Groupe Waterair

What Groupe Waterair does

Groupe Waterair is a French designer and manufacturer of swimming pool kits, founded in 1972 in Seppois-le-Bas, Alsace by the Braun family. The company invented the concept of buried swimming pools with a steel frame structure, enabling partial or complete self-installation by the end customer. Its product range comprises 57 pool models with thousands of possible shape and size combinations, complemented by accessories (liners, filtration pumps, water treatment), pool renovation services, and field technical services. Manufacturing is operated from three production sites in France (Seppois-le-Bas, Damazan) and Germany (Mardal subsidiary).

The company serves individual homeowners and families seeking affordable buried family pools, with a core value proposition of 30-50% cost savings versus traditional pool technologies. In France, it operates a salaried direct-sales model through over 100 Commercial Attachés organized across 4 Regional Directions, uniquely bypassing the dealer networks typical of competitors. Internationally, the company sells through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Italy and Germany and a partner network spanning 29 countries, with export representing approximately 20% of sales. The business model is largely transactional: one-time kit purchases plus professional services for installation, maintenance, and renovation, supplemented by accessories and consumables.

Groupe Waterair is a privately-held Société par Actions Simplifiée (S.A.S), controlled by Next Participation (84.5%, owned by the Braun family and top management) with Crédit Mutuel Equity as a 15.5% minority shareholder. The company employs 350 people, including 170 at its Seppois-le-Bas headquarters, and has served 139,000 cumulative customers since founding. It reports FY2024 revenue of €60.4M, holds ISO 9001 certification and the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label, and in 2022 became the first company in the pool sector to adopt Société à Mission corporate status. The business shows a stable, long-term ownership model with measured international expansion and ongoing product launches.

Name

Groupe Waterair

Legal name

Groupe WATERAIR S.A.S

Website

https://waterair.jobs

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Groupe Waterair is a French family-owned manufacturer that, since 1972, has designed steel-frame swimming pool kits enabling self-installation for individual homeowners, serving 139,000 customers across 29 countries via a salaried direct-sales force and international partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Swimming Pool Manufacturing

akta.pro primary industry

Pool Decking & Surrounds (HSAPALAK)

Keywords

• Swimming pool kits
• Steel frame pools
• Pool manufacturing
• Pool accessories
• Pool renovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Seppois-le-bas

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pool Kit Sales: Sale of swimming pool kits - the core business. Customers purchase complete or partial kit for self-installation or professional installation.
2. Accessories and Equipment: Sale of accessories and equipment for pools - liner replacement, filtration pumps, electrical boxes, maintenance products, water treatment products
3. Pool Renovation: Renovation services for existing pools
4. Technical Services: Field technician interventions for pool installation, liner installation, water filling, pump replacement, repairs, electrical work, maintenance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groupe Waterair designs, manufactures, and distributes swimming pool kits built on a patented steel-frame structure. The range spans 57 models with thousands of shape and size combinations, allowing individual customers to partially or fully self-install their buried family pool. The company complements the kit offering with accessories and equipment, renovation services, and field technical services (installation, maintenance, repairs), claiming 30–50% cost savings versus traditional pool technologies.

