Alsco Berufskleidungs-Service GmbH
German textile rental and full-service provider of workwear, protective clothing, hygiene systems and mats, a subsidiary of US-based Alsco Inc.
Last updated September 28, 2026
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Overview
Alsco Berufskleidungs-Service GmbH is the German subsidiary of the US-based textile services group Alsco Inc. (American Linen Supply Company). Headquartered in Cologne, the company operates a textile leasing and full-service rental model: it owns the textiles it supplies, delivers them to commercial customers, collects them, washes and maintains them industrially, and returns them. Its portfolio covers workwear and protective clothing including personal protective equipment, cleanroom clothing, hotel and restaurant linen, dust-control mats, washroom hygiene systems and first-aid services. Customers come from industry, skilled trades, retail, gastronomy, hospitality and healthcare. The German business traces its market entry to 1956, when Alsco introduced a towel service in Germany; one of its first major customers was the Bayer works in Leverkusen. A branch opened in Cologne-Dellbrück in 1957, and the following year the company presented the first cloth-towel dispenser in Germany. Over the following decades Alsco expanded its offering, particularly into workwear and protective clothing, and grew through new branches and acquisitions, including Hokatex in 1989 and Phönix in 1990. In 2015 it acquired competitor Larosé GmbH & Co. KG, moving its head office from Cologne-Dellbrück to Cologne-Westhoven. Today Alsco Berufskleidungs-Service operates around 22 locations in Germany with more than 1,350 employees and over 15,000 customers. In the 2024 financial year it generated revenue of around EUR 152.8 million. The company is active in sports sponsorship, partnering with the German Handball Federation (DHB) since 2023, extending to women's and youth national teams in 2024, becoming a premium partner of the men's DHB team in 2025, and taking on naming rights for the two highest German women's handball leagues from the 2025/26 season. It was named best leasing provider 2025 in the work textiles leasing category by Handelsblatt.
History
The origins of Alsco lie in the founding of the American Linen Supply Company by George A. Steiner in 1889 in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The German market entry followed in 1956 with the introduction of a towel service; one of the first major customers was the Bayer works in Leverkusen. In 1957 Alsco opened a branch in Cologne-Dellbrück. The following year the cloth-towel dispenser was presented in Germany for the first time. Over the following decades the offering was gradually expanded, particularly into workwear and protective clothing, and the company built its presence through the opening of further branches and through acquisitions. In 1987 the head office was opened in the office villa on the grounds of Gestüt Röttgen in the Cologne district of Rath/Heumar. In 1989 Alsco acquired the company Hokatex with around 450 employees at several locations, and the following year it took over the Stuttgart company Phönix. In 2005 the head office moved to Radiumstraße 26 in Cologne-Dellbrück. In 2015 Alsco acquired another competitor, Larosé GmbH & Co. KG, with locations in Ahrensburg, Cologne-South, Berlin and Nonnweiler. In the course of this acquisition the head office was moved from Cologne-Dellbrück to Cologne-Westhoven. On 4 September 2018 René Schneider was appointed managing director of Alsco Berufskleidungs-Service GmbH. Alsco today operates around 22 locations in Germany, with about 1,350 employees and more than 15,000 customers in various industries. In the 2024 financial year the company generated revenue of around EUR 152.8 million. The company has been involved in sports since 2023 as a partner of the German Handball Federation (DHB). Since 2024 the cooperation also includes the women's national team and youth teams, including jersey sponsorship and youth development projects; in 2025 Alsco became a premium partner of the DHB men's team. Since the 2025/26 season Alsco has also been the naming sponsor of the two highest German women's handball leagues, the Handball-Bundesliga and the 2. Handball-Bundesliga. The business area of Alsco Berufskleidungs-Service GmbH is a textile leasing and full-service rental model in which the textiles remain the property of the company. The service spectrum includes provision, logistics, industrial cleaning and maintenance of the textiles. The company supplies businesses from industry, skilled trades and retail with workwear and protective clothing including personal protective equipment. For gastronomy and hospitality, Alsco offers a rental service for table linen, chef's clothing and bed linen. In healthcare, the offering includes the textile supply of clinics, care facilities and medical practices in compliance with medical hygiene standards. In addition, Alsco provides dust-control mats and manages the equipping of washrooms with towel and soap systems. The textiles are collected by service drivers from customers, washed industrially at Alsco branches, prepared and delivered back to customers by the drivers. Computer-aided systems such as barcode or RFID are used to track individual garments, and water and energy recovery processes are also used.
- 2026
Launch of the Alsco online shop; Thorsten Hilberath becomes Regional Manager, succeeding Willi Herweg.
- 2025
Alsco becomes new premium partner of the DHB men's team and naming sponsor of the Alsco Handball Bundesliga Women.
- 2024
Alsco becomes premium partner of the women's and youth teams of the German Handball Federation.
- 2023
Andrew Steiner becomes new CFO of Alsco Uniforms; Dr. Thomas Neyers becomes president of ETSA; Alsco becomes official textile cleaning partner of the German Handball Federation; merger of Hamburg and Berlin branches into NL Nord-Ost.
- 2022
Kevin Steiner (Co-CEO of Alsco Uniforms) retires after 43 years.
- 2021
Jessica Lorsbach becomes the first female branch manager of two locations (Stuttgart and Bavaria).
- 2019
Alsco becomes partner of Kölner KHTC Blau-Weiss.
- 2018
René Schneider appointed managing director; Dr. Thomas Neyers becomes president of WIRTEX e.V.
- 2016
60 years of Alsco Germany.
- 2015
Acquisition of Larosé GmbH & Co. KG with locations in Ahrensburg, Cologne, Berlin and Nonnweiler; head office moves to Cologne-Westhoven.
Products and positioning
Specialist for textile full-service supply and textile leasing in protective, cleanroom and workwear, as well as hotel and restaurant linen, dust-control mats and washroom hygiene.
Workwear rental
Rental and maintenance of workwear for industry, skilled trades and retail.
Protective clothing and PPE
Personal protective equipment and protective clothing as part of the textile leasing service.
Cleanroom clothing
Textile supply for cleanroom environments.
Hotel and restaurant linen
Rental service for table linen, chef's clothing and bed linen for gastronomy and hospitality.
Dust-control mats
Provision and maintenance of professional dust-control mats.
Washroom hygiene systems
Equipping washrooms with towel and soap systems.
First-aid services
First-aid service as part of the textile full-service offering.
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