The Company
THE HEART OF OFFICE SUPPLIES: PBS HOLDING AG
Business Model & Strategy
SUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS MEETS CONTINUITY AND PROGRESS
We inspire all with product diversity – and first-class service across all channels. This makes PBS Holding a strong partner at your side in the office world.
From idyllic Wels in Upper Austria, we supply office environments throughout Europe as a premium supplier. Our vision? In a world where no one wants to invest excessive amounts of time in buying paper, office supplies and stationery, be inspired with product variety and first-class service across all channels.
Our mission? To offer our customers the right products at all times, and make them accessible through every conceivable channel.
Our strategy? To be as local as possible, and as central as necessary. This is how we achieve maximum customer proximity and competitiveness. With over 1,400 employees across eight countries, we serve more than 200,000 customers, generate an annual turnover of around EUR 420 million and offer a wide range of IT solutions.
We supply wholesalers, retailers and commercial end customers. In addition to this, we also operate retail shops, making us one of the leading providers in Central Europe in both areas. With our national logistics solutions, we ensure the highest level of service and efficient resource management while minimising the number of transport routes in use.
It is our core principles that set us apart: from dedicated local support to adopting a pioneering role that will shape tomorrow’s world, we are your first-class partner in office supplies.
Transcending borders: our scope of action
Our organisational structure
Our structure and corporate philosophy reflect our unique approach to both entrepreneurship and accountability. Our Executive Management team, as well as all managing directors and business partners, are involved in all questions of strategy and in our overarching projects. This generates a unique dynamic – and ensures a high level of commitment at all times.
History and innovation
From the print shop
to a leading
group of companies
From its humble beginnings as a printing company in 1788 to the leading Group of companies in the paper, office supplies and stationery sector: together, we continue to write amazing success stories.
Customer needs are at the heart of our innovative spirit. We listen, we implement customer wishes and develop new processes and solutions. In doing so, we are constantly expanding our range and adapting to changing needs.
However, innovation also comes from external sources, such as M&A activities and cooperation with external service providers and educational institutions.
We promote a culture of continuous improvement and work together to find solutions that inspire our customers. Innovation arises at different levels and in different contexts: every country, every business model, every brand, every division, every department and every employee – not only do they all contribute new ideas, but also implement these within the company.
Management
First Class Partner for your office
Executive Board
Leadership with class: our Executive Board
Mag. Andreas Schachtner
Deputy Chairman of the Board
Born: 1965
Company tenure since 1991
Shareholder
Responsibilities:
- IT
- Logistics
Dr. Richard Scharmann, MBA
Chairman of the Board
Born: 1967
Company tenure since 1994
Responsibilities:
- Wholesale
- B2B
- B2C
- Strategy
Mag. Christian Müller
Chief Financial Officer
Born: 1972
Company tenure since 2004
Responsibilities:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Legal
- HR
Supervisory Board
With a view to excellence: our Supervisory Board
KR Ing. Anton Stahrlinger
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Univ. Prof. Dr. Rudolf Wimmer
Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Mag. Renald Knogler
Member of the Supervisory Board
DDr. Alexander Hasch
Member of the Supervisory Board
The Group’s leadership by the Executive Board and Executive Management team must be described as exemplary. For this, I would like to express my great thanks as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. The entire Supervisory Board would also like to thank all employees. This is because without them, without every individual in their place, such successful development would not have been possible in such challenging times.
Executive Management
Working together: our Executive Management
PBS Holding AG:
Mag. Anja Hochmeier, Customer Solutions
Herbert Althuber, MA, LL.M., Law and Human Resources
Proc. Peter Oberndorfer, International Purchasing B2C, B2B
Mag. Michael Schuch, Supply Chain Management
Cornelia Pichler, Accounting
PBS Logitek GmbH
Martin Schiefer, Wolfgang Fürtbauer, Executive Management
PBS Austria GmbH:
Mag. Elke Schweitzer, Executive Management
Büro Handel GmbH:
Alois Heigenhauser, Executive Management
Büroprofi SKRIBO GmbH
Mario Leimhofer, Executive Management
PBS Connect International GmbH
Thomas Winkelhagen, Executive Management
PBS Deutschland Großhandel GmbH
Martin Kunow, Executive Management
Desktoo Italia S.r.l.