Product overview

Groupe Waterair est un concepteur et fabricant français de piscines en kit depuis 1972. L'entreprise a inventé le concept de la piscine en kit avec ossature en acier et propose une gamme de 57 modèles avec des milliers de combinaisons possibles. Le portefeuille produits comprend les gammes Nina, Lya et Olivia (couloir de nage), la Piscine Zéro Impact primée pour son innovation environnementale, ainsi que des services d'accessoires, équipements et rénovation. Waterair声明 rendre la piscine familiale enterrée accessible avec des économies de 30 à 50% vs technologies traditionnelles, et accompagne 139 000 clients à travers la France et l'export dans 29 pays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waterair Steel-Frame Pool Kits Complete pool kits built around a patented steel-frame structure, available in 57 models with thousands of shape and size combinations, designed for partial or full self-installation by individual customers and families.
• Nina Pool Kit Steel-frame pool model awarded the Trophée d'Or 2025 in the 'Piscine installée petit budget' category and the Trophée d'Or 2022 'Piscine installée petit budget moins de 20 000€'. Aimed at the budget-conscious family pool segment.
• Lya Pool Kit Steel-frame pool model awarded the Trophée d'Argent 2025 'Piscine installée petit budget' and the Trophée d'Argent 2023 'Piscine familiale de forme libre de moins de 40 m²'. Targets freeform family pool buyers.
• Olivia Swimming Lane Pool Kit Steel-frame pool model designed for narrow spaces, awarded the FPP Prix spécial du Jury 'Couloir de nage abordable'.
• Piscine Zéro Impact Pool Kit Eco-designed pool awarded the Trophée d'Or 2020 'Innovations équipements', designed to minimize environmental impact and recognized with the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label.
• Pool Accessories and Equipment Range of complementary products sold alongside pool kits including water-treatment products, liners, filtration pumps, electrical boxes, and other maintenance equipment.
• Pool Renovation Service Renovation services for existing Waterair pool owners to modernize or restore their pools.
• Field Technical Service On-site technical interventions by Waterair field technicians covering liner installation, pump replacement, electrical work, water filling, maintenance, and repairs throughout the pool lifecycle.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-50% cost savings compared to traditional pool technologies
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mardal (Germany)coreTechnology or IntegrationSubsidiary/co-enterprise in Germany near the French border that manufactures pool coping (margelles). Key part of production supply chain.
• Terre d'Eau en PartageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndowment fund since 2016 with mission to provide water access to the world's poorest. Waterair is the principal donor. 44 projects financed in Asia and Africa, benefiting 230,000+ people.
• Various Training EstablishmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with educational institutions for recruiting apprentices and interns at various levels from BTS to Master 2.
• FPP (Fédération des Professionnels de la Piscine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry federation awarding annual trophies recognizing innovation, design, sustainable development, sales force quality, and customer service. Waterair has won over 20 trophies.
• ASF Mulhouse (Paracycling Club)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPara-cycling sports club supported by Groupe Waterair for 18 years. Two athletes Johan Quaile and Joseph Fritsch won medals at Paris 2024 Paralympics (2 silver, 1 gold).

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Procopi: French pool equipment and kit pool manufacturer serving both B2C and B2B channels, with overlapping product range (pumps, filters, pool kits) and direct competition in the French pool market.
• Alliance Piscines: French polyester/shell pool manufacturer with a national dealer network, competing with Waterair for the same middle-class family pool buyer.
• Desjoyaux: Leading French buried family pool manufacturer and the most direct competitor to Groupe Waterair, with a similar mass-market positioning, comparable size, and longstanding French distribution footprint.
• Magiline (Poolstar): French pool manufacturer selling kit/concrete pools with a structured installation model, directly competing with Waterair's kit-and-self-install approach in the French market.

Broad incumbents

• Fluidra: Spanish-headquartered global pool equipment giant (pumps, filters, automation). Broader incumbent that supplies pool equipment across the industry; less of a direct kit pool competitor but a major counterpart across the value chain.
• Hayward Industries: Major global pool equipment manufacturer (pumps, filters, heaters, automation). Overlaps with Waterair's accessory/equipment offering rather than kit pool assembly.
• Pentair: Global pool equipment leader (pumps, filters, heaters, automation). Not a kit pool manufacturer but a broad incumbent whose components Waterair incorporates into its kits.

Regional players

• Trévi: North American pool manufacturer with kit/installation models. Comparable in offering (residential pools with installation services) but primarily serves the Canadian/US market rather than Europe.
• Compass Pools: European composite/ceramic pool manufacturer operating across multiple European countries. Comparable in product type (premium in-ground pools) but primarily outside France.

Others

• POOLCORP: World's largest wholesale distributor of pool and related products. Not a manufacturer but a key channel partner/counterpart in the pool industry supply chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-waterair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Groupe Waterair