Würth Group achieves records in sales and operating result
- Sales grow by 7.5 percent to new record level of EUR 12.7 billion
- Operating result also at record high
- E-business share continues to grow
Künzelsau. According to the preliminary annual financial statement, the Würth Group reports a sales volume of EUR 12.7 billion in 2017 (previous year: EUR 11.8 billion). This corresponds to a growth of 7.5 percent. Adjusted for foreign currency effects, growth comes to 7.9 percent. In particular, companies in Eastern and Southern Europe grew dynamically. With respect to the business units, Electronics and Production show above-average growth rates.
Operating result
According to preliminary calculations regarding the operating result, a new record amounting to EUR 760 to 770 million is expected. This is a considerable increase over the previous year (2016: EUR 615 million). “These figures motivate us and prove us to be on the right track implementing our multi-channel strategy. E-business is gaining momentum: so with our developments and services, which we tailor to the needs of our customers, we have our fingers on the pulse of time. We must ensure speed, reliability and availability. These aspects are important to our customers,” Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group, declares himself satisfied with the preliminary figures. In 2017, e-business sales grew above-average by 19.3 percent.
Employees
The number of employees increased by 2,768 from 71,391 to 74,159 in 2017. In Germany, the number of employees amounts to 22,620 corresponding to an increase by 4.3 percent. The Group currently has 32,295 sales force employees on the payroll.
The next press conference on the Würth Group’s annual financial statement will be held at Kunsthalle Würth in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, on 8 May 2018.
About the Würth Group
The Würth Group is the world's market leader in its core business, the trade in assembly and fastening materials. It currently consists of more than 400 companies in over 80 countries with more than 74,000 employees on its payroll. Approximately 32,000 of those employees are salaried sales representatives.
In the Group's core business, the Würth Line, the sales program for the trades and industry comprises more than 125,000 products: from screws, screw accessories and anchors to tools, technical chemicals and personal protective equipment.
The Allied Companies of the Würth Group, which either operate in business areas related to its core business or in diversified business areas, round off the range by offering products for DIY stores, material for electrical installations, electronic components such as circuit boards, and financial services. They account for more than 40 percent of the Würth Group's sales volume.
