Crayfish
Crayfish (operating as Krebser Thun) is a traditional Swiss retailer in Thun offering books, stationery, office supplies, office furniture, and printing services via a physical store and multiple specialized e-commerce storefronts. It serves Swiss SMBs, educational institutions, and individual consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1856
- HeadquartersThun, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Crayfish does
Crayfish operates as Krebser Thun, a traditional Swiss retail company headquartered at Bälliz 64, 3600 Thun, Switzerland, founded in 1856. The company runs a single physical store in Thun complemented by a portfolio of specialized e-commerce storefronts - the main krebser.ch shop plus Büromaterial-Shop, Print-Shop, Visitenkarten-Shop, and Stempel-Shop - operating exclusively within the Swiss domestic market. Its offering is a broad one-stop assortment spanning books (fiction, non-fiction, children's, educational), audiobooks, music and films, games and puzzles, calendars, papeterie, gifts, maps and globes, stationery and office supplies, office furniture, media technology, and custom printing services. The company employs 51-100 people and operates subsidiaries including Office Meier, Gallant, and Büro Keller, alongside a core publishing arm called Verlag Krebser.
The customer base is organized into three explicit segments: business customers (Firmenkunden) procuring office materials, furniture, and media technology; educational institutions including schools, libraries, and Swiss vocational programs (Berufsmaturität, BMS, Höhere Fachschulen); and individual consumers purchasing books, gifts, and leisure products. Crayfish supports the B2B segment with a 360° Büro concept bundling procurement, office furniture planning, and media technology installation, while individual consumers are served via the Goldkarte loyalty program and a Buch-Partner program for libraries and schools.
The business model is a hybrid unit-pricing retail model denominated in Swiss Francs, with disclosed price points ranging from CHF 14.90 to CHF 124.00 for books. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Differentiation rests on 170 years of operating heritage, an in-house publishing imprint producing Swiss-language and curriculum-specific titles, deep curation of Swiss vocational educational materials, and the breadth of its consolidated product range that allows it to function as a single procurement partner for Swiss SMBs and educational institutions rather than a narrow category specialist.
Crayfish firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crayfish
- Legal name
- Krebser Thun
- Website
- https://krebser.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1856
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Crayfish (operating as Krebser Thun) is a traditional Swiss retailer in Thun offering books, stationery, office supplies, office furniture, and printing services via a physical store and multiple specialized e-commerce storefronts. It serves Swiss SMBs, educational institutions, and individual consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Crayfish is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Thun
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Crayfish business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing for individual consumers |
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels3 records
Crayfish product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crayfish operates a multi-channel Swiss retail business selling books, stationery, office supplies, office furniture, media (films and music), and related school and leisure products. It also offers custom printing services, business cards, custom stamps, and office planning/consultation services under the 360° Büro concept, supported by its own publishing house (Verlag Krebser). The company serves both individual consumers and business/institutional customers through a physical store in Thun, a main online shop, and several specialized online storefronts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Büromaterial-Shop: Separate online shop for office supplies
- Print-Shop
- Verlag Krebser
- Buch-Partner
- Buch-Tipp
Products and services
- Main Online Shop (krebser.ch) Comprehensive online shop covering books, stationery, office supplies, office furniture, media technology, and printing services for both individual consumers and business customers in Switzerland.
- Büromaterial-Shop (B2B Office Materials Shop) Dedicated business materials shop for B2B customers, supporting office supplies procurement by companies and organizations with a B2B account login portal.
- Print-Shop (Custom Printing Services) Online printing services shop for business cards (Visitenkarten) and other custom print products for individual and business customers.
- Stempel-Shop (Custom Stamps) Custom stamp creation and ordering service operated through a dedicated online shop, primarily serving business customers.
- Physical Retail Store (Thun) Walk-in retail store at Bälliz 64, 3600 Thun offering books, stationery, office supplies, gifts, and related products, also serving as a pickup point for online orders.
