1921

On 1st November, August Cordes and Alfred Graefe established the pipe and tube trading company CORDES & GRAEFE in Bremen, north Germany.

1939-1950

During World War II the company was almost completely destroyed by the bombing – in the turmoil of the war only a small stock of tubes were saved to form the initial capital to restart the business.

1951-1965

Despite years of crisis, continuing development and progress were the continuing hallmarks of the company’s strategy. To improve its ability to meet the needs of its customers, CORDES & GRAEFE expanded its product range.

1974

The first cash-and-carry warehouse in the industry opened in Aachen. This marked the start of a success story. Meanwhile in Germany alone professional tradesmen can choose between 850 such warehouses to source the products they need on site.

1975

GC-GROUP was founded in Bremen as a specialist plumbing and HVAC wholesaler – it comprised the family-owned businesses CORDES & GRAFE, WILHELM GIENGER in Munich, GOTTSCHALL & SOHN and WILHELM GIENGER in Kornwestheim near Stuttgart.

1976-1979

From the beginning the partners adopted a business model that enabled all of them to benefit from the economies of scale offered by the Group, but preserved their individual responsibility and local freedom of action. As old established business with a local tradition, the individual partners were best placed to know their regional markets.

1990s

The GC-GROUP continued to expand - in Germany and abroad. By now there were GC partners in Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

1996

The GC-GROUP demonstrated its potential for innovation by opening the sector’s first online shop. To this day our Group is a pioneer in the field of e-commerce. Customers shopping at GC ONLINE PLUS in Germany alone can choose from around 4.5 million items. Tradesmen, designers and architects use the platform on a daily basis where they enjoy the benefits of product information, digital interfaces and many other services.

2000s

The GC-GROUP expanded its presence in northern and western Europe, moving into countries such as Norway, Spain and France.

2010

The old established Norwegian company Heidenreich became a new partner in the GC-GROUP. The origins of this family-run business date back to 1904.

2013

Since 1 June 2013, tradesmen in Spain have also profited from our services. Three companies with a total of 25 outlets forming the wholesale group and its subsidiary Biosca joined the GC-GROUP.

2015

With the addition of the Comafranc Group, the GC-GROUP gained a strong wholesale partner in France. The business was founded by Marius Gay in the year 1948. The company remains independent to this day, still run by the Gay family as managing partners. With 23 member companies the group is the Number 2 in France, its Aubade brand is familiar nationwide.

2016

The GC-GROUP and established Austrian company Odörfer set course for a shared future. As a result the GC-GROUP is now a growing force in the Austrian market.

2017

With the family business Pressiani as a new partner, the GC-GROUP acquired a presence in Italy.

2019

Italian family business SVAI became a partner in the GC-GROUP.

2020

As an alliance of family business in 16 countries, the GC-GROUP is a strong partner for both customers and suppliers alike.