News: Latest information from the Storch-Ciret Group


Change in Management

July 2019

Rolf Thöne Appointed Managing Director
In the beginning of March, Rolf Thöne joined the Board of Directors of Storch-Ciret Holding GmbH. Together with Jörg Heinemann and Daniel Rogusch, he is in charge of the internationally successful Wuppertal-based painting tools group. Among other things, Thöne is responsible for the distribution companies in France, Italy, Spain and the UK as well as some Eastern European markets and China. The 49-year-old manager has taken over the area previously headed by Dr. Sven Wilhelm, who left the company by mutual agreement in April. In his new capacity, Rolf Thöne will be able to make good use of the international experience he gained in various industries.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge of further promoting the internationalisation of our globally active group of companies. Along with my colleagues on the Board of Directors and our superb team of 1,400 colleagues from China to the United Kingdom, I'd like to contribute to the continuation of our successful business development and probe new market potential", says Rolf Thöne.

Personal Details
Rolf Thöne, born 1969, lives in Dortmund, Germany, together with his family. Rolf Thöne, who holds degrees in economics and engineering, has served as product manager, head of marketing & sales and managing director in various industries. After working in various positions in the DORMA Group and the Hettich Group, he served as the sole Managing Director of Teba GmbH & Co. KG in Duisburg, Germany from 2016 to 2019.


The Number One at the Farbe, Ausbau & Fassade

March 2019

The Storch-Ciret Group at Farbe, Ausbau & Fassade 2019: four great days full of discussions, information and encounters. In an area of almost 600 square metres, we presented our products, system solutions and services for professional users of STORCH and the Storch-Ciret Group as a globally operating group, innovative manufacturer and expert partner.

Impressive demonstrations
Painting and decorating tools to touch and try out. From the preparation of the surface to the application of paint. From consumables to technology. STORCH's top-quality painting and decorating tools were available to try in all working areas. There was huge interest in the live demonstrations.

At the GSC booth we were able to present ourselves as an internationally operating group with the highest manufacturing expertise. The visitors got a glance of the modern manufacturing procedures at our locations. Our customers and interested parties were also able to find out about the attractive and target group-oriented product ranges and presentation concepts of COLOR EXPERT, Rota, Kana, Masq and Prep, WESTEX and FIA ProTeam.

Intensive exchanges
We met many old friends and made plenty of new ones. Many contacts secured, many exciting technical discussions held, many national and international partners gained. A strong showing. Many thanks to our guests for visiting us. We are now looking forward to the projects that follow!

Europe's trade fair for facade design and interior architecture
Since 1972
More than 46,000 visitors from all over the world
402 exhibitors from 26 countries
More than 50 expert talks


Reorganization of the management of Ciret GmbH

September 2016

Storch-Ciret Holding GmbH and the long-term manager of Ciret GmbH, Roland Skibbe, agreed on implementing a reorganisation within the Management of the Ciret Business Unit Color Expert.
This reorganisation leads to Michael Oppermann not only heading the assortment management of Ciret GmbH as responsible Managing Director, but in future also the complete sales activities of Ciret GmbH. The decision was made in order to facilitate the interlocking of internal processes for further improvement of all customer-oriented activities of Ciret GmbH.
After 20 successful years Roland Skibbe will leave GSC in mutual consent. Obviously, a professional transfer of his extensive knowhow is guaranteed to assure the quality and care we are used to within Ciret GmbH. During his time, Mr. Skibbe has contributed considerably to today’s good reputation and the high market share of COLOR EXPERT within the DIY industry.

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The new FIA ProTeam-Catalogue is here!

We are very happy to announce the new FIA ProTeam Catalogue. In the latest issue you will find our wide product range of painting tools with the best price-quality ratio ex-production. 

The new Catalogue can be downloaded from our website. Please follow the link below for your personal copy: Catalogue download

For further information do not hesitate to contact our Sales Team.


Ciret on the DIY-Summit in Barcelona

April 2018

Ciret will be exhibiting with its business unit COLOR EXPERT for the third time at this year’s DIY Summit. The show will take place on the 13th and 14th June in Barcelona.

DIY Summit

The Global DIY Summit is the leading DIY show for retailer and manufacture. More than 1.000 participants from 45 countries are attending the show, which gives the best opportunity to exchange with companies within the industry about trends and developments in the global market. The summit is hosted by the two leading DIY trade associations EDRA (European DIY-Retail Association) and Fediyma (European Federation of DIY Manufacturers) as well as the first global representation of interest of DIY trade, Ghin (Global Home Improvement Network).

