Many of you have asked me for a ‘top 10 list’ of European kitchen companies. Being that in my mind ‘Top 10’ is not just about company size and/or sales volume (especially in today’s economy…) I’m still working on that list for you and sooner or later it will be posted.
In the mean time, with the help of a good friend (thank you, A.S.), I was able to come up with the list of the largest companies in the European kitchen brands for you.
The difficult part about coming up with such a list is how do you measure size, or I should say – by what parameters. I see, some European companies are actually part of a Group – they own several kitchen brands/factories, not necessarily all in the same country (!). Some manufacture kitchens but also sell retail, through a chain of factory owned stored. They may produce less kitchens, then another company, but if you add their retail sales, to their wholesale figures and then add appliances (manufactured by appliance companies, counters and even labor, the comparison is simply not easy.
So with the above in mind, the only way to create the list (without going nuts) is really just by total sales figures (Europeans like to use the term – ‘Turnover’). So here is the list:
1. Nobia Group (Sweden) – There are many companies in this group, like Poggenpohl and Pronorm (Germany), HTH (Denmark), Marbodal (Sweden), Sigdal (Norway), EWE (Austria), plus, they also have a retail-network in the group – Magnet (UK).
2. Nobilia (Germany) – one company.
3. Alno Group – Alno, Wellmann, Pino and Impuls (Germany).
4. Cuisine Schmidt (France) – including a retail-network.
5. Häcker (Germany) – one company.
6. Nolte (Germany) – one company.
7. Mobalpa (France) – including a retail-network.
8. Schüller (Germany) – one company.
9. Bauformat Group – Bauformat and Burger (Germany).
10. Snaidero Group – Snaidero (Italy), Rational (Germany and including retail-networks like Ixina and Cuisine-Plus.
Some intresting facts:
- The majority of the companies, in the above list, are from Germany and the Scandinavian countries. In that part of Europe, the groups (or concerns) are very typical and have been around since before Columbus discovered America… (no joke!).
- The only Italian company is in the tenth spot – unlike the northern Europeans, in the southern part of Europe, the opposite is more common – smaller companies, privately owned and operated. Even inside Italy, the more south you go, the smaller and more family owned and operated the companies are. With that said, there are a lot more Italian kitchen companies operating and selling kitchens, then there are German and Scandinavian combined…
- If we only consider single factory sales, without retail sales and/or other companies in the Group, the largest one is Nobilia, from Germany, then Häcker, Nolte and Schüller, from Germany.
- This list is not guaranteed, as many companies do not publish their sales figures but is fairly close to reality. Also, the list can change in one day, if one of the groups decides to sell off a factory or two, or in return, to acquire a couple of brands.
What about Veneta Cucine? I know they are huge in Italy, and have some presence all over the world. They only have one location in the State, too bad it’s all the way in Miami, Florida…
Jason Brady – Veneta Cucine is a ‘price driven’ product and had several US dealers in the past, but all are now gone…
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy! First of all thank you so much for bringing all of us the useful info about kitchens…! The greatest kitchen-related website ever..
Your top 10 list was made in 2009; I wonder if you’d mind bringing it to latest? I am very interested to understand how all the companies are doing.
If you don’t mind too, please rank by individual “brand” instead of “group of companies” in terms of their turnover so we can understand how the brands are doing.
Many thanks!
Hi Kitchen Guy,
I have had quotes from Hacker, Leicht and Mobalpa kitchens but really cannot choose between them. They all do the handleless design I’m interested in and the only difference is that the Leicht is a Wood Veneer whereas Hacker and Mobalpa are laminates. All come out a similar price, only about £1k difference. Which would you recommend in terms of best quality?
Many thanks,
ZB – if Leicht wood comes to the same price as haecker lamiante – go with Leicht, but you’re probably no pricing ‘apples and apples’ – both lines have higher and lower priced products.
