SHK
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersBruchsal, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
SHK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SHK
- Legal name
- SHK eG
- Website
- https://shknet.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SHK industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Cooperative Services (HVAC)
- NAICS
- Other Services (except Public Administration) (81)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops (CRAHALAE)
Keywords
Where SHK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bruchsal
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
SHK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Fees and Shareholder Returns: SHK operates as a cooperative. Member tradespeople join as shareholders (Gesellschafter) of the SHK Kommanditgesellschaft. Members pay no joining fee initially (beitragsfrei). They receive annual bonus payouts (Bonusausschüttung) on centrally regulated purchasing volume, profit distributions (Gewinnausschüttungen), and interest on their capital share (Kapitalverzinsung). Revenue for SHK is derived from the pooled purchasing volume and supplier partner contributions.
- Centralised Purchasing (Zentraler Einkauf) - Volume-based Rebates: SHK bundles purchasing volume from its ~1,200+ member companies to negotiate better conditions with supplier partners. Rebates and volume-based bonuses are returned to members. SHK retains a portion through its cooperative structure.
- Member Services and Consulting Fees: SHK generates revenue from paid member services including: architecture/room design services (Innenarchitektur-Service), seminars and training (including the 'Diplom Badgestalter' at €3,490–€3,990), legal advice hotline (first 10 minutes free, then charged), and various consulting services. These are offered to members and sometimes non-members at preferential rates.
- Supplier Partner Fees: Supplier partners pay to be listed and participate in SHK's network, gaining access to 1,200+ member businesses. They benefit from coordinated marketing, presence at SHK events, and distribution support through the SHK field sales force (Außendienst).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SHK-Innenarchitektur-Service: Concept design, exhibit check, and coordination services |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | SHK-Fachstudium Diplom Badgestalter: 6-day professional development programme |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Online Seminar: Arbeitsrecht (Employment Law Basics) |
| Other | Annual | Employee position: Mediengestalter Bild und Ton (media graphic) at SHK headquarters |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
SHK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SHK eG operates as a cooperative (Genossenschaft) that pools the purchasing volume of approximately 1,258 independent sanitary, heating, and air conditioning (SHK) tradespeople across Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg. The cooperative delivers centralised purchasing and invoicing through the SEP portal and Zentralregulierung, two national brand programmes (DIE BAD- & HEIZUNGSGESTALTER and MEISTER DER ELEMENTE), professional training and consulting services, marketing assets, and a community-driven networking infrastructure including ERFA groups and annual congresses. Members receive annual bonus payouts, profit distributions, and capital interest in exchange for joining as shareholders of the SHK-Kommanditgesellschaft.
Product overview
SHK eG operates as a cooperative network organization for the sanitary, heating, and air conditioning (SHK) trade in Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg. The offering consists of a platform-plus-services model built around the Service- und Einkaufsportal (SEP) as the central digital hub, which integrates the SHK-Cockpit and Marketingportal. Two brand programs—DIE BAD- & HEIZUNGSGESTALTER and MEISTER DER ELEMENTE—provide members with professional marketing identities. Additional modules include the SHK 9004 Zertifizierung, Zentralregulierung for central invoicing, Diplom Badgestalter Seminar for professional development, the SHK-Campus for in-person training events, SHK-Innenarchitektur-Service for showroom planning, and Tankabkommen and Fahrzeugkauf for operational cost savings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DIE BAD- & HEIZUNGSGESTALTER: Brand program for bathroom and heating design services offered to SHK members
- MEISTER DER ELEMENTE
- das SEP.
- SHK-Cockpit
Products and services
- Service- und Einkaufsportal (SEP)
Quantifiable outcome
- €8.9 million in record bonus distribution to members in 2022
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use SHK
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SHK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature6 records
SHK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
33 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ARAL & SHELL (Tankkarten partnership)coreSHK eG has a framework agreement (Rahmenabkommen) with ARAL and SHELL providing SHK members with discounted fuel through SHK fuel cards. Members order fuel cards through SHK and receive consolidated monthly billing.
- HSK DuschkabinenbaucoreHSK Duschkabinenbau is the longest-serving supplier partner of SHK eG, with 30 years of partnership (recognised at SHK-Jahreskongress 2023). HSK won the Best Partner Award 2025 and 2026. HSK presents at SHK Winterseminar and Marken-Tag events, and participates in SHK supplier fairs.
- Buderus (Bosch Thermotechnology)coreBuderus is a leading heating technology brand within the SHK supplier partner network. Buderus won 2nd place (2025) and 3rd place (2026) in the Best Partner Awards. Presents at SHK Winterseminar and Jahreskongress events.