Visit the website of DIY Summit

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Strong performance on the international stage: Storch-Ciret at EWM 2018

March 2018

More than 47,000 visitors from around the world: there was a lot going on in the aisles and halls of the Eisenwarenmesse at the beginning of March – including at the Storch-Ciret Group booths. At a joint stand, WESTEX and FIA ProTeam presented our expertise in tool development and production to an international audience of experts. Attracted by a trade fair both that literally stood out: WESTEX impressively demonstrated the performance of its product range – thanks to a booth in the look of a high-shelf system. Customers could find out about new product developments such as the paint roller handles and global delivery options from FIA ProTeam. COLOR EXPERT came with its own booth, specially developed for the smooth walls trend project. On the DIY boulevard COLOR EXPERT demonstrated the step by step the way to a smooth wall – and the fact that COLOR EXPERT can help bring out the professional in everyone.

"Eisenwarenmesse 2018 was a great success for us. The interest in our solutions was enormous and the discussions – especially on an international level – gave our business important impulses," explained Managing Director Markus Winnen.

International industry meeting: EWM 2018 in figures
4 days
2,770 providers from 58 countries
47,000 trade visitors from 143 countries
87 percent of exhibitors and over 70 percent of visitors from abroad

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Ciret UK are attending this year’s National Painting and Decorating show!

Nov 2017

On the 28th and 29th November Ciret UK will be exhibiting at this year’s National Painting and Decorating show in Coventry, the biggest annual trade show in the painting and decorating industry!

Come and visit Ciret on stand 95 where the UK team will be launching, exhibiting and demonstrating their new innovative products.

Ciret’s Master Decorator Tom Holloway will be hosting his very own Master Class showing the latest innovation and quality performing products. 

This year’s show is a must see experience for all professional painters and decorators, individuals,  businesses, stocklists and suppliers, looking for the latest painting and decorating products, materials and techniques.

For more information and to be kept up to date with everything Ciret UK are doing at this year’s show, follow their twitter channel here. https://twitter.com/CIRET_UK

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Storch-Ciret Group will exhibit Hardware Fair 2018 in Cologne with three business units

Oct 2017

Storch-Ciret Group will exhibit with their business units FIA and WESTEX at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne in March 2018.

The Business Unit FIA offers customized painting tools ex-production with the best price/quality ratio. WESTEX on the contrary offers over 1.000 non-branded items, delivered from the German Warehouse.
You can easily locate us at: Hall 04.1, Stand: B-021

Furthermore, the business unit Color Expert will be exhibiting at the DIY Boulevard.
You can easily locate us at: Hall 05.1, Stand: C-093

About the Hardware Fair

From Sunday, 4 to Wednesday, 7 March 2018, the most important decision-makers, manufacturers and trade visitors from all over the world met up in the exhibition halls of Koelnmesse to establish contacts, experience innovations and exciting trends.

2,670 exhibitors from 55 countries. Approximately 44,000 trade visitors from 130 countries in the middle of a conurbation with 21 million inhabitants. The world’s number 1 in the hardware sector for over 50 years.

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We're Here!

July 2017

Since April this year, around 85 staff have been working at the new Storch-Ciret Group head office in Wuppertal, Germany. “We have managed to achieve a design concept that allows for a modern, forward-looking way of working, and strengthens a company culture with co-operation and communication at its heart, independent of divisions and hierarchies,” Managing Director Werner Averkamp is pleased to announce about the successful completion of the new development. In the near future, all 150 employees of the Storch-Ciret Group will be able to experience the new workplace culture. Work has already started on plans to convert the Group's buildings that to date have been used as administrative offices and headquarters.

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Bright Spot

March 2017

The view from the roof of Storch-Ciret Group's (GSC) new main building on the sunset over Wuppertal: a genuinely bright spot. Just like the new development itself. The scaffolding was removed a few weeks ago – and now we have an unrestricted view of the building. There is more glass than brickwork. You can already tell from the outside how brightly lit the new facilities are. The new main building will be ready for everyone to move in at the end of March. The anticipation of working in the new main building is vast: “the building is bathed in light, transparent and brightly lit. We were able to create ideal conditions for our everyday activities here. Its architecture and transparency will inspire us in our work,” Managing Director Werner Averkamp explains. “We are looking forward to bringing the new facilities to life.”

