BSH says it has ‘weathered difficult times’ after delivering a solid set of results for 2025, despite it being a year with a lot of ‘headwinds’.
And, a significant bellwether for the industry, the worrying outlook for the rest of the 2026 financial year is more of the same. “A real recovery of the markets is not foreseeable,” said CEO Dr Matthias Metz
The appliance giant reported €15bn turnover, as stronger performances in Europe, North America and emerging markets helped offset wider economic issues. While reported sales dipped slightly, showing a 1.6% decline compared to 2024, this is slightly distorted by the effects of currency movements which, if taken into account, show a growth of 2.4%
Metz (pictured) said: “We have weathered difficult times well. It was a year with a lot of headwinds, but it showed that our roadmap for the future is working.”
In welcome news for the kitchen sector, BSH pointed to continued strength in built-in appliances and premium kitchen products as key drivers of growth. In Europe, overall sales rose 1.2%, but the built-in segment went up by 4%, with positive momentum in markets including the UK.
Premium brands such as Gaggenau and Thermador performed strongly, alongside an ongoing investment in the Bosch brand to strengthen its position in core kitchen categories.
Within the kitchen sector, cooking returned to growth with oven sales increasing by 2%, while hobs and extractor hoods rose 2.6%, driven by demand for integrated options such as venting hobs.
BSH is also making significant investment in innovation, allocating €847m to R&D. Much of this is focused on AI-enabled and connected appliances.
In its outlook for the current financial year, the company predicts that markets will remain volatile: “A real recovery of the markets is not foreseeable. We do not expect any tailwinds in 2026 either. But we have the foundation to prove ourselves even in difficult markets,” Metz says.
“Our guiding principle [is to] demonstrate resilience and invest in the future. That is exactly what we did in 2025. That is exactly what we will continue to do consistently and vigorously in 2026. Our aim is to shape markets – with clear decisions and consistent implementation of our roadmap for the future.”