The Snaidero Group, which owns German kitchen manufacturer Rational, is looking for a buyer, Rational managing director Thomas Klee has confirmed.
The group’s management insisted that the individual brands and companies would be “maintained in their current state”.
However, Klee (pictured) shut down rumours that a Chinese investor would be taking over the group, stating that there “was interest from Chinese companies” but that the buyer was likely to be a financial investor not from China.
“This is not an unusual event in the present time and is targeted at supporting the group on its way forward,” said Klee. “The restructuring of the group, which has taken big steps with the selling of the French franchise system and the closure of the Waldmuenchen factory in recent years, is about to come to an end with the introduction of a new investor. The goal is to further strengthen the group’s market position and to be prepared for the challenges of the future.
“The investor will most probably be a financial investor, but not a company from China – although there was interest from Chinese companies. A final decision, given that the due diligence process can be finished on time, will be made at the end of the year. The Snaidero family will, as far as we know, still be an important part of the group in the future.”
Klee went on to claim that this would be a positive move for the Rational brand.
“Rational will be able, after years of restructuring and cost optimisation, to reach a positive result for this financial year,” he explained. “The ongoing measures and the continued focus on margin before turnover have put Rational into a much better position than in previous years. With the successful in-house exhibition, which was held in September, the Rational team has once again proven that we will continue in this positive direction with the development of new products and the improvement of existing products, while introducing new and exciting marketing opportunities in the near future. Together with the loyalty of our dealers worldwide, Rational is now finally operating successfully again.
“Next year, Snaidero and Rational will once again be present at the Eurocucina exhibition in Milan in April, showcasing exciting new products. 2018 will be Rational’s 55th anniversary and we plan to make it a special year.”
The Snaidero Group is made up of parent company Snaidero in Italy, Arthur Bonnet (and Comera) in France and the German brand Rational.