The success story of WENKO-WENSELAAR GmbH & Co. KG begins at the end of the fifties. With a sound instinct for better ideas for the household, the necessary inventiveness and entrepreneurial passion, the founders, Wietze Wenselaar and his wife, Maria Köllner started off by marketing the first metallised ironing board cover in Germany. At that time this was an absolute novelty and formed the basis for the later business success of the family company, whose name “WENKO” originated from the combination of the founders’ names, Wenselaar and Koellner. When Hanns-Joachim Köllner, the son of the founder family, joined the company, the “Ironing” range and the household portfolio were further extended at the end of the sixties, and market with continued success in the mail-order and fixed-location trades.
Today, the vast WENKO range comprises about 6.000 products for the entire household, the main focus being placed on bathroom, kitchen, laundry and living. Together with trend scouts, inventors and designers, approximately 500 new products are developed each year – always following the motto “The Better Idea”. More then 1.000 patents and trademark rights are proof of the innovative force that greatly influences many product areas.
In August 2002 and 2004, Hanns-Joachim Köllner’s sons Niklas and Philip Köllner entered the family company as the third generation. In April 2013 they were both appointed members of the management - Niklas Köllner for the fixed-location trade, and Philip Köllner for the mail-order business and E-Commerce. With 450 employees worlwide, WENKO today belongs to the medium-sized companies in Germany that are considered to be particularly innovative and future-oriented. Which is why the company has recently won an award in the initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas” in the corporate competition “North Rhine-Westphalia – Economy in Change”. WENKO sees itself as a European company with German roots.
Our aim is to position ourselves worldwide as a quality label that stands for innovation and practical use. The WENKO family company has remained true to its philosophy until today, despite rapid growth. “Our products are characterised by a high level of consumer benefit and a fair price-performance ratio. Many of our innovative product solutions and clever patented solutions in the household areas of the bathroom, kitchen, laundry and living make everyday life more pleasant and comfortable. That is our claim today and for the future,” as Niklas Köllner describes the basis of the company’s success.
