Gardena strengthens market positions and operating income

Gardena Division's global sales amounted to 1,132 million euros in the 2023 financial year. In the reporting currency, this corresponds to a decline of five percent compared to the previous year’s sales of 1,280 million euros. Price increases combined with good cost control had a positive effect, while the decline in volume, inflation, and changes to exchange rates had a negative impact. Orbit Irrigation in the United States, which was acquired in December 2021, made a significant contribution to the improved operating result. For the full year, the Gardena Division's operating income increased by three percent and the operating margin improved by 0.5 percentage points.

“Last year was characterized by a late start to the season and weak consumer spending. In this challenging economic environment, however, we succeeded in further expanding our market position. We were able to gain market share as well as numerous new customer relationships. In central Europe, France, United Kingdom and in North America in particular, we have made good progress in this respect. We remain committed to our long-term growth strategy,” says Pär Åström, President of Gardena Division.

New organizational structure implemented

On 1 September 2023, the Gardena Division introduced a new organizational structure to reflect the strong growth in size and scope over the past few years and to position the company for the future in terms of capabilities. Five business units are now holistically responsible for their respective product areas, from development to sourcing and manufacturing. In addition, there is the “Go-to-Market” unit as the face of the brand to the customer. Its responsibility includes all customer-facing activities, such as marketing, sales, logistics and aftersales service.

At the end of 2023, the Husqvarna Group employed around 2,260 people in Germany at the Ulm, Heuchlingen, Niederstotzingen and Laichingen sites as well as in the field. This is around 110 employees fewer than at the end of the previous year. Around 3,450 employees work for the Gardena Division worldwide.

New products for 2024 focus on cleaning

Gardena has already announced numerous new products for the coming gardening season. One focus will be on cleaning and care around the home and garden. The range of tools for the cross-brand 18-volt battery system of the Power for All Alliance¹ is also growing. These include the AquaBrush multi-cleaner and the EasyWeed joint brush, which is also battery-operated. The PowerRoll wall-mounted hose box can also be conveniently rolled up at the touch of a button.

¹Power for All Alliance is one of the largest cross-brand 18V battery systems from leading manufacturers worldwide, providing solutions for the whole home. www.powerforall-alliance.com.

Note: Gardena Division sales in the January – December 2023 amounts to 12,964 million Swedish crowns according to the half-year report of Husqvarna Group. For information purposes, the conversion into euros is based on the average exchange rate for the reporting period (1 EUR = 0.0873289 SEK).