With team spirit to the world market
With DZ BANK's international expertise on offer worldwide
Whether Bundesliga or Kreisliga, handball, soccer or tennis - more than 100,000 sports teams worldwide rely on jerseys and other sportswear from JAKO. As the supplier of the professional soccer teams of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart, the medium-sized company headquartered in Hollenbach in the Hohenlohe municipality of Mulfingen even played in the Champions League for the first time with Bayer Leverkusen in 2016. The company now sells its products in more than 50 countries around the globe via traditional sports retailers and online retailers.
Despite its global presence, the company still bears its local roots in its name: JAKO stands for the two defining rivers of the region, the Jagst and Kocher. When the company's founder and current chairman of the supervisory board, Rudi Sprügel, founded JAKO in 1989, he wanted to supply high-quality, affordable equipment that was readily available, especially for the sports clubs in his home state of Baden-Württemberg.
Success was not long in coming. Sprügel, who himself played soccer for the Würzburger Kickers in the second Bundesliga, quickly expanded his business and was already turning over double-digit millions after just five years. In the meantime, Sprügel's daughters, Yvonne and Nadine Sprügel, have also joined the board of the family-owned company.
Since its founding, JAKO has successfully established itself on the global market, equipping professional and amateur teams around the world and offering a range of over 400 models in more than 30,000 color and size variations, from classic black sports bags to customized basketball jerseys.
Further growth opportunities in Asian markets
To this day, the ability to deliver quickly is one of the key advantages that sets JAKO apart from many of its competitors. In order to further expand this strength, the company continuously invests in its infrastructure, especially in merchandise management and logistics. Since 2016, JAKO has even been using autonomously operating robots to manage the transport of goods to the logistics employees who pick the goods. "With 240 employees, we are not only a responsible employer in the region, but we also continue to invest in our local site," says Rudi Sprügel. "We are also feeling increasing demand from abroad, including from Asian markets. Here we see further opportunities for growth."
In DZ BANK, we have a reliable banking partner who understands our business model.
Consulting at eye level - as a reliable partner for financing issues
DZ BANK is one of JAKO's principal banks and is thus the company's partner in various financing matters. "In DZ BANK, we have a reliable banking partner who understands our business model," says Sprügel. "In addition, we experience reliable support at eye level. This has established a good and trusting cooperation."
