CMS Gruppe

What CMS Gruppe does

CMS Gruppe is a German B2B wholesale distribution network for paints, coatings, flooring, drywall, and construction materials, serving professional painting contractors and trade businesses. The group consists of CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH, a shared services holding entity, and 16 affiliated regional color wholesalers operating over 180 locations nationwide. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Ober-Ramstadt, Germany, CMS Gruppe is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DAW SE (Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke), one of Europe's largest paint manufacturers whose brands include Caparol. The network offers 450,000+ articles across eight product categories, accessible through physical branches and a centralized e-commerce platform that routes customers to their home wholesaler for invoicing.

The business model is wholesale distribution with a cooperative-style network architecture: member wholesalers purchase inventory (including from DAW group brands such as Caparol) and resell to trade professionals, while CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH provides centralized IT, logistics, and procurement services. Pricing is negotiated bilaterally and not publicly disclosed; the online shop requires login to view prices. The group operates its own exclusive M-Plus brand spanning flooring, wall coverings, construction chemistry, paints, and tools, and runs the HAMSTA platform addressing youth recruitment into the painting trade. The company employs 1,001-5,000 people.

Technically, CMS Gruppe operates a standard e-commerce infrastructure with integrations to Google Ads, Google Analytics, Piwik Pro, Google Maps, Google Tag Manager, MessengerPeople, and Friendly Captcha. The M-Plus Raumgestalter tool provides a basic digital room visualization capability. The company is GDPR-compliant and serves exclusively the German market, with a single Luxembourg presence via Hamacolor. No AI/ML capabilities, public funding, M&A activity, or product launches beyond incremental M-Plus extensions are documented in the available data.

Name

CMS Gruppe

Legal name

CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH

Website

https://cms-gruppe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CMS Gruppe is a German B2B wholesale distribution network of 16 regional color wholesalers operating over 180 locations nationally, serving painting contractors and trade businesses with paints, coatings, flooring, and construction materials. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DAW SE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ober-ramstadt

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. Wholesale Distribution of Paints and Building Materials: CMS Gruppe generates revenue through its network of 16 color wholesalers who distribute paints, coatings, floor coverings, wall coverings, tools, and construction materials to trade professionals (painting contractors, construction companies). The wholesalers purchase from DAW group brands (including Caparol) and resell to end customers.
2. Own Brand Products (M-Plus): CMS Gruppe sells its own exclusive M-Plus brand products including design flooring, textile flooring, elastic flooring, laminate, parquet, cork, wall coverings, construction chemicals, interior paints, facade paints, primers, and tools through the wholesaler network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CMS Gruppe (legally CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH) operates a centralized service and wholesale distribution platform for a network of 16 regional paint and building materials wholesalers with over 180 locations across Germany. The network distributes paints, coatings, floor coverings, wall coverings, tools, construction chemicals, and related materials to trade professionals, supported by shared services including IT, logistics, and procurement. The group's own exclusive brand M-Plus offers professional-grade products across multiple categories.

Product overview

CMS Gruppe is a paint and building materials wholesale distribution network consisting of CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH and 16 regional paint wholesalers operating over 180 locations across Germany as part of DAW (Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke). The company operates both a B2B e-commerce platform and physical wholesale branches. The product portfolio is organized into 8 main categories: Colors (Farbe) including interior/exterior paints, primers, lacquers, wood treatments, and facade systems; WDV-Systeme for thermal insulation composite systems; Trockenbau for drywall construction; Putze & Spachtelmassen for plasters and fillers; Bodenbeläge for floor coverings; Wand & Decken Beläge for wall and ceiling coverings; Werkzeug & Maschinen for tools and equipment; and Verbrauchsmaterialien for consumables. CMS Gruppe's own exclusive brand is M-Plus, offering professional-grade products including design, textile, elastic, and laminate floor coverings, parquet, cork, wall coverings, construction chemistry, interior and facade paints, primers, and tools. The company also operates HAMSTA.de, a youth recruitment platform for the painting trade, and M-Plus Raumgestalter, a virtual room design tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• M-Plus: Exclusive professional brand offering quality products for paint, flooring, wall coverings and accessories with nationwide presence at over 180 locations.
• HAMSTA

