The Würth Group once again recorded double-digit sales growth in the business year 2022. At €19.9 billion, sales were significantly higher than in the previous year (2021: €17.1 billion). This corresponds to an increase of 16.8%, or 15.1% after adjusting for currency effects. At EUR 1.6 billion, the Group also set a new record for operating profit (2021: EUR 1.3 billion).
“In the past two years, we have generated an increase in sales of more than 5.5 billion euros. This is a remarkable achievement in our more than 75-year company history - considering the multitude of imponderables that have demanded a lot from us since the beginning of the Corona pandemic in 2020 and now with the war in Ukraine. Especially in these difficult times, our customers appreciate our reliable delivery capability and service leadership,” said Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group.
With a sales share of 39.4%, Germany continues to be the Würth Group's most important single market. The German companies achieved an increase in sales of 13.1%. Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, the nucleus and largest single company of the Group, increased its sales by 10.5%, including intragroup sales. The companies outside Germany also posted a successful financial year with an increase in sales of 19.4%. Top performers are America, Southern and Eastern Europe.
In addition to the more than 43,000 sales employees worldwide and more than 2,500 branches, e-business is one of the strategic growth areas of the Würth Group. During the Corona pandemic, the procurement of goods via digital channels became an integral part of our customers' ordering routine. This trend is reflected in sales: E-business generated sales of 4.1 billion euros across the Group. The share of sales reached a new high of 20.7%.
The Würth Group gained a total of 2,454 new employees in the business year 2022. The Group employs 85,637 people, 43,297 of whom work in sales. The company employs 26,113 people in Germany.
In addition to the Annual Report, the Würth Group is publishing a Sustainability Report for the first time this year. Under the title "Go", the company presents its environmental and social key figures transparently. The report is available online at www.wuerth.com.
“Despite the many economic and political uncertainties, we are cautiously optimistic about 2023. We expect sales growth in the mid-single-digit percentage and earnings to be at the previous year's level,” said Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group.