- Verlag Krebser (In-house Publishing) In-house publishing house producing books and educational/specialty publications as part of Krebser Thun's offering.
- 360° Büro (Office Planning and Media Technology Consultation) Office furniture planning and consultation service combined with media technology installation, offered to business customers as part of the 360° Büro concept.
- Buch-Partner (Library and School Book Partnership Program) Partnership program for libraries and schools offering access to books and educational materials, supporting textbook and curriculum procurement for educational institutions.
- Buch-Tipp (Book Recommendation Service) Curated book recommendation service to help customers identify titles of interest across Crayfish's book assortment.
Companies that use Crayfish
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Crayfish technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Crayfish partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Crayfish competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Amazon Switzerland: Global e-commerce incumbent with full Swiss marketplace operations selling books, office supplies, and media. Competes directly with Krebser across the entire product range on price, assortment, and delivery speed, with overwhelming scale advantage.
- Thalia: Major German-speaking European bookstore chain with growing Swiss retail presence. Comparable as a multi-category book and gift retailer operating physical and digital channels in the same addressable Swiss market, but with substantially larger scale and broader assortment.
- Manor: Switzerland's largest department store chain with a meaningful books, stationery, and gift category in physical stores and online. Comparable as a multi-category Swiss omni-channel retailer with nationwide physical footprint, competing for the same gift and book consumer spend.
Direct peers
- Orell Füssli: Largest Swiss bookstore chain operating physical stores and online across Switzerland. Directly comparable to Krebser as a multi-format Swiss book and stationery retailer serving both retail consumers and educational/business customers, but with significantly greater scale.
- Payot Librairie: Historic Swiss bookstore chain particularly strong in French-speaking Switzerland. Directly comparable as a multi-channel Swiss book and stationery retailer with similar educational-vertical focus and long heritage positioning.
- Ex Libris: Swiss bookstore chain owned by Orell Füssli that competes directly in the same Swiss retail book and gift market. Comparable product mix, customer base, and educational/institutional channel strategy as Krebser, with broader nationwide footprint.
- Stauffacher Verlag / Buchhandlung: Historic Swiss bookshop and publisher based in Bern with focus on Swiss topics, educational titles, and curated non-fiction. Comparable to Krebser's blend of retail bookselling and own publishing (Verlag Krebser), serving similar Swiss-curious and educational audiences.
- Office World: Swiss office supplies and stationery retailer serving both consumers and B2B customers with multi-channel operations. Closely comparable to Krebser's Büromaterial offering and educational/government procurement use cases, operating in the same Swiss market.
Emerging players
- Brack: Swiss online retailer specializing in office supplies, IT, and electronics with strong B2B catalog and competitive pricing. Comparable to Krebser's e-commerce and B2B office-supply operations, with greater scale and broader assortment.
- Galaxus: Switzerland's largest online marketplace operated by Digitec, with a growing office-supplies and media category. Comparable as a multi-category Swiss online retailer competing for the same discretionary book and office-supply spend, though with vastly broader assortment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Crayfish social profiles
Digital presenceCrayfish financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crayfish leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Crayfish subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Crayfish funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crayfish 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 Crayfish
What does Crayfish do?
Crayfish operates a multi-channel Swiss retail business selling books, stationery, office supplies, office furniture, media (films and music), and related school and leisure products. It also offers custom printing services, business cards, custom stamps, and office planning/consultation services under the 360° Büro concept, supported by its own publishing house (Verlag Krebser). The company serves both individual consumers and business/institutional customers through a physical store in Thun, a main online shop, and several specialized online storefronts.
Is Crayfish a public or private company?
Crayfish is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Crayfish founded?
Crayfish was founded in 1856. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Crayfish based?
Crayfish is headquartered in Thun, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
Who are Crayfish's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Amazon Switzerland, Thalia and Manor. Direct peers are Orell Füssli, Payot Librairie, Ex Libris, Stauffacher Verlag / Buchhandlung and Office World. Emerging players are Brack and Galaxus.
Does Crayfish have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crayfish.