What Raab Karcher does

Raab Karcher is a German building materials distribution platform serving professional tradespeople (Profi-Handwerker) across construction, renovation, and landscaping projects. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Offenbach, the company operates as a subsidiary of STARK Deutschland GmbH and maintains a nationwide footprint of more than 120 branch locations in Germany. Its assortment exceeds 100,000 SKUs spanning structural building materials, drywall, roof and facade systems, tiles, garden and landscaping products, flooring, workwear/PPE, power tools, and civil engineering supplies, anchored by four proprietary exclusive brands: KERMOS (tiles and surfaces), Terralis (garden and landscape), RAW (structural building, finishing, and roofing), and RAPTOR (craftsman equipment, tools, and PPE).

The business runs a hybrid physical-digital distribution model. Professional customers can order through an account-based online shop offering 24/7 ordering, real-time local availability lookup, account-specific pricing, order history, and e-procurement/EDI integration for enterprise procurement teams. Fulfillment is multi-modal: direct construction-site delivery, pickup at any of the 120+ branches, or parcel shipping for smaller orders. The platform also exposes digital planning tools - including a Bauteilkonfigurator (component configurator) and renovation planning resources - intended to embed Raab Karcher into the tradesperson's project workflow. Marketing and brand activation run through Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and email/newsletter channels alongside the storefront, while flagship distribution partnerships with Bosch, Jeld-Wen, and Saint-Gobain/Rigips supplement the proprietary brand portfolio.

Revenue is generated through one-time transactional sales of building materials, tools, and supplies to professional buyers under multi-year, account-based commercial agreements; pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires customer login. The customer base is horizontal across trades - masons, tilers, dry-wall builders, roofers, painters, and landscapers - giving the platform a long-tail B2B customer profile rather than concentrated enterprise contracts. The company has between 1,001 and 5,000 employees and serves exclusively the German market, with no disclosed expansion outside Germany.

Name

Raab Karcher

Legal name

STARK Deutschland GmbH

Website

https://raabkarcher.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Raab Karcher is a German B2B building materials distributor serving professional tradespeople across construction, renovation, and landscaping through 120+ branch locations, a 100,000+ SKU e-commerce platform with e-procurement/EDI, and four proprietary exclusive brands (KERMOS, Terralis, RAW, RAPTOR).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Materials Distribution

NAICS

Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (42331), Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441), Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42384), Other Building Material Dealers (44418)

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030), Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031), Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Plywood & Panel Products Distribution (Plywood, OSB, MDF, Particleboard) (IMAMAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineered Wood Products Distribution (LVL, I-joists, Glulam, CLT) (IMAMAIAD), Workplace/Jobsite Supplies Retail (Site Consumables, Tarps, Ropes, Chains) (CRAIADAN)

Keywords

• Building materials distribution
• Professional construction supplies
• Trade e-commerce platform
• Tiles and flooring supply
• Construction site delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Offenbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Building Materials Sales: Core revenue from selling building materials, construction supplies, tools, and equipment to professional tradespeople. Products span categories including building materials, tiles, dry construction, roof/facade, garden/landscape construction, and workwear. Sales occur through physical branch network, e-commerce, and delivery services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Raab Karcher distributes building materials, tiles, construction chemistry, workwear, tools, garden and landscaping products, and civil engineering supplies through a combination of over 120 physical branch locations across Germany and an e-commerce platform offering 100,000+ products. The company serves professional tradespeople with a portfolio of four proprietary exclusive brands (KERMOS, Terralis, RAW, RAPTOR) alongside third-party manufacturer brands, providing online ordering 24/7 with construction-site delivery, branch pickup, or package shipping, plus e-procurement/EDI integration for business customers.

