Medikamente Die Grenze

What Medikamente Die Grenze does

Medikamente Die Grenze is a privately-held Dutch discount retail chain headquartered in Oldenzaal, Netherlands, operating 75+ physical stores distributed across the country, from major cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Groningen and Maastricht to smaller towns including Borculo, Coevorden, Dinxperlo and Dedemsvaart. The company was founded in 2007 by Bert Hesselink and currently employs 1,001-5,000 people. Its commercial proposition centers on selling surplus, remainder and last-season branded consumer goods (personal care items such as shampoo, confectionery such as chocolate, and a rotating assortment of surprise general merchandise) at markdowns of up to 80% off normal retail prices.

The business model is fundamentally procurement-led: Die Grenze buys surplus stock, rest quantities and end-of-trend inventory from brand owners at favorable unit costs and passes the discount through to a price-conscious Dutch consumer base via in-store shopping only. There is no e-commerce channel; customers visit physical stores, with demand stimulated by weekly promotional folders (physical and digital), local store presence and social media engagement. Distribution relies exclusively on the 75+ storefront network across a single country. Underlying technology is non-strategic: the corporate website runs on standard WordPress/Elementor, there is no proprietary mobile application, and there are no disclosed integrations, APIs or AI capabilities.

Revenue is generated entirely through one-time retail merchandise sales at the till, with unit-style pricing per item and rotating promotional markdowns. The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries and no reported mergers or acquisitions. A strategic partnership with Too Good To Go extends the merchandising flywheel into surplus food and supports a sustainability positioning around food waste reduction. Ownership, financial statements, and detailed company history beyond the 2007 founding year are not disclosed in publicly available source material.

Name

Medikamente Die Grenze

Legal name

Medikamente die Grenze

Website

https://diegrenze.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Medikamente Die Grenze is a Dutch discount retail chain operating 75+ physical stores across the Netherlands, selling surplus, remainder and last-season branded consumer goods (personal care, food, general merchandise) at markdowns of up to 80% to price-conscious Dutch consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Discount Drugstore Retail

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110)

akta.pro primary industry

General Closeout & Liquidation Stores (CRAEAFAA)

Keywords

• Discount retail chain
• Drugstore products
• Branded consumer goods
• Physical storefront
• Surplus inventory sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Oldenzaal

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail merchandise sales: Revenue is generated through selling discounted consumer products (shampoo, chocolate, and other everyday items) at physical retail stores across the Netherlands. The business model relies on purchasing surplus inventory, rest quantities, and last-season trends at favorable prices, then passing savings to customers with markdowns up to 80%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Die Grenze is a Dutch discount retail chain that sells branded consumer products—including personal care items, cosmetics, food products, and everyday household goods—at discounts up to 80% off regular retail prices. The company sources surplus inventory, rest quantities, and last-season trends at favorable prices and resells them through 75+ physical stores across the Netherlands, supported by weekly promotional folders.

Product overview

Medikamente Die Grenze is a Dutch discount retail chain operating 75+ physical stores throughout the Netherlands. The company offers brand-name products including personal care items (shampoo), food products (chocolate), and general merchandise at discounted prices up to 80% off. Their business model relies on smart purchasing, surplus inventory, and remaining trends to provide affordable options to consumers. The company publishes weekly promotional flyers (folders) and partners with Too Good To Go for food waste reduction initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discounted Branded Consumer Goods A rotating assortment of top-brand consumer products—including personal care items such as shampoo, cosmetics, perfumes and deodorants, plus food items such as chocolate—sold in physical Die Grenze stores at discounts up to 80% off regular retail prices, targeted at price-conscious Dutch consumers.
• Too Good To Go Surprise Bags Surplus food packages sold through the Too Good To Go platform at Die Grenze store locations, allowing near-expiry or excess food products to be resold at discounted prices to reduce food waste.
• Weekly Promotional Folder Weekly flyer—available digitally on diegrenze.nl and in printed form at stores—listing the current week's discounted products, surprise offers, and limited-time deals across the chain's 75+ Dutch stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 80% discount on branded products compared to regular retail prices

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Too Good To GominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDie Grenze partners with Too Good To Go to combat food waste by offering surplus food products through their stores. This partnership allows products that would otherwise go to waste to receive a second chance, contributing to sustainability goals while providing additional product variety to customers.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wibra: Dutch variety store chain selling household goods, personal care, and textiles at low prices with a focus on smaller-town locations. Highly comparable to Die Grenze's small-town Dutch footprint and discount positioning.
• Big Bazar: Dutch variety/discount retailer offering a broad mix of household, personal care, and food items at aggressive price points. Directly comparable to Die Grenze in customer base, store format, and assortment strategy within the Netherlands.
• Trekpleister: Dutch drugstore chain under the same owner group as Kruidvat, offering health, beauty, and personal care products at discount prices. Comparable to Die Grenze's drugstore-adjacent positioning in the Dutch personal-care value segment.
• Kruidvat: Dutch drugstore chain selling personal care, health, beauty, and household items at value price points. Comparable to Die Grenze given the drugstore-style positioning implied by the 'Medikamente' name and the personal-care assortment (shampoo, deodorants).
• Action: Dutch-headquartered non-food discount retailer operating thousands of stores across Europe. Closest direct competitor to Die Grenze, with a similar surprise-assortment, deep-discount value proposition targeted at price-conscious European consumers.

Broad incumbents

• HEMA: Dutch variety/department store chain offering everyday household, personal care, and food items at accessible prices. Comparable to Die Grenze through its Dutch nationwide physical footprint and value-positioning, though HEMA carries its own private-label brand.
• Aldi: German discount supermarket group with national Dutch coverage. Competes for the same price-sensitive Dutch consumer and is expanding non-food assortments that increasingly overlap with discount specialists like Die Grenze.
• Lidl: German-headquartered discount supermarket with significant Dutch presence. Overlaps with Die Grenze on price-conscious consumer base and discount positioning, though Lidl's assortment is food-led versus Die Grenze's broader non-food mix.

Others

• Too Good To Go: Food-waste marketplace partner of Die Grenze. While not a competitor, Too Good To Go is an ecosystem participant that extends Die Grenze's surplus-assortment reach and sustainability positioning beyond in-store channels.

Regional players

• Holland & Barrett: Health-food and supplement retailer with a Dutch presence. Comparable to Die Grenze's vitamin/supplement and personal-care assortment, though Holland & Barrett operates as a specialty health retailer rather than a general discount chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/diegrenze_nl
• Facebookfacebook.com/medikamentediegrenze
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medikamente-die-grenze

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Medikamente Die Grenze