Our success story
In the mid-1950s, Albert Berner left his hometown of Künzelsau in southern Germany at the age of 21 to visit his first customers with a trunk full of screws. Almost 70 years later, the one-man operation has grown into an international group whose name stands for quality, expertise, innovation and a hands-on mentality. And although much has changed, some things have remained the same: the name at the top, the enthusiasm for our customers and the passion for screws – along with 100,000 other products.
Our founder on the early days of his career:
Things started happening pretty quickly. I was surprised how everything suddenly got going – many others were too, they had never thought I could do it.
How we made history
1957–1969: BERNER – it started out on blue velvet
The economic miracle helps many German companies to flourish. In those days, a young man in Künzelsau, Baden-Württemberg, also dreamed of great success.
Albert Berner is barely 21 years old when, after completing his training, he turns his dream into reality. On April 1, 1957, he set up his own screw business. The starting capital: 3,000 deutschmarks and a car!
![[Translate to English:] Arbeit in der Logistik im neuen Firmengebäude](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/2/csm_Berner-Historie-Logistik-Firma-350_f72d257f29.jpg)
He placed his screws on display in a cardboard box covered with blue velvet. Success was immediate, with Albert Berner generating sales of 300,000 deutschmarks in the first year. He doubles this figure in the following year.
In 1961, when the company exceeds the first sales million, Albert Berner decides to build his own company building, which serves him as a home, office and warehouse at the same time..
1969–1973: First steps into foreign markets
1974–1987: From Europe to Asia
![[Translate to English:] 1984: Besuch bei der Firma Hsin Ho, Taiwan](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/1/csm_Berner-Historie-1974-1984-Taiwan-Besuch-350_e9b2d632e9.jpg)
After the opening of BERNER Italy (1974), Albert Berner puts one of his most ambitious projects into practice in 1976. He takes over the company Hsin Ho, a factory for screws and fasteners, and thus dares to become a producer as well as a distributor.
The company continues to grow. In 1979, the 1,000th job is created.
![[Translate to English:] Eisenwarenmesse in Köln 1979](/fileadmin/_processed_/7/2/csm_Berner-Historie-Eisenwarenmesse-1979-350_01b875c641.jpg)
In 1983 Albert Berner founds the BERNER Holding for the strategic orientation of his company. With Norway, Sweden and Luxembourg, further foreign companies are added to BERNER in the following years. Since 1987, the company has also had a supervisory board, which Albert Berner has chaired from the beginning in addition to his function as managing director.
1988-2000: Next stop: the sales billion
![[Translate to English:] Neubau des Firmensitzes in Künzelsau-Garnberg](/fileadmin/_processed_/c/9/csm_Berner-Group-Historie-Neubau-Garnberg-350_3fbddc9de4.jpg)
In 1989, the BERNER Holding and BERNER Germany move into their new headquarters in Künzelsau-Garnberg. “If I had stayed at our original site in the Hofratsmühle, I would have gone bankrupt as it would have been impossible for us to meet the demand,” says Albert Berner about this important milestone.
![[Translate to English:] 1995: Portrait Albert Berner](/fileadmin/_processed_/7/2/csm_Berner-Historie-Albert-Berner-1988-2000-Umsatzmilliarde-350_86ae1d7650.jpg)
The peaceful reunification of Germany in 1989 gave Albert Berner another opportunity to expand: “No sooner had the Iron Curtain fallen did we send two sales managers to Hungary and started recruiting local representatives, who we found in next to no time, enabling us to achieve record sales.” Having founded Berner Hungary in 1990, Albert Berner went on to set up a business with 20 employees in the Czech Republic in 1995, recognizing the huge market potential in the former Eastern Bloc.
On the occasion of the 60th birthday of its namesake, the non-profit Albert Berner Foundation is established in 1995. The Albert Berner Foundation is committed to supporting children and adults in the social, cultural and sporting fields as well as in education in the Hohenlohe region.
![[Translate to English:] Die Milliardengrenze in Mark wird auf dem Garnberg gefeiert](/fileadmin/_processed_/1/e/csm_Berner-Historie-1988-2010-Umsatzmilliarde-Garnberg-350_dd69d88662.jpg)
In time for the start of the new millennium, BERNER also welcomed Portugal, Spain and Poland into the corporate family. In fiscal year 1999/2000, BERNER’s total sales exceeded the magical one billion deutschmarks threshold for the first time, thus marking one of the greatest milestones in the company’s history.
2001–2011: On course for expansion
Although direct sellers don’t normally deal in branded products, Albert Berner decided to revive the traditional brand Caramba. “The name stands for quality”, says Albert Berner, who had held a 50 percent share in Caramba since 2002, before going on to acquire all the remaining shares in the chemicals specialist in 2006.
Enjoying continued success, Albert Berner expands in the following years into Slovakia as well as Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Croatia. In 2010, the BERNER Holding is converted into a European public limited company (SE). In 2011, the BERNER Group makes its first appearance, with its own logo and website. The Group is also expanding the Caramba Chemie brand family through acquisition and further strengthening its entire product portfolio in this way.
Since 2012: New ways – now in second generation
After almost 60 years, a change at the top of the company is on the horizon in 2012. Albert Berner passes on the scepter to his son Christian Berner, who at 28 is one of the youngest CEOs in Germany. At this time, the BERNER Group cracks the one billion euro sales mark.
In October 2015, the BERNER Group opens a location in Cologne's Rheinauhafen (Germany). With the new foothold, the company is counting on an increase in specialists and skilled workers as well as an increasing internationalization of the strategic holding. Important central staff units for the implementation of the Group's transformation and digitization strategy are gradually being established in the Rhine metropolis.
In keeping with the corporate value b.proud, the employees of the BERNER Group can look forward to a very special anniversary in 2017. The 60th anniversary of the company will be celebrated accordingly. At the same time, the company is supporting 60 social projects at its European locations in its birthday year.
In 2019, the BERNER Group will launch its broad-based logistics offensive in Kerkrade (new headquarters for BENELUX countries, European central and import warehouse). Further milestones will be the extensive modernization of logistics in Braunau, Austria (new fully automated high-bay warehouse), at the headquarters in Künzelsau, at Caramba Chemie in Duisburg and at BTI in Ingelfingen.
Since 2021, Christian Berner has been leading the BERNER Group as CEO and sole owner. He has thus successfully completed the succession plan and set the course to secure the future as a family business founded by his father Albert Berner in 1957.
The BERNER Group increases its clout in the construction segment. BTI and the BERNER Germany Construction Division becomes the new brand BTI by BERNER in June 2023 – and thus one of the largest B2B trading companies in the construction industry on the German market.
After 10 years of radical transformation, the BERNER Group and its core brand BERNER are positioning themselves with a new brand strategy in June 2023. This includes a completely new brand identity and the brand claim "Pushing the Limits". The new brand strategy is driven by the group-wide purpose: "We are pushing the limits of the possible for the shapers of a better tomorrow".
The BERNER Group integrates the Caramba carwash experts into the omnichannel business model of the core brand BERNER. The brand business with Caramba branded products (e.g. in DIY stores) will be sold and will also go its own way as a company. As a result, the portfolio strategy will be even more strongly focussed on supplying professional B2B customers with high-quality products and services. The company focuses on the private label business and repositions itself with the Customized Chemical Solutions Group (CCS). The Duisburg and Bremen production sites are renamed accordingly. The site in Bad Kreuznach continues to operate under the name WIGO GmbH.