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New Managing Director for Digital Transformation

March 2016

New area of operations, new managing director: Storch-Ciret Holding's Board of Directors has grown in size, with Dr Sven Wilhelm (38) now managing the group's digital transformation. His remit includes digitisation and optimisation of business processes, digital marketing, e-commerce and introduction of a group-wide, standardised PIM system. In addition, he has responsibility for sales and marketing for a number of our group's international markets, especially in Western Europe.

Dr Wilhelm has a great wealth of experience as a founder and manager of internet, e-commerce and online marketing business models. His previous work includes a period as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group.

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The presentation of the whole Storch-Ciret Group at the exhibition FARBE 2016 in Munich

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The Storch-Ciret Group shows its colours

From 6 to 9 March 2013, the international leading trade fair "Paint – Finishing & Facade" attracted about 50,000 visitors to Cologne. At our booths, which covered an area of approximately 700 m², interested experts from the fields of craft and trade were able to get an impression of the advantages of our group's offers and experience the products live.

We were able to use the trade fair "Paint – Finishing & Facade" to demonstrate our strength: Apart from the high-quality paint tool range we effectively presented our quality services and the perfectly aligned systems. Thus, we proved that we offer added value through which our customers can establish and develop their own leading edge.

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Strategic Decision for the DIY Sector

Storch-Ciret Group has taken the strategic decision to further intensify her engagement in the DIY sector. In this context it is announced that the Group has been able to extend the cooperation with Roland Skibbe who will carry on in his long standing and successful function as Managing Director of Ciret GmbH, responsible for the business division COLOR EXPERT.
Also the start of Ralph Buchholz (formerly Nespoli-Group) as head of range management at the beginning of March is proof of the ambitions of Storch-Ciret Group in the DIY sector.
The overall responsibility for the region of Germany / Austria / Switzerland / The Netherlands / Luxembourg (DACH/BNL) within the Group stays with Jörg Heinemann.



“proTeam direct GmbH" the purchasing organisation of the Storch-Ciret Group has been renamed to "Storch-Ciret Sourcing GmbH" as of 1st July 2012.

Your contact persons as well as address, commercial register entry or VAT-No number remain unchanged. Please send any enquiries to: [email protected].



Jörg Heinemann appointed Managing Director
of Storch-Ciret Holding GmbH (April 2012)

In March 2012, Jörg Heinemann (45) was appointed Managing Director also of Storch-Ciret Holding GmbH, Wuppertal, Germany. In this function, Mr Heinemann will assume overlapping tasks within Storch-Ciret Group. This appointment does not affect his responsibility for STORCH Malerwerkzeuge & Profigeräte GmbH, for which Mr Heinemann has been sole Managing Director since 2006.
Storch-Ciret Group is the leading supplier of coating applicators and preparation products and associated services in Europe. With around 1,600 staff, Storch-Ciret Group operates a total of twenty-seven sales and production companies in Europe and Asia. 



New Facilities at Wuppertal Site (February 2012)

The buildings of the Storch-Ciret Group on Platz der Republik in Wuppertal have reached their capacity limits. For this reason, additional facilities have been rented in the close-by Huppertsberg factory: The departments of the CIRET responsibility area including the showrooms will relocate to these facilities in order to ensure physical proximity between the various sales areas and functions as well as comfortable and productive arrangement of the workplaces.
The move to the new facilities is to take place in April. Additionally, areas in the rear building on Platz der Republic will be converted in the course of this year in order to make room for further offices and exhibition areas. The decision concerning an investment in building measures in the front building has not yet been made. We ask all affected employees for their understand-ing for the inconvenience caused by the expected construction noise and upcoming moves. .



Investment in New Logistics Centre at Pelhrimov Site (February 2012)

The substantial relocations from the Wangen production site to Pelhrimov have caused a shortage of space. The finished goods warehouse previously used by the former KANA is to be used by the production. To use the high synergy potential in the Storch-Ciret Group more effectively, a new logistics centre will be set up at the Pelhrimov site. Adequate office and working areas allow the sales departments, the former Color Expert Storch s.r.o. (CECZ), and the former KANA s.r.o. to move in. Their finished goods warehouses will also be consolidated. The project launch has already taken place, and the new logistics centre is expected to be finished in the spring of 2013 at the earliest. 

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