European home appliance manufacturer Gorenje Group and French distributor of premium home appliance brands Eberhardt Freres have decided to pool their skills and know-how in the exclusive distribution in France of the Group’s Premium brand Asko.
To date, Gorenje Group has only been present in France with the Gorenje brand. This team up will also introduce the Group’s Asko brand which has been a part of Gorenje’s brand portfolio since takeover of the namesake Swedish company in 2010. Key attributes of Asko products are minimalist Swedish design, innovative technologies, and tradition spanning over 60 years. Gorenje Group has been developing Asko as a premium brand upon which the Group’s global presence partly relies.
Eberhardt Frères comprises two Divisions: professional equipment and domestic appliances, accounting for a total turnover of 130 million euros. Since 1954, it distributes, amongst others, the German brand Liebherr, the refrigeration specialist and, since 2010, Falmec, the Italian brand specialized in cooker-hoods. To complete its premium large electrical appliances offer, it will distribute the Swedish brand Asko as of 2014. Gorenje’s appliances are manufactured in Europe and thus respect the philosophy dear to Eberhardt Frères, Liebherr and Falmec. These companies therefore complement each other perfectly in products and philosophy.
In joining forces with Eberhardt Frères for the Asko brand, the Gorenje Group will be able to differentiate the distribution of its brands according to their positioning. The Gorenje brand will continue to be distributed by the French subsidiary, based in Paris, whereas the Asko brand will be represented by Eberhardt Frères, with its structures specialized in premium lines, through a selective distribution network.