Nordwest Handel, through its steel division Phoenix, lifted the turnover of its steel products in 2025, after two years of decline, and has continued that trend into this year so far.
As one of Germany’s big purchasing cooperatives for hardware, sanitary equipment, construction materials and steel, Nordwest Handel achieved total revenues of €4.65 billion ($5.39 billion) in 2025, broadly on par with the previous year.
In terms of volumes, steel is the cooperative’s biggest divisions, with revenues of €1.56 billion, marking an increase of 3.2% year-on-year. In terms of volume, Phoenix handled 1.64 million tonnes of steel for its member companies, rising by 1.6% from 2024.
It its report, Nordwest notes that the increase occurred mainly in the first half of the year, while the second half saw a negative development with a year-on-year drop of 3.3%.
It adds that the overall positive development in the first half resulted both from an increase in sales volume and from a higher average price level over the year.
The increase of volumes was more pronounced in the first half, Kallanish hears from the head of the Phoenix division, Claudio Kemper. He attributes this to higher demand for rebar, which accounts for more than half of Nordwest’s steel sales and benefited from a mild recovery in construction activity. He believes that the second half saw the reservation of orders due to insecurities in view of the upcoming CBAM regulation.
In the first quarter of the current year, Phoenix reported a y-o-y increase of 6.5% over an already strong Q1 in 2025, achieving revenues of €419 million. The unit represents more than 100 steel buying companies in Germany.
