What Raffaele does

Raffaele S.p.A. (Gruppo Raffaele) is a fourth-generation, family-owned Italian distribution and retail group headquartered in Lamezia Terme and Maida, Calabria, founded by Giuseppe Raffaele in 1935 as a blacksmith workshop trading ferrous materials. The group operates through four wholly-owned sub-brands: Pronto Hobby (a chain of 7 DIY retail stores across Calabria offering tools, building materials, household items, and home-delivery for bulky goods), Habitami (a renovation and design platform with a 2,200 sqm showroom, a Centro Imprese for trade professionals, and an Academy for certified training), Pronto Home (a furniture and home décor retail concept launched in 2022), and Fernoi (a B2B logistics and distribution hub serving retailers and professionals across southern Italy). The company serves three concurrent customer segments — private DIY consumers, professional builders and contractors, and retail resellers — through a hybrid model that combines physical retail, wholesale agents, an in-person business center, and an e-commerce B2B portal.

The technical backbone of the group is the Fernoi distribution center in Pianopoli: a 22,000 sqm warehouse on a 70,000 sqm site equipped with an Industry 4.0 Warehouse Management System, six vertical warehouses enabling simultaneous picking of 36 orders, semi-automatic forklift navigation reaching 11 meters in height, automated vehicle and laser-optical scanners, and an online B2B portal with QR-code catalog integration (2025). Fernoi manages 45,000 product references across 18 categories and processes approximately 400 orders per day under a 24–48 hour delivery guarantee. The company complements this infrastructure with 4,140 photovoltaic panels producing 62% of internal electricity (1,123,760 kWh annually, 594,000 kg CO₂ avoided) and an in-house training Academy issuing nationally recognized professional certifications.

Revenue mechanics span one-time retail and showroom purchases (Pronto Hobby, Pronto Home, Habitami Showroom), transaction-fee wholesale distribution through 30 agents nationwide and 22 Fernoi agents across Calabria, Campania, Sardegna, Puglia, Basilicata, and Sicilia, and ongoing B2B logistics contracts. The company employs 250 people at the retail/holding level and 300+ across business units, is privately held with no parent company or external investors, and is GDPR-compliant. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no revenue figure has been disclosed.

Name

Raffaele

Legal name

Raffaele S.p.A.

Website

https://raffaelespa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Raffaele S.p.A. is a fourth-generation Italian family-owned distribution group operating DIY retail stores (Pronto Hobby), home furnishings (Pronto Home), renovation showrooms and training (Habitami), and B2B logistics (Fernoi), serving consumers, contractors, and resellers across Calabria and southern Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Maida

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales (Pronto Hobby): Brick-and-mortar retail sales through 6 Pronto Hobby stores in Calabria, offering DIY products, building materials, tools, and home improvement items directly to consumers.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale distribution through a network of 30 agents operating nationwide, serving professional customers in the construction, tools, and building materials sectors.
3. B2B Logistics (Fernoi): B2B logistics and distribution services for retailers and professionals across southern Italy, with 22 agents and 45,000 product references in 18 categories.
4. Showroom and Design Services (Habitami): Premium showroom experience for interior design, renovation, and construction solutions targeting both private homeowners and construction professionals.
5. Furniture and Home Decor (Pronto Home): Furniture and home decor retail through Pronto Home store, offering curated collections from brands like Bizzotto, Enzo De Gasperi, and Mauro Ferretti.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Raffaele SPA is a multi-brand retail and wholesale distribution group selling DIY products, building materials, tools, home furnishings, and renovation supplies. Through Pronto Hobby (7 retail stores), Habitami (showroom, business center for professionals, and training academy), Pronto Home (furniture), and Fernoi (B2B logistics with 45,000 SKUs across 18 categories), the group serves both individual consumers undertaking home improvement and trade professionals across Southern Italy.

