ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss hearing aid maker Sonova (S:SOON) is buying Dutch-based AudioNova for 830 million euros (658.87 million pound), its largest acquisition, to expand a network of European stores where it will jettison rivals' products in favour of its own.
The cash deal to buy AudioNova from Curacao-based investment company HAL Holding N.V. will add 1,300 stores in eight countries. That more than doubles Sonova's presence in Europe and boosts its worldwide store total to more than 3,300.
AudioNova now sells more than 300,000 hearing aids a year from different providers in eight European countries. Sonova products -- its brands include Unitron and Phonak -- account for about 25 percent of that figure.
Over the next two years, however, Sonova Chief Executive Lukas Braunschweiler said he plans to boost Sonova's share of AudioNova's sales to about 95 percent.
It is not uncommon for hearing aid retailers to switch between brands, Braunschweiler said, so he did not fear a customer backlash by swapping out rival products.
"Usually we bring share of wallet in our own retail chains up to about 95 percent of own products, that's the rule after two years, and we have about 5 percent other products left," he said.
AudioNova is expected to generate 2016 sales of approximately 360 million euros and an EBITDA margin of around 16 percent, Sonova said, adding the acquisition will lift earnings per share starting in the financial year 2017/2018.
Sonova shares rose more than 3 percent in early business, boosting their rise to 4.2 percent this year.
Bank Vontobel analyst Carla Baenziger said the transaction will give Sonova "critical size" in the retail market and is likely to be a blow to rival William Demant Holding (WDH) (CO:WDH), which has supplied AudioNova with hearing aids.
"The takeover is certainly bad news for WDH on volumes," she wrote in a note to investors.
William Demant has been buying retailers, too, including a move last year in France to snap up Audika. Demant did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Wednesday.
Sonova lifted sales last year by 4 percent to just over 2 billion Swiss francs ($2.09 billion).
Braunschweiler said Sonova won an auction run by ABN Amro, which advised HAL Holding, in which there were six bidders in the final stages, including three financial bidders and three strategic investors, including Sonova.
"It was a competitive race," said Braunschweiler, whose company's advisory team included Credit Suisse (S:CSGN).
Sonova will finance the deal, which is expected to close in the second half of this year, with cash and debt. It suspended a share buyback programme.