KUPA Group
KUPA Group is a privately held German textile holding company that develops, sources, and supplies licensed and own-brand apparel, lingerie, baby textiles, and hard goods to large European and US retail chains through five subsidiaries, with integrated Asian sourcing and centralized shared services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSchwabach, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What KUPA Group does
KUPA Group is a privately held, owner-managed textile holding company headquartered in Schwabach, Germany, with operating entities spanning Europe, the US, Bangladesh, and China. The parent KUPA GmbH & Co. KG sits above five subsidiaries: Distra Warenhandel (outerwear and discount apparel), chicca Body-Fashion (lingerie, shapewear, and swimwear), Julius Hüpeden (baby textiles, hard goods, and online retail, acquired 2022), NorisCon Management (centralized shared services for logistics, IT, HR, finance, and facility management), and DVC Limited (procurement and quality control in Bangladesh and China).
The group's commercial core is B2B supply of trend-focused, certified-sustainable textile products to large European and US retail chains through Key Account Management, supplemented by a direct-to-consumer online channel via Julius Hüpeden. Revenue mechanics are anchored in licensed children's apparel under major entertainment brands (Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Warner Bros, Universal, Bluey, Paw Patrol, Hasbro, Mattel, among others) and, most recently, the Strenesse Blue designer diffusion line distributed at Lidl. International sourcing is internalized via DVC Limited offices in Dhaka and Shanghai, while technology infrastructure centers on Microsoft Power Platform (Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI) for process automation and ongoing AI and digitalization initiatives. The group holds a stack of third-party validated sustainability and quality certifications (OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GOTS, GRS, RCS, BSCI, International Accord, CmiA, RWS, EcoVadis Bronze) that function as buyer-mandated access credentials for European discount and large-format retail.
KUPA Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KUPA Group
- Legal name
- NorisCon Management GmbH
- Website
- https://kupa-gruppe.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- KUPA Group is a privately held German textile holding company that develops, sources, and supplies licensed and own-brand apparel, lingerie, baby textiles, and hard goods to large European and US retail chains through five subsidiaries, with integrated Asian sourcing and centralized shared services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where KUPA Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Schwabach
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
KUPA Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Textile Trading and Production: Development, production and delivery of textile products through subsidiary companies. The group develops, produces and delivers various textile products under the umbrella of the parent company KUPA, tailored to the needs of target audiences.
- Licensed Products: Revenue from licensing partnerships with major entertainment brands including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Warner Bros, Universal and others. The company produces licensed children's clothing and accessories under these brands.
- Service Fees (NorisCon): NorisCon Management GmbH provides administrative services including logistics, finance, HR, IT and facility management to group companies, generating internal service revenue.
- International Sourcing Services (DVC): DVC Limited provides sourcing and procurement services from Asia (Bangladesh and China), coordinating production processes for the group.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels5 records
KUPA Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KUPA Group is a textile trading holding company that develops, produces, and delivers textile products for daily needs through its subsidiaries. The group supplies large retail chains across Europe and the United States with ladies', men's, baby and children's clothing, sportswear, lingerie and underwear, as well as licensed character products under major entertainment brands including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Warner Bros, and Universal.
Product overview
KUPA Group is a textile trading group comprising five subsidiaries operating as a unified platform with coordinated services. The group includes: DISTRA Warenhandel (largest textile trading house, specialist in outerwear for discount segment), chicca Body-Fashion (lingerie, underwear, and swimwear specialist), Julius Hüpeden (baby textiles and hard goods specialist from Hamburg), NorisCon Management (central services including logistics, IT, HR, and administration), and DVC Limited (procurement agency in China and Bangladesh). The group offers comprehensive textile solutions including licensed products featuring major entertainment brands (Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Paw Patrol, Bluey, Universal, Warner Bros), as well as full-service capabilities spanning development, design, purchasing, quality assurance, production, sales, and logistics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Distra Warenhandel — Outerwear and Discount Fashion The largest textile trading house within KUPA Group, producing high-quality yet affordable fashion collections for the discount segment — women's, men's, and children's outerwear, knitwear, and functional sportswear — supplied to discount retail chains across Europe.
- chicca Body-Fashion — Intimate Apparel and Swimwear Specialist for bodywear, lingerie, shapewear, and swimwear, offering fashionable collections with focus on perfect fit and skin-friendly materials, including GOTS-certified products made from organic cotton and recycled materials.
- Julius Hüpeden — Baby Clothing and Hard Goods Traditional Hamburg-based trading house specializing in baby clothing and textiles with additional expertise in hard goods, operating in online commerce and supplying major retail chains with baby apparel, auto accessories, and garden articles.
- Licensed Character Apparel and Accessories
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple international certifications ensure product safety and sustainability compliance
Companies that use KUPA Group
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
KUPA Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
KUPA Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- StrenesseflagshipLicensing and distribution partnership between Strenesse brand owners and KUPA-Gruppe for the new Strenesse Blue collection. KUPA handled design, manufacturing and distribution to Lidl stores. This is described as a democratic lighthouse project combining designer brand, industrial textile competence and retail reach.
- LidlflagshipRetail partnership for distribution of Strenesse Blue collection. Lidl serves as the retail channel for the affordable designer brand clothing line launched in December 2025. Annual plans include 3-4 promotional campaigns.
- DisneycoreOfficial licensee for Disney brands including Mickey & Friends, Frozen, Disney Classics, Pixar, Disney Princesses, Star Wars and Stitch. Products include children's clothing, swimwear, accessories, socks and seasonal collections.
- BlueycoreOfficial licensee for Bluey, one of the most popular children's series worldwide. Produces high-quality Bluey products for children.
- Paw PatrolcoreOfficial licensee for PAW Patrol brand products. Offers certified quality, detailed designs and collection-strong looks featuring favorite characters.
