Stark Group
STARK Group is one of the largest retailers and distributors of building materials for the professional segment in Northern Europe with approx. 10.000 employees at its 400 business units in 5 countries, and headquartered at Frederiksberg, Denmark. Today STARK Group owns and operates the 5 builders’ merchant chains Beijer Byggmaterial AB in Sweden, Neumann Bygg A/S in Norway, STARK Denmark and Greenland, STARK Deutschland GmbH and STARK Finland.
 | |
| Industry | Building materials |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1896 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Søren Peschardt Olesen (CEO) |
| Services | Retailer and distributor of building materials |
Number of employees | 10,000 (in 2017)[1] |
| Parent | Lone Star Funds |
| Website | https://starkgroup.dk/ |
History
STARK Group was founded in 1896 under the name Århus Trælasthandel A/S. Following an expansion of the company, organizationally as well as geographically, the group was - in 1918 - listed on the stock exchange and 1918 and changed its name to Det Danske Trælastkompagni. In 1968, the group established the first DIY market Silvan to the do-it-yourself consumer, which became the group’s first subsidiary.
In 1989 the group expanded geographically by acquiring the Swedish builders’ merchant Beijer Byggmaterial AB that became the group’s second subsidiary. Seven years later – in 1996 - the group expanded into the Norwegian market as it acquired the Norwegian builders merchant Neumann Bygg, and in July 2000 the Finish based Starkki became a new member of the group. By the time of 2004 Danske Trælast was the parent company of a huge group that besides the four Nordic subsidiaries was responsible for 75 timberyards in Denmark. These were gathered under the name STARK that became the fifth subsidiary. In 2006 the group changed its name into DT Group A/S and was sold to the English firm Ferguson.
As of 2017 the first subsidiary, Silvan, was sold to a German private equity fund. A year later – in 2018 – the group changed its name into STARK Group and was sold to the American Private Equity fund Lone Star. In 2019 STARK Group acquired the German builders merchant Saint Gobain Building Distribution Deutschland GmbH and became the largest retailer and distributor of building materials in the Northern Europe.
Employment
As of 2020 STARK Group had approx. 10.000 employees spread across 5 subsidiaries and the headquarters. The group has more than 2000 employees in STARK Denmark, 900 I STARK Finland, more than 5000 in STARK Deutschland GmbH, 1400 in Beijer Byggmaterial AB and 270 in Neumann Bygg A/S.
Strategy
As part of STARK Group's strategic journey, the organizational structure in 2017 was simplified and a clear strategic vision was formed. Part of STARK Group's new strategic vision consists of a consistent focus on a core customer group of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In addition, STARK Group serves large construction companies and other types of professional clients, such as government agencies and a small proportion of do-it-yourself clients.
For more than 100 years, the companies in the group have been developing and strengthening their business base. Today STARK GROUP holds a substantial position in the construction industry, not only as a provider of products but also as an active player providing valuable services and advice to the professionals’ builders in the Nordic countries.
Ownership
STARK Group is owned by the American Private Equity fund Lone Star. Lone Star is placed in Dallas, Texas and was founded in 1995. Since the mid 2000s Lone Star has increased their investments in the euro zone with a particular focus on emerging markets. Earlier on, STARK Group was owned by the English firm Ferguson, but was sold in 2018 to Lone Star.
References
- "Fact Sheets" (PDF). Stark Group. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 5 February 2018.