Good luck!
kitchenguy
Hi. Live in London and having a hard time choosing between Nolte and Schmidt. Similar design and finishes from both, but Nolte 10% more in cost. Are the qualities comparable? Am I comparing apples with apples. The Schmidt price group 1 wood effect wild oak had me fooled for the real thing.
Anand – if Schmidt is less expensive – go with it. It is as good, if not better than Nolte.
kitchenguy
Dear Sirs, can anyone advise which company of the above list in Germany sells ballerina product for kitchens? Your help is highly appreciated.
Thank you in advance!
Marie Rose Al Kalache – the above are kitchen brands, just like Ballerina is a brand… YOu can use this form for more info.
kitchenguy
Hi. In terms of quality, in what order would you rank Eggersmann, Stormer, Haecker, schuller, schmidt, Alno, Beckermann and Rempp
Rob – in this order: Eggersmann, Haecker, schuller, Stormer, Schmidt, Alno, Beckermann and Rempp.
kitchenguy
Dear kitchen guy could you kindly tell me which of these two kitchens is of better quality Leicht or Nolte and how much discount should I be looking to push for is 25% adequate. I am based in London
Ash – Leicht is better, but you need to insure you’re comparing apples and apples… Same door style, box, drawer, design, accessories, etc.
It should be about 20% – 30% more, for the same thing.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy,
Really informative site, well done!
I note you rate Schuller above Stormer.
Can you qualify that a little? Is it terms of quality, longevity, design, range or is it six of one, half dozen the other?
If relevant, how should they compare pricewise comparing apples with apples?
Thank you in advance for your help & advice,
Regards,
Greg
Greg McGarry – where did you see Schuller above Stormer?
kitchenguy
Hi
Please can you help..we need to decide on 2 kitchens both handleless. One is by Stormer and the other by a local British company who make the cabinets and buy in the doors.
The UK company cabinets are18mm MFC on adjustable legs with 18mm MFC back in base and wall units. They use Hettich arcitech soft close drawers which run on actrorunners with solid mfc anthracite base. They colour match then units with the doors. wall units are 720mm high and 300mm deep. Hettich senses hinges on doors.How do you think this sounds in comparison to the Stormer kitchen? They are working out at the same price and we need to decide asap?
Many thanks
Tas – that’s an easy one – Stormer. If you had to choose between a VW car or one made by a local car dealer that was buying parts and them matching them, etc., etc… – what would you buy? Or how about buying a Sony TV, vs. getting one from a local guy, that buys the screen from Japan and then doe his own electronics, etc., etc… – should I continue…?
Buy from a company that has a reputable product, service, warranty and not from a knock-off company.
kitchenguy
Thanks for your v prompt reply. It’s very helpful!
You’re very welcome!
I am living the UAE, want kitchen cabinets for 3 kitchens, do you know if you have any show rooms in Abu Dhabi.??
Azaa – not sure who’s there at the moment… You’ll need to research it.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchenguy,
Can you give me the names of the bigger kitchen companies in Norway & Finland? I’ve tried the internet but can’t seem to get any through my browser.
Thanks
Ivan
Ivan – there aren’t too many large companies in these countries. Look on the right cullumn (in blue) of the page, under OTHER EUROPEAN KITCHEN BRANDS – just scroll your mouse over the company and you’ll see the country they’re from.
kitchenguy
Yeah, I found them. I was hoping there were a few others that weren’t mentioned here but thanks for the reply.
Hi Azaa
you can find Hacker kitchen in: Hacker Building – Sheikh Zayed Road, Barsha 1 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
+971 4 399 0425
http://www.hacker.ae
Can you advise me on the ranking quality wise between the folowing makes. Alno, Bauformat, Howdens, Magnet. The builder is suggesting Bauformat, I have not heard of them before.
Tom – these are all lower end brands (is a local, UK Joinery, not a kitchen brand). Alno will probably be my choice from this short list.
kitchenguy
Great article.
