Furniture start-up AH-Trading goes to Swedish group

AH-Trading, which is behind platforms such as Gartenmöbel.de, is being sold 80 percent to the Swedish Bygghemma Group. The Scandinavians are paying 36 million euros for this.

The AH-Trading is behind platforms such as Gartenmöbel.de and Loungedreams, now the company from Xanten goes to 80 percent to the Swedish Bygghemma Group (BHG). For this the latter pays 36 million euro, in addition twelve million dependent on the operational profit of AH-Trading in this and coming year.

The founding couple Birgit and Aron Holtermann will keep the remaining 20 percent and remain in the company as management. They are building up the market presence in Germany for the Swedish group: "The acquisition of AH-Trading is strategically important for us, not least because BHG already has a customer base in Germany, where we are now gaining a local organisation and presence," says BHG's CEO Adam Schatz, also talking about other neighbouring countries into which his company intends to expand from Germany. In Scandinavia, BHG is the market leader in e-commerce.

"We look forward to continuing our successful development together with BHG and expanding our expertise," says founder Aron Holtermann, "to further shape our strong growth." BGH expects AH-Trading to increase its turnover to €66 million this year, almost doubling profits from €3.5 million to €6.7 million. Holtermann sees the "transition to BHG as a logical step to reach the next stage of the company's development." He founded the company in 2004 with Birgit Holtermann, and today AH-Trading has around 120 employees. At the company's headquarters in Xanten, designers develop their own products in the furniture segment; in addition to its own brands, AH-Trading also sells other brands via its platforms.

The BHG Group has secured the option on the remaining 20 percent. Of the sum now paid, part also goes to investor Fabian Simon, who owned 20 percent of AH-Trading.