WSA delivered flat organic growth and improved profitability in the 2024/25 financial year

Jan Mäkelä, CEO of WSA, said:

The financial year 2024/25 was impacted by a decline in market growth due to macroeconomic weaknesses. In some of our larger markets, consumers postponed hearing care treatment via the professional channel due to uncertainty about the economic outlook. In the U.S., our Managed Care business was impacted by health plans scaling back of benefit plans. Our online business continued to experience significant growth. Although revenue was lower than anticipated at the beginning of the financial year, we are satisfied that the EBITDA margin improved in line with our initial guidance.

I would like to thank our dedicated WSA colleagues for their unwavering focus on pioneering innovation and helping many more people to regain the joy of hearing. We continued to invest in innovation and together, we expanded the Signia IX portfolio, ensuring more voices are heard with confidence in noisy group conversations. We launched the Widex Allure platform, which sets a new standard for natural sound, as well as the world’s first cloud-based fitting software, Compass Cloud, that evolves continuously to support professionals in delivering more personalized care. The long-term outlook for the hearing aid industry remains compelling and WSA is well-positioned for strong profitable growth in the future.

Highlights FY 2024/2025 (FY last financial year in brackets)

• WSA delivered organic revenue growth of 0% (10%) to EUR 2,579 million due to macroeconomic weaknesses and U.S. Managed Care negatively impacted by health care plans scaling-back their benefit plans.
• Revenue development was mixed across regions. In Americas, growth was lower than expected with U.S. independents partly offset by LATAM. In EMEA, Germany contributed to growth while the business in France did not benefit materially from the RAC0 renewal, as it has lower exposure to customer channels benefiting from the renewal. In APAC, growth was strong in Japan and South Korea, partly offset by China and ANZ.
• In the Consumer-facing businesses, WSA saw solid growth in Retail and strong growth in Online partly offset by U.S. Managed Care.
• EBITDA before special items was EUR 456 million corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 17.7% (16.7%) and a margin improvement of 1%-point in line with guidance and driven by strict cost management.
• WSA invested more than EUR 170 million in innovation and launched Signia Insio Charge&Go CIC IX, the world’s first rechargeable, custom-made completely-in-canal hearing aid with directional microphone technology, the Signia Motion Charge&Go IX a full lineup of rechargeable behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids, and Signia Pure Charge&Go BCT IX, the smallest Bluetooth-compatible RIC hearing aid on the market.
• WSA also launched the WIDEX ALLURE™ platform with crystal-clear speech and refined awareness of acoustic surroundings, as well as Widex Compass Cloud, the world’s first cloud-based fitting software.

Highlights Q4 2024/2025 (Q4 last financial year in brackets)

• Revenue for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2024/25 was EUR 621 million, reflecting -1% (10%) organic growth against a high comparative base in the same period last year. Growth was impacted by the general market softness across several key markets partly offset by strong performance in the Online business.
• EBITDA before special items was EUR 119 million corresponding to an EBITDA margin of 19.2%.

Financial year 2025/26 outlook

For the financial year 2025/26, WSA expects 0-4% organic revenue growth supported by our competitive product portfolio and upcoming launches. The range reflects the uncertain macroeconomic environment.

The EBITDA margin is expected to increase by around 1%-point versus financial year 2024/25, supported by cost reductions made in FY 2024/25, efficiency gains, and growth.

WSA’s Annual Report 2024/25 and integrated Sustainability Statement can be found here.