Hi
I am comparing Nobilia vs poggenpohl, what differences should i expect, i am expecting my kitchen to have not just usual stuff but a fully loaded utilities embedded too. Following are my doubts:
1) Durability (2) Post sales Service (3) Quality of stuff more suitable to North Indian temperatures (4) which one has better designs (5) Sustainability of these two companies in India
Txs
Vekir – here are the answers:
1) They both should be about the same, as far as durability.
2) That has to do with the local representatives in your area.
3) Same as #1.
4) Poggenpohl has newer, cutting edge designs, than Nobilia copies the more popular ones…
5) Not sure exactly what you mean, but again, it looks like it has to do with the local representatives in your area.
kitchenguy
Hi,
We were pricing out a kitchen at eggersmann largely because of we love their higher end finishes only to find ourselves stuck because of a lack of flexibility in their overhead cabinet design and what seems like a rather expensive price of $50,000 for 20 feet of lower cabinets and 12 feet of overhead cabinets. Can you tell me how Eggersmann compares price/quality wise to Pedini, Alno, and Paggenpohl?
Alan
Alan – you should be able to find the same type of finishes from Pedini, WITH the flexibility of design. Not sure if Poggenpohl can do it. Alno is not at the same level…
kitchenguy
Thanks for the help…. Navigating cabinets makes buying a car seem easy…
Alan – I agree with you 100%! Once you choose a car brand a model – it is the same everywhere. With cabinets, you choose the brand, the model and than you still have to select the dealer to purchase it from and narrow down a design for your kitchen…
That’s why I started this blog – to help navigate between all these choices and make the decision a bit easier.
kitchenguy
We are in the trading business and we do have various showrooms and stores kingdomwide in Saudi Arabia. We are looking for a manufacturer who is interested to enter Saudi Market.
Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed!
Very useful info specifically the ultimate phase
🙂 I take care of such information a lot.
I used to be seeking this particular information for a long time.
Thanks and good luck.
Thanks for the kind words.
kitchenguy
Where is best to buy kitchens direct I buy quite a few at a time may be 8 or 9 so want to cut out the middle man
ta
Will – not sure who in the UK will sell direct, if at all…
kitchenguy
I am really loving the theme/design of your web site.
Do you ever run into any browser compatibility
issues? A number of my blog visitors have complained about my blog not working correctly in Explorer but looks
great in Chrome. Do you have any ideas to help fix this problem?
refrigerator repair Slidell – no…
kitchenguy
Can you tell me which company is better from Nobilia, Siematic and Alno? I want a quality knthen that will last and look good. I have chosen these 3 based on what is available in the area I live. Thank you!
Confused – SieMatic, bay far…
kitchenguy
Can you please inform, which make is better Nobilia or Alno?
How much should be the price difference between the two for exactly same design & specs?
How do their qualities differ?
Your quick reply will be appreciated.
Bhatia
Suresh Bhatia – they are very similar, it depends which model/finish you choose.
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchen guy
My wife and I are looking at new kitchens we ve looked at alno and hacker. The price of the 2 kitchens is very similar. Which company would you say is better interms of quality and durability. What are the differences between the 2 companies?
Vish – Haecker is a better quality product.
kitchenguy
I really enjoy the way you wrote this article. I just bookmark the page and i will be back soon to read more from this interesting site. Thank you.
Hi Kitchen Guy,
firstly, thanks for all your posts and reply to single questions. Extremely useful.
We have decided to go for a German kitchen, and despite being Italian, I just feel you can trust the germans when it comes to kitchens!
Next 125, is the premium brand of Schuller. How does it compare in quality to Eggersmann and Haecker?
Is next 125 more an Alno? and what I can’t point my finger on, is what are you paying for, in the most expensive brands?
We would like to go with Haecker or Eggesrsmann, but if the cost is prohibitive, then Alno might be an alternative, unless you can suggest some other brands I should check out.
thanks
guido
P.S. any Italian brand I should actually look at?