Product overview

Raffaele SPA is a family-owned retail and wholesale distribution group founded in 1935, operating in the home improvement, DIY, and construction materials sector across Calabria and Southern Italy. The group operates through a multi-brand portfolio: Pronto Hobby (7 DIY retail stores), Habitami (renovation and design platform with Showroom, Centro Imprese, and Academy divisions), Pronto Home (home furnishings), and Fernoi (B2B wholesale logistics hub serving 45,000+ product references). With approximately 300 employees and 250 additional workers across its business units, the company serves both private consumers and trade professionals across architecture, construction, and home improvement sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pronto Hobby: DIY retail brand covering the entire brico (do-it-yourself) sector, offering products for indoor and outdoor environments with technical assistance and home delivery for bulky items.
• Habitami
• Pronto Home
• Fernoi

Products and services

• Pronto Hobby
• Habitami
• Pronto Home
• Fernoi B2B Distribution

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% of electricity self-produced through 4,140 photovoltaic panels, avoiding 594,000 kg CO2 emissions annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Università della Calabria (Unical)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2021University students visit Fernoi logistics center for educational purposes. Collaboration between academia and industry for logistics training and potential future recruitment.
• Confindustria CatanzarominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2021Local employers' association providing support and collaboration for Fernoi's innovation initiatives and industry partnerships.
• Logicà (Bologna)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Consulting firm that collaborated with Raffaele since 2007 on technology implementation. Key partner in Fernoi's innovation journey including WMS selection and Industry 4.0 technologies.
• Uni SistemicoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware company that developed the WMS (Warehouse Management System) for Fernoi's automated logistics operations.
• Poste ItalianeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpecial philatelic cancellation provided for the bronze monument donation ceremony, creating commemorative stamps for the event.
• Raffaele Lamezia PallavolominorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor of men's and women's volleyball teams. Company logo and name prominently displayed on team uniforms and at events.
• Istituto Superiore Polo Tecnologico Industriale e Artigianale Avanzato - Carlo Rambaldi (Lamezia Terme)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical school partnership for student visits and work experience programs, connecting education with industry practice.
• Fondo EstminorOthersSupplementary health insurance fund providing coverage for Raffaele employees under the welfare program.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brico io: Italian DIY cooperative aggregating independent hardware and bricolage retailers. Closest peer in terms of multi-format model combining retail and distribution, with a shared emphasis on serving trade professionals and smaller resellers comparable to Fernoi's customer base.
• Bricoman Italia: Pro-oriented DIY and construction materials retailer, also part of Adeo Group. Most directly comparable to Raffaele's Habitami Centro Imprese and Fernoi B2B offering — serving builders and tradespeople with bulk building materials, technical assistance, and project-based sales.
• Rossetto Group: Italian family-owned home improvement and DIY distribution group operating multiple retail banners across Veneto and northern Italy. Highly comparable multi-format strategy (DIY stores plus wholesale distribution) similar to Raffaele's Pronto Hobby plus Fernoi model.

Regional players

• Brico Bravo: Italian regional DIY and home improvement chain with a comparable mid-market assortment to Pronto Hobby. Competes in southern Italy with similar store size and product mix, providing a closer regional benchmark than the national incumbents.
• Mr.Bricolage Italia: Italian arm of the French Mr.Bricolage franchise network operating neighborhood-format DIY stores. Comparable to Pronto Hobby's mid-size store format and local market focus, though primarily northern and central Italy rather than southern.

Broad incumbents

• OBI Italia: Major DIY and garden retail chain in Italy operated by the German OBI Group. Competes head-on with Pronto Hobby in DIY categories and Hobby Home, with broader geographic coverage but a less pro-focused assortment than Raffaele's combined retail plus Fernoi B2B model.
• Leroy Merlin Italia: Largest DIY and home improvement retailer in Italy, part of France's Adeo Group. Operates a national chain of large-format stores overlapping directly with Pronto Hobby's DIY assortment, while its scale and private-label penetration make it the benchmark Raffaele competes against on price and assortment breadth.
• Brico Center: Italian DIY and home improvement chain affiliated with international buying groups. Comparable mid-market positioning to Pronto Hobby with similar product mix across tools, paints, plumbing, and gardening — but a broader national footprint than Raffaele.
• Tecnomat BricoFer: Italian DIY and professional retailer owned by Progetto Casa, serving both consumers and tradespeople. Comparable hybrid retail/B2B model to Raffaele's group structure, with a national footprint that contrasts Raffaele's regional concentration.

Others

• BigMat Italia: Italian building materials buying group aggregating independent dealers. Ecosystem peer to Fernoi in serving professional builders and resellers, but as a cooperative platform rather than a vertically-integrated distributor — illustrating a potential alternative B2B model Raffaele could emulate at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/centroimprese
• Facebookfacebook.com/gruppo.raffaele
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raffaele-s.p.a

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Raffaele