Sonova Acquires Sennheiser Consumer Business

Sennheiser and the Sonova Holding AG with headquarters in Stäfa, Switzerland, announce their future cooperation under the Sennheiser brand. The global provider of medical hearing solutions will fully take over Sennheiser’s Consumer Electronics business. Subject to regulatory approval, the plan is to complete the transfer of the business to Sonova by the end of 2021. Sennheiser had announced in February that it would focus on the Professional business in the future while seeking a partner for the Consumer Electronics business.

Consumer Electronics products from Sennheiser stand for the best sound and a unique audio experience. With the takeover of the Sennheiser Consumer business, Sonova is adding headphones and soundbars to its hearing care portfolio, which includes hearing aids and cochlear implants, among other hearing solutions. Sonova will leverage the complementary competencies of both companies to strengthen and further expand its business areas in the future. Sennheiser’s many years of expertise in the audio industry and the resulting reputation and appeal of the brand are an excellent complement to Sonova’s extensive technological and audiological expertise in the field of medical hearing solutions. A permanent cooperation is planned under the joint Sennheiser brand umbrella in order to continue offering Sennheiser customers audio solutions in the future. A license agreement for future use of the Sennheiser brand has been made.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Sonova for our Consumer Electronics business,” says Daniel Sennheiser, co-CEO at Sennheiser. “Sonova is a strong, well-positioned company. Not only do we share a passion for unique audio experiences, we also share very similar corporate values.” Co-CEO Dr. Andreas Sennheiser adds: “The combination of our strengths provides a very good starting point for future growth. We are convinced that Sonova will strengthen the Sennheiser Consumer Business in the long term and capture the major growth opportunities.” Both partners see great potential in particular in the market for speech-enhanced hearables and for true wireless and audiophile headphones.

As part of the partnership, a complete transfer of operations of the Consumer Electronics business to Sonova is planned. This will be aligned with the Sennheiser works councils. For the employees who will transfer to Sonova, the move to the internationally operating and well-positioned company, headquartered in Switzerland, opens up very good opportunities for the future. Currently, a total of around 600 Sennheiser employees works for the Sennheiser consumer business.

Arnd Kaldowski, CEO of Sonova, says: “I am very pleased that Sennheiser has chosen Sonova to further develop the well-renowned Consumer Division. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues and to building on the combined strengths of both organisations to successfully shape our joint future. The fast-growing market for personal audio devices is rapidly evolving. Combining our audiological expertise with Sennheiser’s know-how in sound delivery, their great reputation as well as their high-quality products will allow us to expand our offering and to create important touchpoints with consumers earlier in their hearing journey. Combining our market-leading technology with the strong brand and well-established distribution network of Sennheiser creates a strong foundation for future growth.”

The Sennheiser brand has been a synonym for first-class sound and excellent product quality for over 75 years. Sonova will also take over the development and production areas of Sennheiser Consumer Electronics so that Sennheiser customers will continue to benefit from this in the future.    

With the partnership for the Consumer business, Sennheiser will now concentrate its own strengths and resources on the Pro Audio, Business Communications and Neumann business areas. In these three business units, the company plans to continue to grow at an above-average rate under its own power and to expand its already strong position in the global market. In addition, Sennheiser will successively expand its business units.