Guido – unlike cars, the Italian kitchens today are as good as the German if not better in some cases. They are all using the same technology and machinary (Italian machines, making German kitchens and visa versa, German kitchens, featuring Italian doors – Italian kitchens featuring German hardware, etc.). Eggersman, haecker Next 125 & Alno – in this order, in terms of quality. You’re paying for quality, unique factor (custom, one of a kind), brand, innovation, etc.
As far as Italian brands – look at My Top 20
kitchenguy
sorry one last question…what do you think of Siematic?
I hear VERY expensive, but they do look beautiful
Somwhere between Eggersman and Haecker.
kitchenguy
Hello Kitchen Guy,
We are looking at buying a kitchen.
Seen Hacker and Schmidt kitchens and can’t decide.
Hacker we’ll recommend by our builder and was a little cheaper than Schmidt. He said German kitchens are the best. Schmidt appears to be more French than German.
Schmidt show room very impressive and fancy with lots to look and compare. Also Schmidt you can choose the colour of your carcass which looked really great in dark options. Hacker show room complete opposite to Schmidt- small little shop almost nothing made up so one has look at magazine imagine to get an idea. Also apparently hacker can’t brand itself in the uk so the kitchens don’t have the name Hacker on it or anywhere in the shops, which I find odd and somewhat disappointing.
I don’t want to be swayed by the show room.
Which you recommend Hacker or Schmidt?
What about Siematic, I have not seen them but their web site looks beautiful.
Hacker, Schmidt or Siematic??
Any reasons?
Thanks
Larry – SieMatic is great, but will be more expensive. Not sure of the specific dealers, but haecker is a better and bigger company than Schmidt.
kitchenguy
Hi,
Sorry forgot to ask about Pronorm Kitchens?
Hacker , Schmidt, Siematic, Pronorm??
Thanks
stick to the other brands – this one is not up to par.
kitchenguy
Many thanks for your reply. Your web page, knowledge and answers are quite remarkable!
I am probably leaning towards Hacker.
Comparing the exact design with same number and size of units,etc, like for like, Hacker and Schmidt came to the same price.
SieMatic comes in at almost £7000 more.
I just wish Hacker had better branding. No where in the entire kitchen on anything does it say Hacker or even a symbol of any sort. Even in the shop the word Hacker is no where to be found, it’s like a secret organisation.
Many thanks again.
Larry – for £7000 more you can get a name on the drawer… 🙂
kitchenguy
In 10,000 GBP which kitchen with laundry brand and design is better for 8 by 3 meter place?
Bou yousef – I need a lot more info to respond…
kitchenguy
where does leicht rank amongst Eggersman, haecker Next 125 & Alno?
guido – above Alno, same as Next 125, below the other two.
kitchenguy
hi….I m sorry to keep asking questions, but navigating through kitchens is more difficult than choosing a car…
with some companies do you have to choose amongst their different models, and then you can specify different details within?
and in others you start from scratch so it’s a bespoke model?
I get the impression that a hacker, siematic, eggersman is bespoke, while most Italians you have to choose a specific model as base to work on?
thanks
guido
guido – not at all – both German and Italian kitchens operate in the same way – they have soecific models and then you can load them with accessories and features (like a car). Some brands are more custom (bespoke) than others. Some models (within the brands) are more custom then others.
kitchenguy
Hi,
We are not able to choose between Nolte and Alno. For the design we selected the price comes up to the same. Which fares better in terns of quality and durability for Indian conditions.
Best Regards, Pradeep
pradeephegde – both similar. I’d go with Alno.
kitchenguy
You seem to believe hacker kitchens are better the Schmidt.
What are your reasons for stating this ?
Schmidt seen to have better configuration of units so more storage, thicker carcasses with better quality wood(high density) ,better interiors, better range and better warranty and the showrooms are much better equipped.
From my research the standard hacker range is also a trade quality kitchen.
Thanks
Maria – you seem to have formed a strong opinion alreday – so, go with it. Unless you alreday have a Schmidt kitchen (or a showroom full of it…)…
kitchenguy
Hi are Nobilla any good, are they middle range?
