Tool Roloff

What Tool Roloff does

Roloff GmbH (Tool Roloff) is a privately held, family-owned German B2B distributor of professional tools, workplace safety equipment, and industrial supplies, founded in 1985 in Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt, by Ernst-Egon Roloff and now in its second/third generation of family leadership under Managing Director Marco Roloff. The firm serves businesses, tradespeople, and freelancers exclusively (consumer sales are explicitly excluded) across eastern Germany and select partner-shop territories, offering a catalog of approximately 31,110 products spanning workplace safety, hand and power tools, welding and soldering, measuring, clamping, fastening, metalworking, workshop consumables, and office supplies. Roloff also operates two service lines: textile finishing (Textilveredelung) for customized workwear and DGUV 208-016-compliant ladder inspection (Leiterprüfung) offered for over a decade in Stendal and Magdeburg.

The business model combines a proprietary B2B e-commerce platform under the plus6 brand with omnichannel physical distribution: field sales (Außendienst), two owned retail stores (Stendal and Magdeburg), an in-house telephone sales center in Jessen, and a network of 14 partner shops across Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The plus6 platform, which Roloff co-founded in 2000 and for which it operates the central warehouse in Jessen, provides customer-specific pricing, digital document management, approval workflows for corporate hierarchies, wishlists, and product comparison — features that target structured B2B procurement rather than transactional consumer e-commerce. Revenue streams are hardware resale (the dominant stream, including plus6 private-label products), professional services (textile finishing, ladder inspection), and partner/reseller commissions. Pricing is pay-as-you-go with unit pricing per item or service, EUR 9.90 standard shipping and free shipping over EUR 100 in Germany, and 14-day payment terms.

Roloff operates roughly 30 employees across its headquarters (Langer Weg 59, Stendal — renovated 2019), Magdeburg branch (Hundisburger Str. 19 — relocated 2013), and Jessen warehouse/distribution site. The firm is DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 certified (valid December 15, 2025 to December 14, 2028) and holds Bosch Premium Partner status. No external investors, parent companies, subsidiaries, funding rounds, or M&A activity are disclosed in the source material; the business has grown entirely organically and remains a regional mid-sized German distributor.

Name

Tool Roloff

Legal name

Roloff GmbH

Website

https://roloff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roloff GmbH is a family-owned German B2B distributor of professional tools, workplace safety equipment, and industrial supplies, serving tradespeople and businesses across eastern Germany via field sales, two retail stores, an e-commerce platform, telephone sales, and a 14-location partner network under the plus6 brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial tools and workplace safety equipment distribution

NAICS

Construction and Mining (except Oil Well) Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (423810)

SIC

Wholesale-Hardware (5072), Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080)

akta.pro primary industry

Tools & Tool Accessories Retail (Hand, Power, Pneumatic) (CRAIADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Finishing & Dyeing Contract Services (Job Work/Toll Processing) (IMAOACAL)

Keywords

• B2B tool distribution
• Workplace safety equipment
• Industrial supplies wholesale
• Professional hand tools
• Power tools distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Stendal

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tool and Equipment Sales: Wholesale distribution of professional tools, work safety equipment, and industrial supplies through multiple sales channels including field sales, retail stores, e-commerce, and telephone sales.
2. Textile Finishing Services: Textilveredelung services for customizing work clothing and textiles for business customers.
3. plus6 Brand Operations: Co-founding and operation of plus6 brand catalog and central warehouse for B2B procurement solutions. First plus6 catalog published in 2001, central warehouse opened in Jessen in 2010.
4. Ladder Inspection Services: Professional ladder and step inspection services following DGUV 208-016 regulations. Services include visual inspection, function testing, professional inspection protocols, and reminder services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tool Roloff distributes more than 31,110 professional tools, workplace safety equipment, and industrial supplies exclusively to business customers, tradespeople, craft firms, and freelancers. The company operates a multi-channel model combining field sales, telephone sales, retail stores, 14 partner shops, and a B2B e-commerce platform, complemented by value-added services such as textile finishing (Textilveredelung), DGUV 208-016 ladder inspection (Leiterprüfung), and an own-brand plus6 product line.

Product overview

Roloff GmbH operates as a B2B tool and workplace safety distributor offering an e-commerce procurement platform under the plus6 brand. The product portfolio encompasses approximately 31,000 products across multiple categories including workplace safety (Arbeitsschutz), workshop equipment (Betriebseinrichtung), electric/pneumatic tools (Elektro-/Druckluft-Werkzeuge), hand tools (Handwerkzeuge), welding equipment (Löten/Schweißen), measuring instruments (Messen), cutting/grinding/sawing tools (Trennen/Bohren/Schleifen/Sägen), clamping solutions (Spannen), fastening technology (Verbindungstechnik), metalworking (Zerspanung), and office supplies (Bürobedarf). The company also offers own-brand products under the plus6 label and value-added services including textile finishing (Textilveredelung) and professional ladder inspection (Leiterprüfung) in compliance with DGUV 208-016. The e-commerce platform provides digital document management, product comparison, wish lists, and approval workflows for commercial customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• plus6: The company's own brand and private label product line, including workwear, tools, and workplace safety products. The brand has its own catalog and central warehouse.

