The Vorwerk Group, a household products and cosmetics maker based in Germany, recently disclosed record sales for 2015, largely driven by growth in its direct selling operations.
The group’s seven business divisions generated consolidated revenue of €4.1 billion*, up 23 percent from 2014. In its core business, direct sales of premium products, revenue rose 28 percent to €2.9 billion. Management said growth trends carried into the first four months of 2016, with overall sales up 6 percent from the same period last year.
“As a family-owned company, we naturally also keep our sights on long-term development,” Vorwerk’s Managing Partners said in a statement. “In a 10-year comparison from 2005 to the present day, sales have almost doubled: from 1.8 billion euros to 3.5 billion euros.”
In 2015, the group’s Thermomix division led in year-over-year growth. Sales of the all-in-one kitchen appliance jumped 49 percent to €1.4 billion. Kobold vacuum cleaner sales rose 16 percent to €1.0 billion. At JAFRA Cosmetics, a 7 percent increase brought sales to €457 million. Vorwerk’s direct-to-consumer offerings are sold through more than 600,000 advisors in 49 markets.
Officials said manufacturing expansion will be a main focus for the company throughout 2016. To that end, the group’s executive board has approved a €170 million investment in major infrastructure developments.
*At the time of this writing, €1.00 was equal to $1.12.
