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Bundeskartellamt Clears Demant’s Takeover of Kind to Create Germany’s Largest Hearing-Aid Chain

The authority cited a fragmented market with thousands of outlets as evidence that sufficient competition will remain.

Overview

  • The approval allows Demant to combine Kind’s roughly 600 German stores with about 350 of its own, yielding approximately 950–1,000 locations nationwide.
  • Cartel office chief Andreas Mundt reported concerns in 15 regional markets, but their limited size did not justify blocking the overall deal under German law.
  • Germany hosts more than 7,000 hearing-acoustics locations, with major rivals such as Sonova’s Geers and Amplifon operating hundreds of stores.
  • The Kind brand will continue after the transaction, while the founding family plans to withdraw from the company.
  • Kind and Demant agreed to the acquisition in June, and Demant’s German network includes regional banners such as Audika and Ritter.