Products and services

• B2B Tool and Industrial Supply Distribution Core B2B catalog of more than 31,110 professional tools, work safety equipment, and industrial supplies sold to business customers, tradespeople, craft firms, and freelancers across multiple categories including hand tools, power tools, measuring tools, workshop supplies, occupational safety, and operating materials.
• plus6 Private-Label Brand Tool Roloff's own in-house product brand (plus6) covering selected tools and consumables supplied under the company's proprietary label as an alternative or complement to distributed premium brands such as Bosch.
• Ladder Inspection Service (Leiterprüfung) DGUV 208-016-compliant periodic inspection of ladders performed for business customers to verify safety and document compliance, priced at 25.00 EUR per ladder within defined price tiers.
• Textile Finishing Service (Textilveredelung) Custom textile finishing and personalization service for workwear and related textile products sold by the company, enabling business customers to brand and customize their occupational safety clothing and textiles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 31,110+ products available across multiple categories
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bosch ProfessionalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPremium partner status for Bosch Professional power tools and equipment. Features promotional campaigns and exclusive offers for Bosch products on the platform.
• plus6coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded in 2000 with first catalog published in 2001. Roloff operates the plus6 central warehouse in Jessen since 2010. Strategic B2B procurement platform and private label brand.
• Partner Shops Network (14 locations)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional partner shops including HOLDER (Dresden), GAHNO (Elsterheide), HIWESO (Gotha), LANGE (Kassel), FREITAG (Neuenkirchen), BEROLINA (Berlin), STEINKE (Perleberg), LANGENBACH (Siegen), WEBER (Wismar), and multiple LHG locations in Leipzig, Thüringen, Sachsen-Anhalt, and Jessen.
• Multiple Manufacturers (Kärcher, Bosch, Milwaukee, STIHL, Knipex, etc.)coreTechnology or IntegrationCarries over 31,000 products from major brands including Kärcher (4,361 products), Bosch (2,786 products), Milwaukee (1,976 products), STIHL (1,053 products), Knipex (848 products), and many others through dedicated brand shops.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Würth: Würth is the largest global B2B distributor of fasteners, tools, and work safety equipment, serving trades and industry via direct sales and e-commerce—directly comparable in product mix, customer base, and channel strategy to Roloff.
• Engelbert Strauss: Engelbert Strauss is a German B2B workwear and tool specialist with its own retail stores, e-commerce, and catalog distribution—comparable to Roloff's mix of work clothing, tools, and own-brand products.
• E/D/E (Einkaufsbüro Deutscher Eisenhändler): E/D/E is a German B2B purchasing cooperative and tool/ironmongery wholesaler serving affiliated specialist retailers across Germany—comparable cooperative distribution model to Roloff's partner shop network.
• Hoffmann Group: Hoffmann Group is a leading European B2B distributor of quality tools, workstations, and occupational safety products, with a strong catalog and digital procurement platform almost identical to Roloff's plus6 concept.
• Berner SE: Berner is a German-headquartered B2B direct distributor of tools, consumables, and chemical products for trades and automotive—closely comparable in multi-channel B2B sales motion and customer profile to Roloff.
• Westfalia Werkzeugcompany: Westfalia is a German tools and DIY/automotive retailer with catalog distribution and a broad product range—comparable in selling tools, workshop supplies, and equipment via catalog and shop channels.

Emerging players

• Toolport GmbH: Toolport is a German online retailer of tools, workshop equipment, and industrial supplies with a B2B focus—comparable in category breadth and e-commerce-led distribution.
• Contorion: Contorion is a German online B2B distributor of tools and industrial supplies targeting trades and SMEs—overlapping customer base with Roloff but with a digital-first, no-field-sales model.

Regional players

• Karl-Heinz Peters GmbH & Co. KG (PETERS): PETERS is a German B2B tool and industrial supply distributor with catalog and e-commerce channels—comparable mid-size German tool distributor with a similar product depth and trade customer focus.

Broad incumbents

• Stahlgruber (LKQ): Stahlgruber/LKQ is a major German B2B parts, tools, and workshop equipment distributor for the automotive aftermarket—overlapping customer base and tool/workshop supply breadth with Roloff.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/werkzeug.roloff

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Tool Roloff