German sanitary fittings producer Hansgrohe sales in China up 7% in 2020

BERLIN -- Operating profit of German sanitary fittings manufacturer Hansgrohe increased by 9 percent year-on-year to 197 million euros ($237.1 million) in 2020, with sales in China up by almost 7 percent, the company said on Monday.

Sales of Hansgrohe declined by 1.4 percent year-on-year to 1.074 billion euros, according to the German company, which produces in five facilities, two in Germany, one each in France, the United States and China.

Due to the "extremely difficult economic environment worldwide," the percentage of Hansgrohe's sales generated abroad dropped from 76 percent to 73 percent last year. Conditions in the individual markets varied depending on the spread of COVID-19 and the countermeasures taken.

Few countries that imposed a strict COVID-19 lockdown at the beginning of 2020, such as China, "were able to get back on course during the year," said the company.