JCK Holding

JCK Holding GmbH Textil KG is a German management and investment holding company headquartered in Quakenbrück, in the Artland region of Lower Saxony. Originally rooted in a small hat factory founded in 1838 by Johann Christian Kollmann — whose initials give the company its name — the modern group was established in 1992 as a Kommanditgesellschaft by Günter Kollmann, who had begun designing and trading outerwear textiles in 1971. Today JCK Holding describes itself as a family business with shareholdings in a diverse portfolio of companies, focusing on the product segments of sports, fashion and promotional products. Its five strategic business fields are apparel, sport and outdoor, promotional articles, decorative and gift items, and emergency equipment. The group presents itself as a pioneer in the private label business and also operates its own brands. The holding's portfolio includes eleven teamsports GmbH, Europe's largest online shop for football and team sports, founded in Crailsheim in 2007; Houdini, the Swedish outdoor specialist established in 1993; MEDICO Group, a specialist in functional sportswear with over 100 years of history; Gustav Daiber GmbH, a corporate fashion provider; Halfar System GmbH, a Bielefeld-based bag and promotional products manufacturer; Labtech Prüfungsgesellschaft mbH, an independent textile testing laboratory; and encuble GmbH, which designs and supports business intelligence and AI solutions. Through these holdings JCK Holding maintains a global orientation with a pronounced presence and activities in Asia. JCK Holding is a family-owned business. According to its corporate responsibility page, it employs a team of 20 CR experts who work across its shareholdings to ensure compliance with social standards along the supply chain and to reduce environmental impact. The group's commitment to sustainability is reflected in awards won by its subsidiaries, such as Halfar System's recognition at the PSI Sustainability Awards 2021, where it was named 'Sustainable Company of the Year'. In the 2013 financial year the holding generated revenue of €520.6 million, up from €485.0 million the previous year, with roughly one third coming from abroad. The average number of employees was 1,052, and the consolidated financial statements included 31 group companies, of which 19 were fully owned, as well as three associated companies. Revenue was mainly generated in the textile/apparel, promotional articles and sport/outdoor business fields. The group remains privately held, with institutional investment companies holding minority stakes in the low single-digit percentage range as of November 2014.