Lyn – very large company, with decent product, at an attractive price.
kitchenguy
Hi,
I’m trying to find similar companies to Smallbones of Devizes, ie. luxury kitchen manufacturers of a similar size. Only Harvey Jones seems comparable, whilst Hacker is obviously a significantly larger operation. With your knowledge of the luxury kitchen landscape can you give me any other names? They have to be capable of installing kitchens in a number of overseas locations!
Thanks very much,
Simon
simon deeming – comparing Smallbone to Hacker is line comparing Bently to Audi… – they are completely different products, with different market purpose.
What exacly are you looking for? A high end product that is completely bespoke (custom)?
Where are you located and where is “overseas” for you?
kitchenguy
Hi. In terms of quality how would you rate the following kitchen brands: nolte, Haecker, Nobilia, stormer.
Thank you.
Mahir – in this order: Haecker, Stormer, Nobilia, Nolte.
kitchenguy
Thank you Kitchenguy
I am now looking at Leicht, they have huge a colour range!
Would you say they are the same price and quality as Nobilia?
Lyn – I think they are a step above Nobilia.
kitchenguy
Hi, just looking kitchens just now. How would you rank the following brands: hacker, bauformat and schuller? Thanks
Anneila – in this order: Haecker, Schuller, Bauformat.
kitchenguy
Thank u kitchen guy. Just another couple of questions, would u say that there is any German kitchen that u should stay away from?
Also out of the 3 I asked about, is there any flaws with these kitchens, or is it just that u have put them in this particular order to due to quality or reputation? Its just so that I know that when quotes r coming in, I want to go for the one that is good quality but also value for money, if u understand what I am trying to say.
Anneila – all 3 are fine but there is a big difference in the quality and the reputation.
kitchenguy
Thanks 🙂
Hi, what can you say about Dada kitchens?
Mitch – good product!
kitchenguy
Sorry but how does Poggenpoll stack up against Bulthaup? Is the later worth the extra cash?
Paul – yes, it does…
Poggenpohl is a bigger company (so big name) but Bulthaup is a better product (so more money…)
kitchenguy
Hi are Pronorm Y Line any good?
Lyn – Pronorm is a ‘price driven’ product. They used to belong to the Sweedish Nobia Group, but were sold a couple of years ago to the Dutch DMG Group. I think you get a good value.
kitchenguy
Hi, our kithcen choice is between hacker and wellman/alno, I have read your blogs and am interested to know why you choose hacker over wellman/alno?
Joy – better quality, better value.
kitchenguy
Thank you
Hi
There is showroom near us selling KUBE kitchens which they say is a German make. Have you heard of them and if so, where do they rank among other German makes? We had a B&Q top range quote for around £5000 Could you recommend a German make that is good value ie more VW than BMW/Mercedes?
Thanks
Martin – Kube is from Irland…
kitchenguy
Thanks.
We were told the wholesaler is in Ireland but the kitchens are German….the following is an extract from their website…
Kube is a family run and owned business specializing in designer German kitchens at affordable prices.
Kube can call on four decades of expertise in the kitchen sector, during which our passion for good kitchen design, great German quality and good value has always shone through
Do you think this is wrong and they are not German?
Martin – I did a little rrsearch and found it – they are selling Nolte kitchens. Not sure why they are hiding it so much…?!?
kitchenguy
I will ask another question in addition to the above so hopefully you will be able to answer them at the same time…lol
We are probably at the lower end of the market, but would really like something a little better than Cooke and Lewis, Howdens, and Magnet.
Are the bottom of the range German kitchens much better than these, and which should we be looking at bearing in mind that we are looking for quality of build (hinges, runners etc) rather than super unique and unusual designs.
Martin – yes. they are.
kitchenguy
Which ‘lower end’ German kitchens, which are fairly widely available would you recommend?
Thank you for your help,
Martin – go with a bigger brand, but use their basic product line, rather then a low end company.
kitchenguy
Hi,
We are after a modern handless white kitchen. Hesitating between Nobilia Line N with Lux fronts and Hacker classic with Stratos fronts. Which one is better in terms of quality and ‘value for money’?
