Others Hansgrohe Group

Hansgrohe’s Road to Success Quickened by Innovative Strength

Financial Year 2018: Hansgrohe Group Achieves Sales Record
Schiltach/Frankfurt, March 11 2019. The Hansgrohe Group has once again closed the financial year 2018 with a sales record. This was announced today by Hans Juergen Kalmbach, Chairman of the Executive Board, and his colleagues on the Executive Board at the financial press conference held by the leading manufacturer of shower heads, shower systems, bathroom and kitchen faucets, and kitchen sinks in Frankfurt. With its two brands, AXOR und hansgrohe, the global player generated a total of EUR 1.081 billion in sales. In comparison with the financial year 2017, this amounts to an organic growth of 1.5 percent (3.1 percent after currency adjustment). EBITDA corresponds to EUR 214.8 million, which represents an increase of 2 percent to the previous year. The EBITDA margin remains unchanged at 20 percent, documenting the Hansgrohe Group’s profitable growth.

“In 2018 Hansgrohe was once again able to continue on its constant road to success”, Hans Juergen Kalmbach sums up the year. “Crucial for this outstanding achievement was the distinguished engagement of all our employees worldwide. My colleagues from the Executive Board and I would like to thank them for their dedication and innovative strength – the backbone of our continuing and sustainable successes.”

Growth Strengthens Worldwide Market Position

In 2018 the Hansgrohe Group generated approximately 77 percent of its turnover outside of Germany, marketing its products in more than 140 countries. The largest portion of the Black Forest-based company’s turnover with approximately EUR 247 million was again realized in its home market Germany. The 4 percent growth achieved in Germany outweighs the industry average of the German building fittings industry by +3 percentage points.

n China too, the global player’s second strongest market, a respectable, currency adjusted growth of approximately 17 percent (EUR 150 million) was achieved. This sales record lies 10 percentage points above the economic growth officially released by the Chinese Statistics Bureau (6.6 percent) – this indicates growing market shares for Hansgrohe in China. The turnover is also a direct result of products that have been especially developed for the Chinese market; these include sink and faucet bundles and faucets with water filtration for increased water quality.

Investments in Germany at All-Time High

With EUR 58.4 million, the investments of the Hansgrohe Group have risen by 33 percent – an all-time high. At EUR 55.1 million (plus 39 percent to previous year), the largest portion has been dedicated to the German plants, especially for the construction of the new plastics electroplating facility in Offenburg, which is due to begin operations in the spring of 2019. To make room for the expansion of production facilities, the shower hose manufacturing and the assembly of shower wall bars have been moved to a new location in an industrial park in Willstaett, a city near Offenburg, in late 2018. The Black Forest-based company also breaks new ground with its innovation processes – the neighboring town of Schramberg is now home to the recently opened InnoLab. Here, an interdisciplinary team works on new product ideas for new markets using new methodologies. How much innovation strength already lies in the DNA of Hansgrohe was documented by the »Top 100« 2018 competition, honoring the most innovative German mid-sized companies.

Hansgrohe Group Creates Jobs in the Region

“Passion, appreciation, togetherness and trust are our values of conduct, which we have compiled together with our employees. They provide us with orientation for our daily business“, Hans Juergen Kalmbach explains the sustainable company success. In 2018, 4,687 people contributed to this globally. Germany employs 2,864 people; 1,823 are employed in one of the Hansgrohe Group’s international subsidiaries. The total number of employees rose in 2018 by approximately 3.6 percent. In Germany, the number of new hires was especially high at 187 because all apprentices and many temporary workers were granted a permanent position. “Our investment in the future, however, lies not only in head counts“, the Chairman of the Executive Board affirms. “The qualification of all our employees is a priority now more than ever.

The Hansgrohe Campus, a learning platform comprised of five faculties to date, offers various events, talks, and individual programs we offer in conjunction with well-known partners during working hours. Together with the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, we increased our adult education program by initiating the ‚Digital‘ faculty. Here, employees learn what digitalization means and how the digital transformation can be mastered successfully. So-called ,Digital Transformers‘ will spearhead the digital transformation in the specialist departments and help to implement a digital culture within the organization.“

Outlook

“Due to the ongoing, volatile parameters, we are planning with a moderate sales growth in 2019. However, our goals continue to be ambitious“, says CEO Hans Juergen Kalmbach. “We want to once again grow stronger than the market and increase our profitability. With our brands AXOR and hansgrohe we have continuously made a name for ourselves as an industry leader in innovation, design, quality and sustainability. At ISH 2019, we will continue to do justice to this and present sensational innovations”, he adds. “In practicing customer-centricity, we think about water in the bathroom and in the kitchen in completely new dimensions. We then add functional value and thereby create an emotional water experience for our customers.“

All financial figures according to US-GAAP

About the Hansgrohe Group – the Original from the Black Forest

With its brands AXOR and hansgrohe, the Hansgrohe Group, based in Schiltach/Southern Germany, enjoys a reputation as a leader in innovation, design and quality within the bath and kitchen industry. The Hansgrohe Group brings form and function to water with taps, showerheads and shower systems. The 118-year history of the company is marked by innovations such as the first hand-held shower with multiple spray types, the first pull-out kitchen tap, and the first wall bar to hold a hand-held shower. The company holds more than 15,000 active property rights. The Hansgrohe Group stands for long-lasting quality products. With 33 subsidiaries and 22 sales offices supplying products in more than 140 countries, the company is a reliable partner to its customers around the world. The Hansgrohe Group, its brands and products have won numerous awards, including more than 600 design prizes since 1974. Sustainable production of resource-conserving products is central to the company’s business activities around the globe. The products of the Hansgrohe Group are featured in projects around the world, such as the luxurious ocean liner Queen Mary 2, and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The Group’s high quality standards are ensured by five wholly-owned production facilities: two in Germany, one each in France, the United States and China. In 2018, the Hansgrohe Group generated a turnover of EUR 1.081 billion. It employs more than 4,700 people worldwide, about 60 percent of whom work in Germany.

Contact

Press Officer Jörg Hass.
Jörg Hass
VP Corporate Communications