The origins of JCK Holding lie in a hat, cap and fur manufactory founded in 1838 by Johann Christian Kollmann, the grandfather of Günter Kollmann. The initials of Johann Christian Kollmann form the 'JCK' logo of the present company. After completing his engineering studies and a career as a Basketball Bundesliga player, Günter Kollmann began in 1971 to design, manufacture and trade outerwear textiles. In the early phase he could rely on the structures of his parents' textile business in Quakenbrück, in the Artland region, which employed seamstresses on a contract basis and mainly produced anoraks. The operation had its own textile cutting department, enabling it to sew made-to-measure series, and also ran its own retail shop in Quakenbrück. The young entrepreneur's initial concept envisaged the production of children's clothing. Market requirements soon made it sensible to abandon this restriction to a single product segment. On the basis of a demand-oriented range, Kollmann succeeded in concluding contractual agreements with buyers in stationary retail and mail order. The high volumes to be delivered allowed him to outsource production of the ordered textile products to so-called intermediate masters abroad, which was the only way to meet buyers' price expectations. The key success factor for further development was satisfied customers among large-volume buyers, who were interested in a fixed, regulated and always highly reliable supplier relationship. High growth rates in the sale of fashionable outerwear in retail and mail order, as well as the development of new distribution channels in retail, had a positive effect on company development. From the diverse entrepreneurial activities of the 1970s and 1980s emerged continuous growth that made it possible to build and develop a group of independently operating companies, each focused on specific markets, initially mainly on segments of the textile/apparel industry (women's outerwear, children's outerwear, men's outerwear, etc.). JCK Holding was founded in 1992 as a Kommanditgesellschaft. The circle of shareholders includes institutional investment companies, each with holdings in the low single-digit percentage range (as of November 2014). In the 2013 financial year the holding generated revenue of €520.6 million (previous year: €485.0 million), about one third of which was attributable to foreign markets. The average number of employees was 1,052. The consolidated financial statements included 31 group companies, 19 of which were linked by 100 percent holdings, as well as three associated companies. Revenue was essentially earned in the business fields of textile/apparel, promotional articles and sport/outdoor. Today JCK Holding describes itself as a family business with shareholdings in various companies, focusing on the product segments sports, fashion and promotional products. Its five strategic business fields are apparel, sport and outdoor, promotional articles, decorative and gift items, and emergency equipment. The group sees itself as a pioneer in the private label business and also operates brands. Its portfolio includes eleven teamsports GmbH, founded in Crailsheim in 2007 as a brick-and-mortar store, which launched its first online shop in 2008 and now operates the largest online shop for football and football team sports in Europe with over 2.5 million customers; Houdini, the Swedish outdoor expert established in 1993, offering a complete range of functional clothing from underwear to weatherproof shell clothing; Labtech Prüfungsgesellschaft mbH, an independent laboratory testing textile products, fabrics and utensils; MEDICO Group, which has stood for functional sportswear for over 100 years and is now a global production, sales and brand specialist in the sports and lifestyle segment; encuble GmbH, which designs, implements and supports comprehensive Business Intelligence and AI solutions; Gustav Daiber GmbH, a corporate fashion provider; and Halfar System GmbH, a Bielefeld-based specialist in bags and promotional products for over 30 years. The group maintains a global orientation with a pronounced presence and activities in Asia. JCK Holding also emphasizes corporate responsibility. It considers itself responsible for what surrounds it and demonstrates commitment in the countries where its products originate. A team of 20 CR experts is available to all companies in which it holds shares. These staff ensure compliance with social standards at various stages of the supply chain and continuously work on reducing environmental impact. Activities include material testing for harmful substances, chemical management audits at production facilities specializing in wet production processes, and adherence to standards for eco-friendly fabrics. In 2021 its subsidiary Halfar System was awarded 'Sustainable Company of the Year' at the PSI Sustainability Awards, recognizing its commitment across economic, environmental and social pillars.

• 2021

  Subsidiary Halfar System is named 'Sustainable Company of the Year' at the PSI Sustainability Awards.

• 2013

  JCK Holding reports revenue of €520.6 million and 1,052 employees.

• 2008

  eleven teamsports launches its first online shop.

• 2007

  eleven teamsports GmbH is founded in Crailsheim as a brick-and-mortar store.

• 1993

  Houdini, the Swedish outdoor expert, is established.

• 1992

  JCK Holding is founded as a Kommanditgesellschaft.

• 1971

  Günter Kollmann begins designing, manufacturing and trading outerwear textiles.

• 1838

  Johann Christian Kollmann founds a hat, cap and fur manufactory, the origin of the JCK name.

Family-owned global holding company and private label pioneer in textiles, sport, outdoor and promotional products.

• eleven teamsports online shop

  Europe's largest online shop for football and football team sports, with over 2.5 million customers.

• Houdini outdoor clothing

  Complete range of functional clothing from underwear to weatherproof shell clothing.

• MEDICO functional sportswear

  Functional sportswear with over 100 years of history, now a global production, sales and brand specialist.

• Halfar bags and promotional products

  Bielefeld-based bag and promotional products manufacturer with over 30 years of experience.

• Gustav Daiber corporate fashion

  Corporate fashion that creates identity.

• Labtech textile testing

  Independent laboratory testing textile products, fabrics and utensils according to customer specifications.

• encuble BI and AI solutions

  Designs, implements and supports comprehensive Business Intelligence and AI solutions.

1. 1Homepage - JCK Holdingjck.de
2. 2Corporate Responsibility - JCK Holdingjck.de
3. 3HALFAR® is awarded 'Sustainable Company of the Year' - JCK Holdingjck.de
4. 4JCK Holding - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
5. 5JCK Holding - Wikidatawikidata.org