IK Partners invests from its dedicated pool of Development Capital (via IK Small Cap III Fund) in STEIN HGS, a leading B2B e-commerce specialist for barrier technology, municipality, construction site, and facility management supplies.

Founded in 1999 and based near Hamburg, Germany, STEIN HGS has evolved into the leading online retailer in its market segment. The company has around 30 employees and a long-standing client list that includes private and public sector customers, small and large construction firms, local craftsmen, municipalities, and facilities management firms.

Thanks to a transition to online purchasing and its focus on offering best-in-class customer service in its fragmented market, STEIN HGS holds the leading position in a steadily growing market. From this vantage point, the company is well positioned to expand its product offering and customer base while entering new markets.

Code & Co. supported IK Small Cap III (IK SC III) Fund during its acquisition of a majority stake in STEIN HGS Group and provided technology and product due diligence. This involved assessing STEIN HGS’ e-commerce capabilities, including potential growth opportunities through process and marketing automation as well as CRM. Code & Co. evaluated the feasibility of technical growth plans, long-term scalability, and overall extensibility using the modules and plugins offered by the shop software in use. This transaction exemplifies Code & Co.’s expertise in e-commerce solutions.