Product overview

Raab Karcher is a German building materials supplier and part of STARK Deutschland, operating as a service platform for professional tradespeople. The company operates over 120 locations and offers a comprehensive product portfolio organized into exclusive brands and product categories. The four own exclusive brands are: RAW (for structural construction, interior finishing, and roofing products), RAPTOR (for craftsmen equipment, site equipment, work safety, and tools), KERMOS (for tiles and flooring), and Terralis (for garden and landscaping). Beyond its own brands, the portfolio includes extensive tile collections from external manufacturers, construction chemistry products, workwear, power tools from major brands (Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Metabo), flooring solutions, and civil engineering products. The company serves professional contractors and tradespeople with both physical branch locations and an online shop, offering delivery to construction sites, pickup at branches, and parcel shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KERMOS: Exclusive brand for tiles and ceramic products.
• TERRALIS
• RAW
• RAPTOR

Products and services

• RAW Exclusive brand for Hochbau (structural construction), Ausbau (interior finishing), and Dach (roofing) products including sealing systems, assembly systems, construction films, and building chemistry, targeting professional contractors and tradespeople.
• RAPTOR Exclusive brand for craftsmen equipment including site equipment, fastening technology, hand tools, painter supplies, machines and accessories, masonry/drywall/tile tools, measuring tools, and lifting/transporting equipment.
• KERMOS Exclusive brand for tiles including ceramic tiles, acoustic panels, aluminum composite panels, laminate, rigid vinyl, vinyl on HDF, and doors, frames and door furniture.
• Terralis Exclusive brand for garden and landscaping including concrete slabs, ceramic plates, natural stone, paving stones, WPC decking, walls/steps/palisades, installation systems, and fencing systems.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• STARK DeutschlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaab Karcher is a subsidiary of STARK Deutschland GmbH, part of the STARK Group. STARK Deutschland is a leading building materials distributor in Germany, operating multiple regional brands including Raab Karcher. The parent company provides strategic direction, brand portfolio management, and operational infrastructure.
• Rigips (Saint-Gobain)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerRigips, part of Saint-Gobain, is featured as a top partner brand on Raab Karcher's platform. The partnership provides customers access to Rigips drywall and construction panel products through Raab Karcher's branch network and e-commerce platform.
• Jeld-WenflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerJeld-Wen is featured as a top partner brand on Raab Karcher's platform, offering interior doors and related products through the distribution network.
• BoschflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBosch is featured as a top partner brand, with exclusive promotional campaigns (Bosch EXPERT) offered through Raab Karcher. Products include power tools and accessories.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eurobaustoff: German building materials cooperative serving professional contractors and tradespeople with multi-location retail across Germany. Operates with very similar product mix and target customer segment as Raab Karcher.
• Hagebau: German building materials buying cooperative serving professional tradespeople across Germany with a network of independent retail locations and comprehensive product assortment. Directly comparable to Raab Karcher in customer base, product breadth, and B2B distribution model.
• Würth Group: German-headquartered global leader in B2B distribution of fasteners, tools, and consumables to professional tradespeople. Comparable in B2B professional customer focus, exclusive brand strategy, and direct sales/field service model even though narrower in product scope than Raab Karcher.
• BayWa Baustoffe: German diversified trading and services group with significant building materials distribution operations serving professional contractors in Germany. Direct competitor in overlapping product categories with similar nationwide footprint.
• Hornbach Baumarkt: German DIY and building materials retailer with strong professional customer penetration and nationwide large-format store network. Overlaps with Raab Karcher in product categories (building materials, tiles, garden, tools), though more DIY-skewed in customer mix.

Others

• Brenntag: Global market leader in chemical and ingredient distribution with significant German operations. Adjacent rather than directly competitive with Raab Karcher, but a useful comparable for B2B distribution economics in the German market.

Broad incumbents

• CRH plc: Ireland-headquartered international building materials group with extensive European distribution and products operations. Operates broader in scope than Raab Karcher with vertical integration into materials manufacturing.
• Saint-Gobain Distribution Allemagne: French multinational Saint-Gobain's German building materials distribution arm, part of one of the largest construction materials groups globally. Broader product scope and parent group scale make it an incumbent peer rather than a focused direct competitor to Raab Karcher.

Regional players

• Travis Perkins: UK-listed builders' merchant serving professional contractors with branches across the United Kingdom. Highly comparable business model and customer segment, but operates in a different geography from Raab Karcher.
• SIG plc: UK-listed specialist distributor of building products (insulation, roofing, interior systems) to construction professionals. Comparable in B2B distribution focus and product categories but UK-focused geography makes it a regional peer to Raab Karcher.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@raab-karcher
• Facebookfacebook.com/raabkarcher
• Instagraminstagram.com/raabkarcher
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raab-karcher

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 Raab Karcher