POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG

What POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG does

POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG is a Swiss purchasing consortium (Einkaufsgemeinschaft) founded in 2012 and headquartered in Balgach, St. Gallen. The company aggregates collective buying power on behalf of member companies in Switzerland's alpine tourism ecosystem, with its primary customer segment being ski resorts and mountain railways (Bergbahnbranche), complemented by gastronomy operators, hotels, and administrative/management companies serving alpine destinations. Its core offering combines a members-only online shop (shop.pool-alpin.ch) with curated supplier partnerships across industrial supplies, construction tools, vehicles, cable car equipment, outdoor apparel, food and beverage, and IT products — delivering negotiated pricing and specialist vendor access tailored to ski resort operational requirements.

The business model is a membership-driven B2B procurement intermediary. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed; based on the consortium structure, economics are derived from member fees and/or transactional flows tied to negotiated supplier terms. The technology layer is a basic authenticated e-commerce portal — there is no indication of proprietary procurement software, APIs, integrations, or AI/ML features. Distribution is exclusively domestic (Switzerland), with the company self-describing its focus as "die namhaftesten Skigebiete der Schweiz" (the most renowned Swiss ski areas).

Strategic posture is one of incremental member and supplier onboarding. Recent activity shows continued network expansion via new member signings across hospitality and cable car segments (Arosa Vetter Hotel, Gastro Brigerberg, Luftseilbahn Kandersteg-Sunnbüel) and new supplier partnerships (Haberkorn, ViPe Concept Diffusion, Hydraulik Michler). With only seven employees, no disclosed funding rounds, and no M&A activity, growth is funded organically. The competitive position rests on niche specialization — a Swiss-only consortium purpose-built for alpine tourism procurement — rather than scale, technology, or capital advantages.

Name

POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG

Legal name

POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG

Website

https://pool-alpin.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG operates a Swiss members-only purchasing consortium founded in 2012, aggregating collective buying power for ski resorts, mountain railways, alpine gastronomy operators, and hotels in Switzerland through a curated online shop and supplier network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Group Purchasing / Procurement Consortium Services

akta.pro primary industry

Membership Wholesale Clubs (B2B & B2B2C) (CRAEAEAB)

Keywords

• Purchasing consortium
• Group purchasing services
• Alpine resort procurement
• Hospitality supply services
• Ski resort procurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Balgach

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG is a purchasing consortium (Einkaufsgemeinschaft) that delivers professional group purchasing services for Swiss ski resorts, mountain railways, gastronomy businesses, and hotels. Founded in 2012, the company aggregates collective buying power to negotiate preferred pricing and terms on behalf of its members, providing access to a curated supplier network that includes brands such as Conrad, Ford, Garaventa, HILTI, MAMMUT, Nestlé, Schöffel, and Brack. Members access negotiated offerings through a dedicated members-only online shop at shop.pool-alpin.ch, along with supplementary services such as staff training.

Product overview

POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG operates as a purchasing cooperative (Einkaufsgemeinschaft) founded in 2012, offering a professional purchasing service specialized for ski resorts/mountain railways, gastronomy, and hospitality sectors. The company provides a unified platform combining an online shop (shop.pool-alpin.ch) and member services that deliver group purchasing benefits, access to a curated supplier directory featuring brands like Conrad, Ford, Garaventa, HILTI, MAMMUT, Nestlé, Schöffel, and Brack, along with staff training programs. Members gain access to negotiated pricing and terms through the platform while suppliers benefit from a direct channel to premium hospitality clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Arosa Vetter Hotel GmbHminorOthersNewly welcomed member of POOL-ALPIN's purchasing consortium. A hotel in Arosa with 23 rooms and the 'Vetterstübli' restaurant, joining to benefit from collective purchasing terms.
• Gastro Brigerberg GmbHminorOthersNewly welcomed member operating Restaurant Adler on Rosswald. Joined POOL-ALPIN for access to the consortium's collective purchasing terms.
• Luftseilbahn Kandersteg-Sunnbüel AGminorOthersCable car company operating the Kandersteg-Sunnbüel route, newly joined POOL-ALPIN. Serves the Sunnbüel high plateau, a major alpine hiking destination.
• Haberkorn GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading European technical trader supplying industrial, construction, and infrastructure companies with occupational safety products, lubricants, and technical supplies. Featured as a new supplier partner on POOL-ALPIN's supplier news.
• ViPe Concept Diffusion SàrlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss company based in Plan-les-Ouates specializing in the distribution of Tyyny products. Featured as a new supplier partner.
• Hydraulik MichlerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull-service provider of hydraulic hose assemblies and drive shaft solutions. Manufactures and supplies OEM-quality replacement hose assemblies for snow groomers (Pistengeräte) in first-equipment quality.
• ConradcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. Conrad is a European distributor of electronics, IT, and technical products.
• FordcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. Ford supplies vehicles to POOL-ALPIN member companies.
• GaraventacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. Garaventa supplies cable car and materials handling equipment relevant to ski resorts.
• HILTIcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. HILTI supplies construction and installation tools and products.
• MAMMUTcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. MAMMUT supplies outdoor apparel and equipment.
• NestlécoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. Nestlé supplies food and beverage products for gastronomy and hotel members.
• SchöffelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. Schöffel supplies outdoor apparel.
• BrackcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured supplier partner logo on the POOL-ALPIN website. Brack is a Swiss IT and electronics distributor.
• DysonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured in a promotional banner on the POOL-ALPIN website (shop.pool-alpin.ch/supplier-directory/943), indicating an active supplier/distributor relationship.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Metro AG: Global B2B cash-and-carry wholesale operator with a strong European footprint offering membership-based B2B purchasing across food and non-food categories; competes for the same hospitality customers as POOL-ALPIN but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Transgourmet Schweiz AG: Swiss B2B food service wholesaler serving hotels, restaurants, and catering with traditional wholesale distribution; overlapping customer base with POOL-ALPIN's gastronomy and hotel members but operating as a physical wholesaler rather than a consortium.
• Coop Genossenschaft: Major Swiss retailer with B2B/professional offerings (e.g., Coop Professional) serving hospitality clients with broad-line purchasing at significantly larger scale than POOL-ALPIN; partially overlaps in serving the same Swiss gastronomy and hotel members.

Others

• Brack AG: Swiss electronics and IT distributor and an active supplier partner of POOL-ALPIN; participates in the same B2B procurement ecosystem but operates as a traditional e-commerce distributor rather than a purchasing consortium.

Direct peers

• Pro-Hotel GmbH: German hotel purchasing cooperative that aggregates hotel demand to negotiate better supplier terms across multiple categories, directly comparable to POOL-ALPIN's model but focused on the German hospitality market.
• HOGAST Einkaufsgenossenschaft: Austrian hotel and gastronomy purchasing cooperative operating a membership-based consortium model with negotiated supplier pricing — a close structural analog to POOL-ALPIN's Einkaufsgemeinschaft serving the DACH alpine hospitality market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pool-alpin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 POOL-ALPIN Schweiz AG