Also is there any meaningful difference between Hacker classic and systemat range in build and finish quality?
For example classic Stratos fronts vs systemat 4030 fronts?
Our Hacker sales guy says that the carcases are exactly the same, but not sure that should trust him there…
Thanks,
AM
AM – to be on the safe side, I got you an answer, directly from the people at Haecker:
Nobilia and Hacker are both serious german producers and you can trust their quality.
The price and the quality of Nobilia and Hacker classic is pretty much the same.
If you are looking for a modern, glossy handleless kitchen the you should have a look at the Hacker Laser brillant sample doors. They have just introduced that family of doors in 6 different colours. Great value for money.
Systemat by Hacker is a product line which offers more varieties in terms of materials, colours and dimensions. In that product line you can even choose between three different interior colours : white, lava grey and champaign. Even with matching hardware. Horizontal shelves are 19 mm instead of 16 mm; carcases can be equipped with a dust-seal or with LED-glass at the pull-out sides if desired. Also in systemat they offer real glass fronts in 11 colours, many wood veneers and even real stone veneer. So Hacker systemat can not really be compared wit Nobilia and Hacker classic.
Hoping that helps.
kitchenguy
Thank you for all your help. We have found local kitchen studios offering the following German brands. Could you please place them in order of quality (price) for me.
Rotpunkt Nolte Schuller Beauformat
Thanks
Martin – it really depends on the model, finish and materials, assuming you are comparing them on the same design… My guess is that Schüller will be higher than the other 3. They should be about the same, +/-.
kitchenguy
Trying to decide between a noblessa or a problem kitchen?Are there any big differences?
Marian – “problem kitchen”…?
kitchenguy
Hi Kitchen Guy,
May not be the right place to post something like this but ill give it a go as you seem very knowledgeable on the above kitchens. We are a small business currently working from home installing Crown Imperial and English Rose, as im sure you know good quality British made furniture. We are looking to step up our game and branch out in to buying from the German market, hopefully Hacker. Simply because from what I understand they sell you their kitchens unbranded and allow you to create your own brand using their product. I’m looking for some advise on the best way to contact them and maybe arrange becoming a supplier. From what I’m guessing they’ll probably only give you a go if you have an established showroom etc, but hopefully not.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Rob
Robert Cranston – Hacker is a good choice for you if you are looking for a generic product as they distribute their products completely unbranded in the UK. Their quality, service and pricing are all good. Need more info on that? Visit kbbreview from a couple of years ago. INot sure if they would supply someone without a showroom but give it a try and contact them via their website.
Goo luck!
kitchenguy
Hi
How would you rate Pronorm Y-line against Rot Punkt when it comes to gloss finish products? Rot Punkt seem to have a number of different quality levels for doors, which makes it even harder to compare.
Are they both good products?
Thanks
Ray – they are both ‘price driven’ products. Rot Punkt has more options than Pronorm. They are also a bit better.
kitchenguy
Hi. Can you please help in comparing the quality of the following brands: Nobilia, Hacker and Mobalpa. Thank you very much.
Mahir – Hacker, Mobalpa and Nobilia. In that order.
kitchenguy
Thank you very much
Hi,I have 2 questions please.
1. What is the quality difference between Alno and Hacker? In earlier comments you prefer hacker over alno but with my dealer(NL) Hacker is the cheaper one?
2. Or I spend more money on Snaidero Way line, according to this (other) dealer these snaidero handle free cabinets reinforce the kitchentop so much that you can ealisy sit on it (normally not advised to do so). Also the cabinet/drawer finish and quality of the lacquer is supposed to be better than hacker or alno. What is your oppinion in this?
Apreciate your time, many thanks in advance :-)!
Anna –
1. Compare Haecker’s higher end models.
2. I’m not ‘buying’ these stories. It is a good product, compareable to Haecker, in terms of quality.
Good luck!
kitchenguy