Major new player in building materials trade

Around three years after the commencement of discussions on a possible link-up, the two German builders’ merchant cooperatives, Interpares-Mobau and Interbaustoff, have finally merged. Officially in existence as of 1 July and trading under the name of I&M-Interbaustoff, the group claims the status of market leader in both Germany and in Europe overall. It has more than 500 members with over 1 200 outlets in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Their combined external sales are estimated at € eight bn. The group’s executive directors are the former head of Interbaustoff, Dr Guido Roedig, as spokesman, together with Reinhold Metzger and Helmut Bechtold from the former I&M management team. The two head offices in Bad Nauheim and Karlsruhe, with a total of around 190 employees, will remain unchanged for the time being.