Fabrizio Pistoni, Executive Management
Hofmann + Zeiher GmbH
Matthias Zeiher, Martin Kunow, Executive Management
Biroprodaja d.o.o.
Borut Premzel, Executive Management
Lamitec, spol. s.r.o.
Martin Molčan, Executive Management
PBS Connect Polska Sp. z o.o., Polen:
Miroslaw Szydlowski, Executive Management
OFFICEO s.r.o.
Milan Baran, Executive Management
PBS Deutschland GmbH & Co KG
Martin Kunow, Executive Management
PBS Hungária kft.
Balazs Ivan, Executive Management
PBS Global Solutions GmbH
Ian Kirton, Executive Management
Our commitment to integrity, transparency and fairness: in our Group of companies, acting responsibly is more than just a concept – it represents a central pillar of our culture.
This is also deeply anchored in our Code of Conduct, which we adopted in 2016:
- Our ethical and integrity behaviour is non-negotiable. It forms the foundation of our work and our interactions with each other.
- We value each and every one of our employees and promote an atmosphere of respect, trust and non-discrimination. Everyone has their place here and can feel both safe and valued.
- Health and safety at work are enormously important to us. We take responsibility for ensuring that each and every day is a safe working day.
- Our business relationships are rooted in mutual trust, and the integrity of our employees is indispensable to us. These people are at the heart of our company.
- Fair play is not only important on the sports field, but also in competition. We play by the rules and respect our competitors.
- Open communication is a major concern for us. That’s why our door is always open – all the way up to Executive Board level.
- We establish clear boundaries between the interests of the company and our private interests, in order to avoid any conflict of interest.
- And finally, we do not tolerate bribery and corruption of any kind. Integrity and transparency characterise our business conduct. What counts for us is performance and nothing else.
Key figures
Numbers that speak for themselves
We let numbers speak for our success: with an impressive turnover of EUR 420 million, we achieved solid growth of 17.1% last year compared to 2021.
This underlines the strong position and our success in markets such as Austria and Germany, where we recorded growth of 11.7%. In Poland and Italy, the market trend was outperformed, with spectacular increases of 29.5% and 15.8%, respectively.
B2B was characterised by an impressive performance with 24.1% year-on-year growth, especially in the second half of the year, as people increasingly returned to their office workplaces. The result? Significant growth reflected in broader demand for our diverse product portfolio.
In a challenging global economy, we have demonstrated our ability to effectively manage price volatility, secure supply chains and optimise cost structures. The result was a historic record, reinforced by a 6.3% return on sales (EBT margin).
For customers and stakeholders, this illustrates our strong and stable position in the market, along with our willingness to provide excellent services even in difficult times.
Whistleblower
Fair Play:
Honesty,
Integrity &
Transparency
For us, honesty, integrity and transparency are of paramount importance: if you witness a breach of the rules or even criminal offences, we urge you to help us identify and stop them.
You can submit your whistleblowing report anonymously or by giving your name – your confidentiality is guaranteed. After submitting your whistleblowing report, we will provide you with a protected mailbox to maintain the dialogue.
Important: please do not abuse this system to submit false or defamatory reports. Reports must be submitted in all seriousness and serve solely to stop unlawful action.
Our reporting platform serves primarily, but not exclusively, the following purpose:
- Detect and punish crimes such as corruption, fraud, money laundering, theft and embezzlement,
- Ascertain other violations of the law, such as anti-trust violations, violations of competition law and intellectual property rights (e.g. copyrights, trademarks, patents),
- Report any form of crime and
- Counteract major policy violations.
Together, we protect our company – and preserve “fair play” in competition!