperative that consolidates procurement of garden, pet, house, and DIY products for 14 member retail cooperatives operating 5,000+ stores across 11 European countries. It negotiates supplier contracts, runs the IC Web Platform, and operates shared logistics via Lahrlogistics GmbH in Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Biel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Procurement Coordination Services: Intercoop generates revenue by coordinating and optimizing goods procurement for member retail cooperatives. As a purchasing organization, it consolidates volumes, negotiates with suppliers, and facilitates international procurement. Revenue appears to derive from membership contributions and procurement coordination fees based on purchasing volumes managed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Intercoop House & Garden is a Swiss cooperative purchasing organization that coordinates and optimizes goods procurement for 14 member retail cooperatives operating more than 5,000 stores across 11 European countries. It consolidates volume from members, negotiates purchase prices with brand manufacturers at the European level, and provides direct access to 400+ approved and certified suppliers from 31 countries through a member-supplier web platform and local agents worldwide. Strategic product categories are garden, pet, house and DIY products.

Product overview

Intercoop House & Garden is a purchasing organisation for cooperative retailers in Europe, operating as a single unified service rather than a modular platform. Its core offering coordinates and optimises goods procurement — spanning garden, pet, house, and DIY products — across 14 member organisations operating 5,000+ stores in 11 European countries. The service is delivered primarily through a Supplier Web Platform (a member-facing portal providing access to supplier information, sales statistics, master data listings, and certifications) and an Annual Workshop event in Lahr, Germany, that facilitates direct contact between members and selected suppliers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IC Member and Supplier Web Platform Web-based portal providing Intercoop's member retail cooperatives and approved suppliers with access to supplier information, sales statistics, master data listings, certifications, procurement documentation, and structured project communication. Members use it to consolidate volumes and contact selected suppliers; suppliers use it to manage their relationship with Intercoop's network.
• Procurement Coordination Services Core service offering: bundled direct procurement from suppliers, volume consolidation across members and own brands, European-level purchase price negotiations with brand manufacturers, and global business support through local agents. Targets member retail cooperatives across Europe.
• Annual Supplier Workshop (Lahr) Annual in-person workshop held in Lahr, Germany, bringing together 100+ international suppliers and member cooperative representatives for project presentations, product exhibitions and direct business networking on a 2,000 m2 exhibition area.
• Logistics Coordination via Lahrlogistics GmbH Shared logistics infrastructure supporting supply chain from factory to member stores, providing approximately 45,000 pallet positions at a logistically optimal location in Lahr, Germany.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3+ billion euros annual purchasing volume
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• amfori BSCIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Intercoop joined the amfori Business Compliance Initiative in 2017, committing to social (BSCI) and environmental (BEPI) standards. Over 90% of Intercoop suppliers now have valid amfori BSCI audits. amfori is an association of 2,000+ mostly European members committed to supply chain sustainability.
• Lahrlogistics GmbHcoreOthersLogistics partner established by member cooperatives fenaco Bern (CH) and ZG Raiffeisen Karlsruhe (DE). Located in Lahr, Germany at a logistically optimal position. First phase completed 2015 with ~15,000 pallet storage positions, expanded to 45,000 pallet positions by 2018. Supports supply chain from factory to member stores.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Spar International: International retail chain with central purchasing coordination across European markets. Similar in coordinating procurement across multiple European geographies for retail store networks.
• EDEKA Zentrale: Central purchasing organization for EDEKA, Germany's largest food retailer. Plays an analogous central procurement role but for a single large retail network rather than a federation of member cooperatives.

Direct peers

• EK/servicegroup: German purchasing cooperative serving independent retail members across multiple categories. Directly comparable to Intercoop in cooperative structure, member-driven procurement model, and B2B services focus for European retail.
• ANWR Group: European retail buying group for independent shoe retailers. Same buying group model serving retail members across European geographies, though focused on footwear rather than garden/house/DIY.
• Intersport: European sporting goods retail buying group with cooperative-like structure among independent retailers. Comparable buying group model serving retail members across European geographies.
• EUROBAUSTOFF: European purchasing cooperative for building materials and DIY retail members. Comparable to Intercoop in serving independent retail cooperatives, central procurement function, and European geographic scope.
• Hagebau: German DIY retail purchasing cooperative serving independent retailers. Similar cooperative structure and central procurement focus for home improvement, garden, and DIY categories that overlap with Intercoop's product scope.

Regional players

• COOP (Switzerland): Swiss retail cooperative with similar cooperative structure to Intercoop and member organizations. While not a purchasing organization itself, demonstrates the cooperative retail model that Intercoop's members operate within.

Emerging players

• BayWa AG: German agricultural trading and retail company with similar agricultural cooperative heritage to Intercoop's members. Overlaps in agricultural input and garden retail categories served by member cooperatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Intercoop House & Garden