Leifheit

1959 to 1974: Founding and the Leifheit couple's era

The company was founded in 1959 by Günter Leifheit (13 December 1920 – 2 July 2009) and his wife Ingeborg, as Günter Leifheit KG. In 1960, production of carpet sweepers based on designs by Hans Erich Slany began. By producing around two million carpet sweepers annually, the company became the leading supplier of this product in Europe in 1970.

In 1972, Leifheit was acquired by the New York-based ITT Corporation. Two years later, the founding couple withdrew from the management of the company. Later, in 2006, Günter Leifheit received the Order of Merit of Rhineland-Palatinate.

1974 to 2020: Various Acquisitions and Internationalization

After opening branches in various European countries including France, Switzerland and Italy, Deutsche Bank, which had by then become its owner, took the company public in 1984. Since then, the company has been listed on the Deutsche Börse.

In 1988, with the acquisition of Swiss company Spirella AG, Leifheit entered the bathroom sector, which was expanded in 1989 through the acquisition of the bath textiles factory BTF in Bremen (brand "Kleine Wolke") and in 1993 through companies acquired from Gold-Zack Werke AG, including Semer in Düren as well as the bathroom business of Nitex GmbH in Wedemark.

In 1995, another plant was established in Blatná (Czech Republic). This was followed by acquisitions of FRZ-Metallwarenfabrik Ruschitzka GmbH & Co. KG (Zuzenhausen near Heidelberg) and Meusch group. At the beginning of 2001, Leifheit AG increased its stake in Birambeau, a French company based in Paris with production in Chablis, to a majority holding. Also since 2001, the brand Soehnle (scales and wellbeing products), originally based in Murrhardt, has been part of the Leifheit Group. In 2008, the leading French manufacturer of laundry dryers, Herby, was acquired.

In 2010, the bathroom division (Kleine Wolke, Meusch, and Spirella) was sold to the company Possehl. In 2015, the Schuler-Voith family sold its shares in the company, after which the company's free float increased significantly. The 2010s saw growth in Eastern European markets.

Since 2020: Recent Past

In 2020, Leifheit launched an advertising campaign featuring television commercials in 16 countries. This initiative, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many people focused more on household activities, was cited by Wirtschaftswoche as a reason for the company's strong growth that year.

In the fiscal year 2024, the revenue increased slightly, while Leifheit's profitability rose significantly. Earnings before interest and taxes doubled from €6.0 million in 2023 to €12.1 million.

Leifheit manufactures and sells household products. Leifheit as a brand for household goods is divided into three categories:

The "Clean Home" segment includes, among others, mechanical cleaning devices for floor and window cleaning, window vacuums and reusable mop covers.

The "Fresh Laundry" segment includes products for drying and ironing, such as rotary dryers, wall dryers, standing dryers, tower dryers, ironing boards, and ironing accessories.

The "Smart Kitchen" segment comprises kitchen products such as cutting sets, graters, slicers and mashers, insulated jugs, vacuum sealers, and baking, salad, and grill utensils.