- UniversalcoreOfficial licensee for Universal brands including Jurassic World, Minions and classic characters. Provides broad selection of Universal licensed products.
- Warner BroscoreOfficial licensee for Warner Bros brands including Looney Tunes, DC Super Heroes and Harry Potter. Offers high-quality Warner Bros licensed products.
- Star WarscoreOfficial licensee for Star Wars franchise bringing iconic characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Grogu into licensed products.
- MarvelcoreOfficial licensee for Marvel brands including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men and Doctor Strange. Focus on high-quality clothing collections.
- Hello KittycoreJulius Hüpeden holds license rights for Hello Kitty brand products as part of their licensed product portfolio.
- Lilo & StitchcoreJulius Hüpeden holds license rights for Lilo & Stitch brand products, enabling modern children's and lifestyle products.
- Spider-Man (Julius Hüpeden)coreJulius Hüpeden holds license rights for Spider-Man brand products as part of their diverse licensed product portfolio.
- BarbiecoreOfficial licensee for Barbie brand, part of the comprehensive licensing portfolio.
- Peppa PigcoreOfficial licensee for Peppa Pig brand, part of the children's licensing portfolio.
- SoniccoreOfficial licensee for Sonic the Hedgehog brand, part of the gaming-related licensing portfolio.
- Harry PottercoreOfficial licensee for Harry Potter brand through Warner Bros partnership.
- BatmancoreOfficial licensee for Batman brand through Warner Bros/DC partnership.
- PeanutscoreOfficial licensee for Peanuts brand including Snoopy characters.
- My Little PonycoreOfficial licensee for My Little Pony brand, part of Hasbro licensing.
- FriendscoreOfficial licensee for Friends TV series brand.
- amfori BSCIcoreMember of Business Social Compliance Initiative committed to fair and humane working conditions through regular audits, training and transparent processes.
- International AccordcoreSince 2013, participant in International Accord for health, safety and dignity in textile production with binding safety standards and independent factory inspections.
- OEKO-TEXcoreAll products certified according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, one of the strictest testing standards worldwide for harmful substances.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
KUPA Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Delta Galil Industries: Israel-based global manufacturer and wholesaler of intimate apparel, activewear, and engineered fabrics serving major retailers and brands worldwide. Comparable in intimate-apparel manufacturing (vs. chicca), licensing-driven kidswear, and global retail distribution.
- Takko Fashion: German discount apparel retailer/wholesaler with stores across Europe and an owned sourcing infrastructure. Comparable discount-segment apparel focus and European chain-retail customer overlap with KUPA's Distra subsidiary.
- Triumph International: Switzerland/Germany-headquartered global lingerie and intimate apparel manufacturer and wholesaler. Direct comparable to KUPA's chicca Body-Fashion subsidiary in intimate apparel manufacturing and retail-channel distribution.
- Hanesbrands Inc. US-listed global basic-apparel manufacturer and wholesaler (Hanes, Champion, Maidenform, Bonds) supplying mass and discount retailers worldwide. Comparable B2B apparel wholesale model serving large retail chains across multiple product categories.
- S.Oliver Group: German family-owned apparel group (s.Oliver, comma, LIEBE) wholesaling multiple brands to European retail chains. Closely comparable as a German family-owned multi-brand B2B apparel wholesale platform serving large retail accounts.
- Bestseller A/S: Danish family-owned multi-brand apparel wholesale group (Vero Moda, Jack & Jones, Only, Name It) selling to large European and US retail chains. Closely comparable business model — privately held, multi-brand European apparel wholesale for chain retailers.
- Li & Fung Limited: Hong Kong-headquartered global sourcing and brand-management group for apparel and consumer goods, supplying large retailers worldwide. Direct comparable to KUPA's wholesale apparel model and DVC's Asia sourcing infrastructure.
- L-Fashion Group (Luhta Sportswear Company): Finnish family-owned apparel group producing and wholesaling multiple brands (Luhta, Rukka, Icepeak, Torstai) to European retailers. Comparable vertically integrated wholesale apparel platform selling into large retail chains across Europe.
- Ahlers AG: German-listed apparel manufacturer and wholesaler producing menswear and branded apparel (Pioneer, Camel Active, Jupiter) for European retail chains. Direct comparable as a Germany-based B2B apparel wholesale platform with similar customer types.
Broad incumbents
- PVH Corp. US-listed global apparel company owning Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, with wholesale and licensing operations supplying large retailers. Broad incumbent with overlapping wholesale-apparel and licensing model, but at much larger scale and own-brand focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
KUPA Group social profiles
Digital presenceKUPA Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
KUPA Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KUPA Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
KUPA Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
KUPA Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KUPA Group 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 KUPA Group
What does KUPA Group do?
KUPA Group is a textile trading holding company that develops, produces, and delivers textile products for daily needs through its subsidiaries. The group supplies large retail chains across Europe and the United States with ladies', men's, baby and children's clothing, sportswear, lingerie and underwear, as well as licensed character products under major entertainment brands including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Warner Bros, and Universal.
Is KUPA Group a public or private company?
KUPA Group is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was KUPA Group founded?
KUPA Group was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is KUPA Group based?
KUPA Group is headquartered in Schwabach, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does KUPA Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Textile Trading and Production is the primary driver. The others are licensed Products, service Fees (NorisCon) and international Sourcing Services (DVC).
Who are KUPA Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Delta Galil Industries, Takko Fashion, Triumph International, Hanesbrands Inc., S.Oliver Group, Bestseller A/S, Li & Fung Limited, L-Fashion Group (Luhta Sportswear Company) and Ahlers AG. PVH Corp. is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does KUPA Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for KUPA Group.