- Paradigma (Ritter Energie)coreParadigma, presented by Ritter Energie, is a SHK supplier partner specialising in renewable heating solutions. Won the Lieferantenpartner Award 2024 and presents at SHK Winterseminar and Jahreskongress with topics on heat pump systems and the 'Hafenmeister-Prinzip' business model.
- perma-trade Wassertechnikcoreperma-trade Wassertechnik won 2nd place in the Best Partner Award 2025 and was a top-3 winner in the 2024 live voting. Specialises in drinking water treatment solutions.
- MaincorminorMaincor is a SHK supplier partner. Won 3rd place in the Best Partner Award 2026. Participates in SHK supplier fairs and events.
- HansaminorHansa joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024, contributing to the 16 new partners added that year.
- tado GmbHminortado GmbH (smart climate control) joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024.
- MHG HeiztechnikminorMHG Heiztechnik joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024.
- Der BlaueminorDer Blaue joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024. Specialises in heating technology products.
- PhysiothermminorPhysiotherm joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024.
- Olympia CeramicaminorOlympia Ceramica joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024.
- Reflex (Reflex Winkelmann)minorReflex joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024, specialising in water treatment and pressure maintenance systems.
- StoberminorStober joined as a new SHK supplier partner in 2024.
- FIMA Carlo FrattinicoreFIMA Carlo Frattini won the Lieferantenpartner Award 2024 via live member voting. A leading Italian bathroom fittings brand presented at SHK Winterseminar and supplier fairs.
- ServiCon (Serviceteam)coreServiCon is a SHK service partner providing business services to members. SHK cooperated with ServiCon to offer online seminars on employment law (Arbeitsrecht) and other professional development topics.
- PASCHEN Rechtsanwälte (Law Firm)coreSHK partnered with PASCHEN Rechtsanwälte, specifically employment law specialist Jürgen Baumeister, to provide members with legal advice hotline services (first 10 minutes free) and online seminars on employment law topics.
- Deutsche BankminorDeutsche Bank participates in the SHK-Campus Power Zone, providing personal consultations to SHK members during the annual congress.
- Handwerkskammer KarlsruheminorHandwerkskammer Karlsruhe participates in the SHK-Campus Power Zone at the annual congress, providing advisory services to SHK members.
- ARFMANN Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbHminorARFMANN Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft provided a specialist lecture on business succession (Unternehmensnachfolge) at the SHK-Kongress 2026.
- LeadingSystems (Isi Pasic)minorLeadingSystems presented on 'KI und die Weisheit der Vielen' (AI and collective wisdom) at the SHK-Kongress 2026.
- JS-BikesminorJS-Bikes participated in the SHK-Campus Power Zone and experience areas at the SHK-Kongress 2026.
- VorwerkminorVorwerk participated in the SHK-Campus Power Zone and experience areas at the SHK-Kongress 2026.
- LudwigGrillminorLudwigGrill participated in the SHK-Campus experience areas at the SHK-Kongress 2026.
- Heli Seven GroupminorHeli Seven Group provided helicopter sightseeing flights over the region for congress attendees at the SHK-Kongress 2026.
- Fachgrosshändler (Trade Wholesalers)coreSHK's SEP platform integrates ordering from listed and non-listed supplier partners as well as trade wholesalers (Fachgrosshändler), providing members with a comprehensive purchasing channel.
- Mercura (Lukas Bock, Founder)minorLukas Bock, founder of the start-up Mercura, led a workshop on Artificial Intelligence (KI) applications in SHK trade businesses at the SHK-Jahreskongress 2025.
- Konny Reimann & Manu ReimannminorKonny Reimann (famous German TV handyman) participated in the 'Sabbelstunde' talk event at SHK-Kongress 2026, sharing personal stories and insights. His cowboy boots were auctioned for charity during the event.
- AfterCooking (Jonas Holland)minorJonas Holland (performing as AfterCooking) delivered an exceptional live performance at the Get-together event of the SHK-Kongress 2026.
- DMT - Das MittelstandsteamcoreDMT is a SHK service partner specialising in business consulting for tradespeople. Offers seminars on employer attractiveness, construction planning, KPIs, New Work, and business succession. SHK members receive exclusive discounts.
- Haufe AkademiecoreHaufe Akademie is one of the most well-known training providers in Germany. SHK members receive 10% discount on all courses (26 topic areas). SHK provides a cooperative member number through the SHK-Cockpit for booking.
