Bene AG

Bene is an Austrian furniture manufacturer based in Waidhofen an der Ybbs. The company has since the mid- 1970s, the market leader in Austria and now has a market share of around 25 percent.

History

1790, the company was founded by Michael Bene Waidhofen an der Ybbs as a small carpentry and remained until the 1940s, a carpentry shop. The corporate division, founded by Karl in Vienna Bene Office Products In 1929, for example, manufactures wooden letter trays.

The furniture division in Waidhofen an der Ybbs in 1951 changed under the then owner Gottfried level on the industrial production of office furniture. As early as 1973 a production facility with 15,000 m² was planned commissioning took place in May 1975 Since the 1980s, Bene pursuing an international expansion strategy. Were opened in 1980 as the beginning of this strategy, the London and Moscow offices. 1988 moved the company from the former production site in cell Waidhofen an der Ybbs in the present church, designed by architect Laurids Ortner corporate headquarters.

In the years 1995-1998, Bene focused on the expansion of the distribution network to Eastern Europe and established branches in Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Poland.

1998 opened up the Bene Group in the German market and integrated the German retail group object shape. From 2000 to 2003 was the construction of the distribution network in Western Europe, Bene opened branches in the Benelux and France. At the same time the Waidhofen plant was expanded by 9,000 m² to 40,000 m², it was followed by the expansion of the factory to one of the most modern production facilities in Europe. The total investment amounted to EUR 22 million.

In 2002, the office products division was sold to an American investor. In 2003, Bene Bene Nowy Styl, the joint venture SA in Poland. With the opening of a branch in Dubai, the company is represented in the Middle East. 2004, through the cooperation with the Japanese office furniture manufacturer KOKUYO CO. , LTD step to Asia. In the same year, the network was also expanded to include the countries of Croatia and Serbia.

In August 2004, the participation of a financial consortium led by the company Invest AG (UIAG ) was performed. In 2006, Bene underwent a certification process to ISO 9001 and 14001. During the same year level was converted into a public limited company. With the Initial Public Offering on the Vienna stock exchange, the exit of the financial consortium UIAG was. Bene continued strong expansion and extended the level distribution network to Bulgaria, Ukraine, Spain, Ireland and Kuwait. In November of the same year it came to the acquisition of the German TILL Group, an office furniture dealer and former distribution partner level. In April 2007, Bene took over his longtime trade partners in Belgium.

The Bene Group Revenue in fiscal 2011/12 sales of 193.9 million euros, EBITDA of 1.7 million euros. With 82 sales offices in 32 countries, the company has an international presence. The export rate is 72%.

From 1st August 2009 to 31 July 2010, the Bene AG made a working time model, which included reduced to 80 % working capacity with a corresponding reduction in salary for all employees in Austria. The model was part of the extensive cost cutting and efficiency enhancement program and led in the second half of 2009/ 10 to a further significant relief of personnel costs.

On April 17, 2013 BENE presents the preliminary results for the financial year 2012/ 13 with a group turnover of EUR 213.6 million and a net loss of EUR -28.7 million, the Bene AG is loud message, required by corporate reorganization law criteria miss and thus taking a reorganization. The investor representatives Wilhelm Rasinger criticized in this context, the family who owns the company, he considers their influence in the company for too much. The IPO was risky for the company.

Awards

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