What Karst does

Karst Baustoffe GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held, family-owned retail hardware and building materials business headquartered in Kronach, Germany, operating since 1925. The company runs a multi-format retail platform on a single Kronach site, comprising a full-range Hagebaumarkt DIY and home improvement store, a specialized Floraland garden center, and a Baustoffe-Drive-In bulk building materials pickup service, with a dedicated HagebauProfi division serving professional tradespeople. The company employs approximately 50 people and is ranked among the Top-20 Hagebaumarkt stores within the Hagebau cooperative network in Germany.

The business monetizes primarily through retail sales of building materials, hardware, garden products, tools, and home improvement goods, supplemented by value-added services including delivery, tool rental, custom cutting, financing, and a Partner-Card loyalty program offering a 3% instant discount. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for individual products. The customer base is split between individual DIY consumers and homeowners (primary segment) and professional builders/tradespeople served through the HagebauProfi division. The company also generates ancillary engagement through an on-site bakery (Bäckerei Stengel), an on-site food service outlet (Foodbox), and a sustainability partnership with Stiftung 'Wir helfen dem Wald' that plants a tree for every Google review (1,287+ trees planted to date).

The go-to-market is a direct-to-consumer physical retail model complemented by the Hagebau digital ecosystem, including the Hagebau mobile app (iOS/Android), the hagebau.de online marketplace, the Partner-Card loyalty program, and Superchat-managed WhatsApp/email communications. The current managing directors/owners are Julia Karst and Eric Bienlein-Karst. Karst operates exclusively within the domestic German market (Bavaria) and discloses no external institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Karst

Legal name

Karst Baustoffe GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://www.karst.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Karst is a family-owned German hardware and building materials retailer founded in 1925 in Kronach, operating a Hagebaumarkt DIY store, Floraland garden center, and Baustoffe-Drive-In bulk materials service serving DIY consumers and professional tradespeople, ranked Top-20 in the Hagebau cooperative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kronach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales of Building Materials and Home Improvement Products: Revenue is generated through retail sales of building materials, hardware, garden products, and home improvement goods across multiple formats: the main Hagebaumarkt, the Floraland garden center, and the Baustoffe-Drive-In bulk materials service. The company also offers services including financing, delivery, cutting services, and tool rental, which contribute additional revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Karst operates a full-service hardware and building materials retail business in Kronach, Germany, under the Hagebaumarkt cooperative brand. The company sells DIY products, construction materials, tools, hardware, garden supplies, and household goods across a main Hagebaumarkt store, a dedicated garden center (Floraland), and a drive-in bulk materials service. It also serves professional tradespeople through a dedicated HagebauProfi division and offers ancillary services including delivery, cutting, tool rental, and financing.

Product overview

Karst is a traditional German DIY retailer and building materials company operating as part of the Hagebaumarkt network. The company offers a unified retail platform centered on its main Hagebaumarkt hardware store, supplemented by two specialized sub-brands: Floraland (garden center) and the Baustoffe-Drive-In (building materials pickup service). The product portfolio encompasses building materials, timber, tiles and sanitary ware, paint, electrical products, tools, and hardware. Additional offerings include a loyalty program (Partner-Card), a mobile application, and apprenticeship training programs. The company positions itself as a full-service provider for both DIY enthusiasts and professional contractors, with approximately 50 employees serving the Kronach region since 1925.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Floraland: Garden center specialty store operated as part of the KARST retail operations
• Baustoffe-Drive-In
• Hagebaumarkt
• Partner-Card

Products and services

• Hagebaumarkt Kronach Full-service DIY and home improvement retail store in Kronach offering building materials, tools, hardware, paint, tiles, sanitary, electrical products, and expert advice for DIY projects and professional contractors. Spans departments including Holz & Bauelemente, Fließen & Sanitär, Farben & Haushalt, Elektroabteilung, and Werkzeug & Eisenwaren.
• Floraland Gartenfachmarkt Specialized garden center offering plants, garden supplies, garden furniture, and garden technology including irrigation systems, targeted at garden enthusiasts and homeowners.
• Baustoffe-Drive-In Building materials drive-in service that allows customers to pick up bulk construction materials quickly without leaving their vehicle or entering the main store.
• Hagebaumarkt Partner-Card Loyalty card program offering a 3% instant discount on purchases, no card fees, no minimum spend, and up to three free additional cards for family and friends.
• HagebauProfi Trade Division Dedicated professional trade division within Karst providing building materials, hardware, and services for professional builders, tradespeople, and construction companies requiring reliable supply chains and bulk procurement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top-20 Hagebaumarkt in Germany by revenue and performance within the Hagebau cooperative network.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hagebau (Cooperative / Brand Franchise)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKarst operates as a Hagebaumarkt franchise under the Hagebau cooperative. This franchise gives Karst access to the Hagebau brand, centralized procurement, the Hagebaumarkt Partner-Card program, the Hagebau App, the hagebau.de online marketplace, and shared marketing and catalog resources. The relationship is the core of Karst's business model.
• Stiftung 'Wir helfen dem Wald' – Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald, Landesverband Bayern e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive sustainability partnership in which Karst plants a tree for every Google review received. Trees are planted annually in Bavaria with GPS coordinates published for transparency. The partnership supports regional environmental and climate protection efforts.
• Foodbox (On-site Catering)minorOthersA food service outlet located on Karst's premises, offering meals and refreshments to customers and employees.
• Bäckerei Stengel (On-site Bakery)minorOthersA bakery outlet located on Karst's premises, providing fresh baked goods to customers and staff.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hornbach: Hornbach is one of Germany's largest home improvement and DIY retailers with a national network of large-format stores. It competes directly with Karst's Hagebaumarkt offering but operates at significantly greater scale with a broader assortment and more aggressive pricing.
• OBI: OBI is a major German and European home improvement chain with hundreds of stores. It directly competes with Karst in the DIY and home improvement segment, offering building materials, tools, garden products, and services across both consumer and trade customers.
• Bauhaus: Bauhaus is a leading European home improvement and DIY retailer with a strong presence in Germany. It operates large-format stores similar to Karst's Hagebaumarkt but with national reach, broader assortments, and dedicated trade-customer services.
• toom Baumarkt: toom is a German home improvement chain owned by the Rewe Group, operating over 300 stores nationwide. It competes directly with Karst offering building materials, garden products, and DIY supplies through a similar cooperative-style retail model.
• Hellweg Die Profi-Baumärkte: Hellweg is a German home improvement chain with around 200 stores, focusing on both DIY consumers and professional tradespeople. Its Profi-Service offering directly parallels Karst's HagebauProfi division.
• Globus Baumarkt: Globus Baumarkt is a German home improvement chain with around 100 stores, offering building materials, DIY products, and garden supplies. It competes with Karst in the mid-market DIY segment with a similar cooperative-driven model.

Others

• Hagebau (Cooperative): Hagebau is the central cooperative franchise network that Karst operates under. While not a direct competitor, it serves as the closest ecosystem partner and provides the e-commerce platform (hagebau.de), loyalty program (Partner-Card), and procurement infrastructure that Karst relies on.

Emerging players

• Westfalia Versand: Westfalia is a German specialty retailer focused on tools, equipment, and DIY products. While it has a broader geographical reach through catalogs and online, it competes with Karst on the tools and hardware category specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Karst.Hagebau.Kronach
• Instagraminstagram.com/hagebaumarkt_kronach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Karst