- AfterCooking (Jonas Holland)minorSHK's event team, including Johannes Heise in marketing and communications, supports and coordinates partner participation at SHK events and produces event content.
- Guarant Bad + Haus (ZEV Joint Venture)coreSHK eG and Garant Bad + Haus jointly operate the ZEV (Zentralregulierung und Einkauf Verbund). The ZEV-Messe (held in Hamburg 2022 with ~700 guests and 70 stands) is the joint flagship event. Together, ZEV encompasses approximately 2,000 member businesses.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SHK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- MEG Maler-Einkauf-Genossenschaft: German cooperative purchasing organisation for the painter trade. Uses the same Genossenschaft cooperative model as SHK but targets a different trade vertical — a useful structural comparable for the cooperative model itself.
Direct peers
- ZEG Zentraleinkauf Bau und Handel: German central buying cooperative for independent building materials and sanitary/heating retailers. Operates a comparable cooperative purchasing and member services model targeting tradespeople-adjacent businesses.
- DEHA Group: German sanitary and heating buying group serving independent tradespeople. Directly comparable model: pooled purchasing, supplier partnerships, and member services for SHK trade businesses, though with different ownership structure.
- AHRENS + STEINBACH Handelsgesellschaft: German buying group for sanitary, heating, and plumbing tradespeople. Operates comparable purchasing and service offerings for independent SHK businesses, serving as a peer competitor for member acquisition.
- Garant Bad + Haus: German trade cooperative for sanitary/heating tradespeople and the direct ZEV joint venture partner of SHK. Operates a near-identical member service and centralised purchasing model in the same SHK vertical, making it the closest comparable peer.
Broad incumbents
- Nordwest Handel AG: German central purchasing and service cooperative for the building and sanitary trades. Operates a similar cooperative purchasing and member support model for tradespeople, though at a broader scale and with different geographic focus.
- Hagebau: One of Germany's largest trade cooperatives for building materials and DIY. Operates a similar cooperative purchasing model but across a broader construction trade portfolio (including timber, tiles, and tools) rather than specialising in SHK.
- EUROBAUSTOFF: German trade cooperative for building materials with a similar cooperative purchasing and member services model. Broader scope (covers multiple trades beyond SHK) but uses analogous pooled purchasing and supplier partnership mechanisms.
- GC-Gruppe (Cordes & Graefe): Leading German sanitary, heating, and plumbing wholesale group serving tradespeople. Operates a comparable distribution and partner network model, though structured as a wholesaler rather than a member cooperative.
Regional players
- Travo-Dienstleistungs GmbH: Austrian trade cooperative serving craftsmen and tradespeople with purchasing, marketing, and service offerings. Comparable model to SHK Austria, with potential overlap in the Austrian SHK member segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SHK social profiles
Digital presenceSHK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SHK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
SHK subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
SHK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SHK 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 SHK
What does SHK do?
SHK eG operates as a cooperative (Genossenschaft) that pools the purchasing volume of approximately 1,258 independent sanitary, heating, and air conditioning (SHK) tradespeople across Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg. The cooperative delivers centralised purchasing and invoicing through the SEP portal and Zentralregulierung, two national brand programmes (DIE BAD- & HEIZUNGSGESTALTER and MEISTER DER ELEMENTE), professional training and consulting services, marketing assets, and a community-driven networking infrastructure including ERFA groups and annual congresses. Members receive annual bonus payouts, profit distributions, and capital interest in exchange for joining as shareholders of the SHK-Kommanditgesellschaft.
Is SHK a public or private company?
SHK is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was SHK founded?
SHK was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is SHK based?
SHK is headquartered in Bruchsal, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SHK make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees and Shareholder Returns are the primary driver. The others are centralised Purchasing (Zentraler Einkauf) - Volume-based Rebates, member Services and Consulting Fees and supplier Partner Fees.
Who are SHK's main competitors?
MEG Maler-Einkauf-Genossenschaft is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are ZEG Zentraleinkauf Bau und Handel, DEHA Group, AHRENS + STEINBACH Handelsgesellschaft and Garant Bad + Haus. Broad incumbents are Nordwest Handel AG, Hagebau, EUROBAUSTOFF and GC-Gruppe (Cordes & Graefe). Travo-Dienstleistungs GmbH is listed as a regional player.
Does SHK have an API?
No public API is recorded for SHK.
What industry is SHK in?
SHK's product category is Trade Cooperative Services (HVAC). Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHALAE, Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops. Its NAICS code is 81.