iba

What iba does

iba is Switzerland's largest B2B mail-order company for office supplies and office equipment, founded in 1939 in Bern by Ilo Basci and currently operating under the legal entity OWIBA AG from its headquarters at Gewerbestrasse 16, Bolligen, Canton Bern. The company operates a proprietary B2B e-commerce platform (iba.ch) offering over 13,000 office articles across categories including paper and paper products, filing and archiving, stationery, office technology, shipping and packaging, and office furniture, complemented by branded ink/toner and label-makers, custom business printing, E-Procurement solutions, and SME-focused printer solutions. Approximately 8,000 articles are stocked at the Bolligen warehouse for immediate dispatch, supporting a delivery readiness rate above 99% and next-day delivery for orders placed before 5 PM.

The customer base spans Swiss businesses, public administrations, service providers, and commercial enterprises across industry, trade, services, and commerce, with schools as a secondary segment under special pricing conditions. Revenue is generated through transactional B2B product sales supplemented by volume-based pricing, three private-label brands (novooo, iba special, a-series) providing cost alternatives to international brands, the Profit System loyalty program for high-volume buyers, and a 10% annual Joker discount. Go-to-market combines a self-serve e-commerce experience with toll-free inside-sales consultation (0800 82 82 82), and the company employs approximately 190 staff including 7 apprentices.

iba has been owned by Austrian MTH Retail Group since October 2017, when Migros divested the Office World Group (then OWiba). In January 2021 the operating companies of Office World Holding AG and OFFIX Holding AG were combined into a joint venture, Office World Group AG, in which Office World Holding AG holds a majority stake. The Bolligen headquarters was expanded in a ~18 million CHF, two-phase project completed in 2016, a rooftop photovoltaic system was installed in 2022, and the company has held ISO 9001:2015 certification continuously, most recently renewed in August 2025 (valid through 2028) with scope covering commerce of office supplies, furniture, commercial print, and school supplies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Name

iba

Legal name

OWIBA AG

Website

https://iba.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

iba is Switzerland's largest B2B mail-order company for office supplies and equipment, serving Swiss businesses, public administrations, and schools with a 13,000+ article e-commerce platform and next-day delivery from its Bolligen warehouse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Office Supplies Retail

NAICS

Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (45941), Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42342)

SIC

Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Office Supplies, IT & Workplace Procurement Marketplaces (CRAFAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

Keywords

• B2B office supplies
• Office furniture
• Stationery products
• Business printing services
• Office procurement solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolligen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Office Supplies Sales: B2B mail-order and e-commerce sales of office supplies, office furniture, business printing, and office equipment. Revenue generated through one-time product transactions with volume-based pricing and loyalty discounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

iba operates Switzerland's largest B2B e-commerce and mail-order platform for office supplies, offering over 13,000 articles across categories such as paper, filing and archiving, stationery, office technology, shipping and packaging, and office furniture, complemented by private-label brands (novooo, iba special, a-series) and value-added services including E-Procurement, custom business printing, and a Profit-System loyalty program for B2B purchasers. The company distributes directly from its Bolligen warehouse and showroom to businesses, administrations, and schools across Switzerland via the iba.ch online shop and toll-free phone ordering, with next-day delivery for orders placed before 5 PM and free delivery above CHF 100.

Product overview

iba is Switzerland's largest B2B office supplies e-commerce platform offering over 13,000 articles across a unified online shopping platform. The product portfolio centers on the core e-commerce offering with extensive office supply categories (Paper & Paper Products, Filing & Archiving, Stationery, Office Technology, Shipping & Packaging, Office Furniture) complemented by private label sub-brands (novooo, iba special, a-series) providing cost alternatives to branded products. Value-added services include the Profit-System loyalty program, E-Procurement solutions, printer solutions for SMEs, custom business printing, and C-article management. The platform operates as a single unified e-commerce website without a modular architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iba special: Private label brand offering cost-effective alternatives to branded office supplies with tested quality and excellent price-performance ratio.
• a-series
• novooo

Products and services

• Paper and paper products (Papier & Papierprodukte)
• Filing and archiving supplies (Ordnen & Archivieren)
• Stationery (Schreibwaren)
• Office technology equipment (Bürotechnik)
• Shipping and packaging supplies (Versenden & Verpacken)
• Office furniture and workplace equipment (Büromöbel & Büroausstattung)
• Ink and toner cartridges (Tinten & Toner)
• E-Procurement solutions
• Custom business printing (Geschäftsdrucksachen)
• Printer solutions for SMEs (Druckerlösungen für KMU)
• Private label brands (novooo, iba special, a-series)
• Profit-System loyalty program

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% delivery readiness rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 minor and core.

• Office World Group AGminorOthers · 1 March 2024Office World Group AG acquired Sesco Trading AG and schuldiscount.ch GmbH. iba operates under the Office World Group umbrella following the merger of Office World Holding AG and OFFIX Holding AG in 2021.
• EOSA (European Office Supplies Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partneriba is the Swiss partner of EOSA, a European alliance of office supplies companies. This partnership provides cross-border collaboration and synergies with other European office supply specialists.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Staples: Global office supplies retailer with U.S. core and Staples Solutions in Europe. Comparable broad incumbent offering overlapping products and B2B services, but operating at much larger scale and with a wider portfolio beyond iba's Swiss-focused niche.
• Amazon Business: Global B2B procurement marketplace that has expanded aggressively into office supplies and MRO categories. Comparable as a competitor for B2B office supplies spending in Switzerland, but vastly broader in scope and not specializing in office supplies.

Direct peers

• Office Depot / Viking Direct: Office Depot Europe operates the Viking Direct brand across multiple European countries as a B2B office supplies and workplace solutions provider. Directly comparable to iba in target customers, product range, and e-commerce plus phone sales channel mix.
• Printus: Germany-based B2B office supplies retailer and fellow EOSA alliance member. Printus competes in the same office-supplies category and serves comparable SME/enterprise B2B customers via catalog and e-commerce in DACH.
• Lyreco: France-based pan-European leader in B2B distribution of office supplies, workplace products, and PPE. Lyreco is the closest large-scale functional peer to iba, operating a multi-country catalog/online model with comparable customer segments and product breadth.
• Mercateo: DACH-based B2B procurement marketplace aggregating millions of SKUs from multiple suppliers. Comparable to iba in addressing indirect procurement for B2B customers, though via a marketplace model rather than single-warehouse fulfillment.
• Schäfer Shop: German B2B supplier of workplace, office, and operating equipment, now a Würth subsidiary. Comparable to iba in targeting B2B office and workplace customers with a broad catalog and e-commerce plus inside sales.
• Euroffice: European B2B office supplies retailer serving SMEs and corporate customers via e-commerce. Comparable in product mix, customer segments, and online-first distribution to iba within the broader European market.
• Office World Group AG: Swiss parent/holding of iba that also operates related B2B office and school supplies entities (Sesco Trading AG, schuldiscount.ch). Highly comparable in business model, geography, and customer base to iba within the same ownership group.
• Antalis: European leader in paper and packaging distribution with a strong B2B channel presence. Comparable to iba as a multi-category workplace supplies distributor serving enterprise customers across DACH and beyond.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaZD_qQyQGFVQJcRw0iT13w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ibabueroundmehr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iba-buero-und-mehr

Compliance1 record

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 iba