For manufacturers
Deutsche FassungYour route into Austrian DIY and specialist retail chains
Mekisan places manufacturers’ products on the shelves of Austrian DIY and specialist retail chains and supplies every single store. For manufacturers from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy that have no subsidiary and no sales force in Austria.
Mekisan does not manufacture anything. Since 2000, the trading company based in Gratwein near Graz has bundled the ranges of several manufacturers for the Austrian trade: with existing supplier accounts at the chains, electronic ordering and invoicing, and a warehouse that ships small quantities to many store locations. This is the work that neither a manufacturer abroad nor a classic wholesaler wants to take on. For Mekisan it is the core business.
What Mekisan takes care of
- Listing with the chains
- Mekisan is set up as a supplier with Austrian retail chains and conducts the listing talks with central purchasing. Your products enter the range through an existing supplier account, not through a new vendor setup with everything that entails.
- Electronic processing
- Orders, despatch advices and invoices run via EDI with the chains’ central warehouses. The connection is in place and used every day. You deliver to a warehouse in Austria, Mekisan handles the rest.
- Delivery to every store
- Small quantities to many stores, replenishment, promotional goods: Mekisan picks in Gratwein near Graz and supplies the chains’ stores and central warehouses throughout Austria.
- One contact for head office
- Listing data, price rounds, bonus settlements and invoice checks with the chain sit with Mekisan. You talk to one person instead of a purchasing organisation.
- Range selection and costing
- Not every item belongs on the shelf. Mekisan selects with you what fits the chain’s shelf price window, pack size and product group, and works through the costing before any listing meeting takes place.
- Knowing the listing windows
- Every chain changes its range only within fixed time windows. Mekisan knows these dates and brings your range in at the right moment instead of knocking out of turn.
- Returns and take-back
- Complaints, returns and the take-back of unsold goods are settled by Mekisan with the chain, following the model you agree with us.
- The chains’ online shops
- For the chains’ online shops, Mekisan ships directly to the end customer. Your goods do not need to sit in the chain’s warehouse for that.
How it works
- 1
You present your range
Product group, item list, packaging data and EAN codes, plus your current position in Austria. The form below is all it takes.
- 2
Mekisan reviews within five working days
Does the product group fit, is the retail price within the shelf window, is the product already available in Austria through another route. You get a clear answer, even if it is a no.
- 3
Selection and costing
Together we define the items. Mekisan calculates shelf price and terms and prepares the listing documents.
- 4
Listing meeting with head office
Mekisan holds the meeting in the next range window. Samples, packaging, data and arguments come from you, the access from Mekisan.
- 5
Ongoing operations
Initial stocking, reorders, invoices, bonus settlement and complaints all run through Mekisan. You deliver to a warehouse in Austria, we take care of the rest.
What fits, what does not
A good fit
- Shelf products around plumbing, heating, installation, pool, stoves and garden. The product range overview shows what Mekisan carries today; new products are welcome if they fit the shelf and have potential
- Retail price in the two-digit euro range
- EAN codes and pack sizes suited to shelf sales
- German-language packaging, or the willingness to create it
- No sales organisation of your own in Austria: no subsidiary, no field sales, no wholesale contract for the Austrian market
Not a fit
- Project business and plant construction. Mekisan serves recurring demand, not individual construction projects
- Products that are already widely available in Austria through wholesalers
- Items that only sell with consulting or installation
Brands that reach Austria through Mekisan today
Fermit from Germany sells in Austria through Mekisan as its general distributor. The range also includes Hutterer & Lechner, SANIT-CHEMIE, August Reichenpfader and MKW. The product range overview shows which product groups this covers.
Product range overview (German) →Present your range to us
Within five working days you will receive an assessment of whether, and in what form, your range is a candidate for Austrian DIY and specialist retail. Please send price lists, catalogues and images only after our reply.
Prefer to talk directly?
You can reach us by email or phone, in German and English.