Glossary: Kitchen Industry & Buying Group Terms
What exactly is a buying group — and how is it different from a franchise? This glossary explains 20 key terms from the kitchen industry and the world of buying groups: neutrally, clearly, and with a short note on what each one means at Varia Concept, the buying group for independent kitchen studios in Southeast Europe.
- Area Manager
- An area manager (German: Regionalleiter) is the regional representative of a trade organisation or buying group and the personal point of contact for member businesses in a defined territory — from the first enquiry through onboarding to day-to-day support. At Varia Concept, Area Manager Primož Pratnekar looks after partners across Southeast Europe and speaks Slovenian, Croatian, German, and English (+49 7152 6097-02).
- Buying Group
- A buying group (German: Einkaufsverband) is an association of independent retailers who bundle their purchasing volume to negotiate conditions with manufacturers that no single business could achieve alone. Members remain legally and commercially independent — they share purchasing power and services, not ownership or branding. Varia Concept is a buying group for independent kitchen studios in Southeast Europe: partners keep their own name, their own studio, and their own customers.
- DER KREIS
- DER KREIS, founded in 1979 in Leonberg, Germany, is Europe's largest specialist association for kitchens, with 4,075 members in 21 European countries and a group turnover of 4.69 billion euros (2025). Varia Concept is part of the DER KREIS Systemverbund, which gives its partners in Southeast Europe access to the purchasing power and supplier relationships of this European group.
- Franchise
- A franchise is a business model in which a franchisor licenses its brand, concept, and operating rules to franchisees, who run their outlets under the franchisor's name and within its system. That is the decisive difference from a buying group, where members keep their own name, brand, and full entrepreneurial freedom. Varia Concept is not a franchise: partner studios stay completely independent and gain the purchasing conditions and services of a large network on top.
- Industry Congress
- An industry congress is a recurring conference at which companies from one sector meet for keynotes, supplier exhibitions, trend briefings, and networking. For members of a buying group, congresses provide direct access to manufacturers, market knowledge, and peers. Varia Concept hosts congresses for its partners in the Southeast Europe region, complemented by workshops and manufacturer visits in Germany.
- Kitchen Planning Software
- Kitchen planning software enables retailers to design kitchens in three dimensions, produce photorealistic visualisations for customers, and generate precise order data for manufacturers. Professional planning tools are a standard requirement in specialist kitchen retail today. Access to such planning tools is part of the service package Varia Concept provides its partner studios.
- Kitchen Studio
- A kitchen studio (German: Küchenstudio) is a specialist retail business that plans, sells, and arranges the installation of fitted kitchens, usually combining a showroom of display kitchens with personal design consultation. Varia Concept's network consists of 100+ independent kitchen studios across eight countries in Southeast Europe — each operating under its own name.
- Location Analysis
- A location analysis evaluates a potential business site using factors such as catchment area, purchasing power, competition, visibility, and accessibility. For a kitchen studio, the right location strongly shapes footfall and the long-term customer base. Varia Concept supports founders from the location analysis onwards — including an AI location radar available directly on this website.
- Membership Fee
- A membership fee is the recurring contribution a business pays to belong to an association or buying group, typically funding shared services, organisation, and representation. At Varia Concept, membership starts from 1,000 euros per year with no share of revenue on top; all further conditions are explained transparently in a free, non-binding first conversation.
- Opening Support
- Opening support (German: Eröffnungsbegleitung) covers the assistance a network provides a new business on its way to launch — from location and showroom decisions through supplier set-up to the opening itself. Varia Concept accompanies founders along a clear six-step path: for a new studio, roughly six months pass from first contact to opening, while existing studios switching to the network are typically up and running faster.
- Private Label
- A private label (own brand, German: Eigenmarke) is a product line owned by a retailer or association rather than a manufacturer and sold exclusively through its own channels. For kitchen retailers, a private label means offering products customers cannot directly compare or buy elsewhere. Varia's private label is Varia Purion — made in Germany and exclusive to Varia partners.
- Purchasing Conditions
- Purchasing conditions are the commercial terms — prices, discounts, bonuses, delivery and payment terms — a retailer agrees with its suppliers. In a buying group, the bundled volume of many members translates into conditions an individual studio could rarely negotiate alone. Exclusive purchasing conditions with German premium brands are the number-one reason studios join Varia Concept; concrete terms are discussed in a personal conversation.
- Rebate
- A rebate (German: Bonus or Rückvergütung) is a retroactive payment a supplier or buying group credits to a retailer based on the purchase volume of a given period, usually at year end. Together with upfront conditions, rebates determine the real cost of goods for a retailer. Rebates are part of the conditions package for Varia Concept partners; the specifics are laid out openly in the personal first conversation.
- Revenue Share
- A revenue share is a percentage of a member's or franchisee's turnover paid to the system headquarters — common in franchising, where it is known as a royalty. Varia Concept takes 0 % of its partners' revenue: there is no revenue share, only the annual membership fee, so everything a studio earns stays with the studio.
- Showroom Design
- Showroom design (German: Ausstellungsplanung) is the professional planning of a kitchen showroom: which display kitchens to present, how customers move through the space, and how lighting, materials, and zones support consultation and sales. A well-planned exhibition is one of the strongest sales tools in specialist kitchen retail. Varia Concept offers showroom design as one of its partner services.
- Specialist Kitchen Retail
- Specialist kitchen retail (German: Küchenfachhandel) is the distribution channel in which fitted kitchens are sold through dedicated specialist businesses with planning expertise, brand assortments, and installation service — as opposed to generalist furniture stores or DIY chains. Varia Concept exists to strengthen exactly this channel: independent specialist kitchen retailers in Southeast Europe.
- Supplier Network
- A supplier network is the pool of manufacturers and brands with which a buying group maintains framework agreements on behalf of its members. The broader the network, the more freely a retailer can build its assortment on favourable terms. Varia Concept partners draw on 35+ system suppliers, including German premium brands such as Nobilia, Häcker, Schüller, Miele, Bosch, Siemens, BORA, and Liebherr.
- Varia Purion
- Varia Purion is the private kitchen label of the Varia network — manufactured in Germany and available exclusively through Varia partner studios. As an own brand, it gives partners a product their local competitors cannot offer. Varia Purion is currently available in Slovenia and Croatia.
- Verbundgruppe
- Verbundgruppe is the German term for a cooperative group: an alliance of legally independent businesses that cooperate in areas such as purchasing, services, and marketing while each member retains its independence. The model — which includes buying groups — is a cornerstone of German retail. DER KREIS, of which Varia Concept is part, is such a Verbundgruppe and Europe's largest specialist association for kitchens.
- Workshop
- A workshop is a compact, hands-on training format in which a small group works on a specific topic — in the kitchen industry typically planning, products, sales, or business management. Unlike a congress, a workshop is about practising rather than presenting. Varia Concept runs workshops for its partners directly in the Southeast Europe region.
Questions the glossary can't answer?
Concrete conditions and your individual situation are best discussed in person. Book a free, non-binding 30-minute first conversation — via Teams or in person — with Primož Pratnekar, Area Manager Southeast Europe (+49 7152 6097-02). He speaks Slovenian, Croatian, German, and English.