Products and services

• M-Plus (Own Brand Product Line) Exclusive private brand of CMS Gruppe offering professional-quality products for painters and craftsmen, including floor coverings, construction chemistry, interior and facade paints, primers, wall coverings, and tools. Available exclusively through the CMS wholesale network at 180+ locations across Germany at consistent fair pricing.
• HAMSTA Youth Initiative Platform Online platform connecting painting trade businesses with young people seeking apprenticeships in the painting profession. Offers free job postings for training positions, resources for training companies, and the 'Handwerk am Start' podcast. Aims to address youth recruitment for the painting trade.
• M-Plus Raumgestalter (Room Designer) Online room visualization tool that allows users to select gallery images or upload photos to virtually preview M-Plus floors and wall coverings in a room setting. Helps trade professionals and end customers visualize product selections before purchase.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DAW (Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMS Gruppe is part of the DAW group. CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH provides shared services to member wholesalers and is wholly owned/controlled by DAW. DAW is one of Europe's largest paint manufacturers with brands including Caparol.
• Wässa & SchusterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network. Operates locations in assigned territory.
• Busch & BrunnerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Ullmann FarbenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Weicken & SchmidtminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Knoener UllmannminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• se) HuberminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Farben WalterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• KunsmannminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• farbtexminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• KnittelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• SpaethKnollminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Engel & JungminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Farben SchultzeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Winkler & GräbnerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• Hamacher & WexelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network.
• HamacolorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional color wholesaler partner within CMS Gruppe network, based in Luxembourg.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BayWa AG: German diversified group with significant building materials and construction supply operations. Overlaps with CMS Gruppe in building materials distribution to trades, though positioned more broadly across agriculture, energy, and construction.
• Hornbach Holding AG: German DIY and pro retailer with large-format stores carrying paints, tools, flooring, and building materials. Comparable to CMS Gruppe in product categories, though primarily retail/DIY rather than trade wholesale.
• Würth Group: Global leader in trade consumables, fasteners, tools, and chemicals with a huge direct-to-tradesman sales force. Comparable as a B2B trade supplier to painters and contractors, although broader in scope and not paint-specialized.
• Eurobaustoff Handelsgesellschaft: European building materials cooperative for independent dealers, distributing paints, flooring, drywall, and tools. Comparable to CMS Gruppe as a multi-category trade-focused distributor with shared services across affiliated dealers.
• Saint-Gobain Distribution Germany (raab Karcher / Keramundo): European building materials distributor serving trades with paints, drywall, insulation, and flooring. Comparable as a multi-category pro-focused distributor; overlaps with CMS Gruppe's WDV, drywall, and flooring categories.
• Hagebau Handelsgesellschaft: Large German building materials cooperative with a broad trade and DIY assortment across paints, tools, flooring, and drywall. Overlaps with CMS Gruppe in paints, flooring, and drywall but serves a wider customer base including DIY and pro.

Regional players

• Travis Perkins plc: UK's largest distributor of building materials to the trade, with branches and a Toolstation arm covering tools, fixings, and paint accessories. Comparable in trade-distribution model and category mix; operates in the UK rather than Germany.

Direct peers

• MEG Maler-Einkauf Gruppe: German purchasing cooperative for paint wholesalers and painting trade; the closest functional peer to CMS Gruppe, running a similar affiliated-wholesaler network serving Malerbetriebe across Germany.
• Alliance GmbH & Co. KG: German paint wholesale cooperative and longstanding competitor to CMS Gruppe, supplying paints, coatings, and related trade materials to professional painters through a multi-regional member network.

Others

• DAW SE: Parent company of CMS Gruppe and one of Europe's largest paint manufacturers (Caparol, Alpina). Comparable as the upstream manufacturer whose brands flow through CMS Gruppe; included as an ecosystem participant, not a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvNdEjv-Hmq4Yn1plmd5qEg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cms-dienstleistungs-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries16 records

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 CMS Gruppe