15.06.2021

Reversal in Trend Initiated

Fiscal Year 2020 for the Blanco Professional Group

The Blanco Professional Group looks back on 2020 as a challenging fiscal year. A total of 693 employees and 27 trainees achieved a sales turnover of some 103 million euros, corresponding to a decrease of 14.4 percent compared with the previous year. This system supplier in the B2B sector for industry and commercial kitchens was unable to evade the unprecedented circumstances that the year of Covid brought. The pandemic meant that the export share, which plays a crucial role in turnover in normal years, fell by eight percent in 2020 compared to 2019. This development was a major cause of the decrease in total revenues.

The Catering Business Unit was particularly affected by the pandemic. The Industrial Business Unit was also unable to avoid the extraordinary events of last year, although growth for this business unit in particular has been satisfactory again since spring 2021. It is exceeding targets significantly. The first few months of 2021 have also brought success for Blanco Professional in the automotive sector.

Taking countermeasures

The reversal in the trend has thus been successfully initiated, as already reflected in figures. For example, the new strategic focus on food serving and food distribution commenced in the Catering Business Unit in 2020 is already starting to pay off, as is the realignment of the sales organisation. It continues to expand its approach of being close to customers and will organise its activities and roles even more efficiently in the future. The restructuring programme has thus got off to a successful start, setting the course for an auspicious future.

Digitisation in a key role

The use of digital options will play a key role in the Blanco Professional Group’s orientation towards this future. “We regard digitisation as a dual opportunity. On the one hand, we are using digital tools to make company processes significantly faster and more efficient than before,” explains CEO Egon Kofler. “At the same time, we also see digital transformation as a crucial element in our strategy: by focussing our entire dialogue with customers on speed and individuality, we not only enter into the spirit of the digital age, but also create a feeling of well-being among our customers, strengthening our relationship with them and forming the basis for extending this relationship.”

One important step in this direction is the new online specialist retailer shop with a secure login for registered retailers, which has been in operation since early June. Blanco Professional is thus specifically expanding its sales towards omnichannel offerings to provide partners in the specialist trade with optimum contact and ordering options for their respective purposes. This will give the Blanco Professional sales team greater capacities for service and customer-specific consultation in the future.

With this in mind, the online specialist retailer shop is to be the start of a targeted expansion of digital services and processes at all levels. As a consequence, expansion of this area will be accelerated over the coming years, fuelled by further investments.

Positive prospects

Kofler sums up: “The past two years, especially 2020, the year of Covid, have entailed considerable challenges and also cuts for Blanco Professional and its employees. However, we have now emerged on the other side. Our countermeasures are taking effect and we are convinced that we have laid the foundations for achieving lasting success again in the mid-term.”

The Oberderdingen site will continue to take the central role in future plans. Of the roughly 1.5 million euros Blanco Professional invested in 2020, 790,000 euros – i.e. more than half – were invested in the company’s headquarters and main location.