GN Store Nord A/S enters into agreement to sell its Hearing business to Amplifon S.p.A. for DKK 17.0 billion
Today, GN Store Nord A/S (“GN”) has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of GN’s Hearing business to Amplifon S.p.A. (“Amplifon”), a leading global hearing care retailer. The transaction values the Hearing business at DKK 17.0 billion 1 on a cash-free and debt-free basis and will be settled with DKK 12.6 billion 2 in cash and 56 million shares in Amplifon. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and completion of the Hearing business separation from GN and is expected to complete by the end of 2026.
Amplifon and GN will together create a global integrated leader in audiology combining hearing technology leadership with high-quality, innovative hearing care to offer comprehensive solutions to both audiology professionals and patients. The combination will create the industry leader in hearing care solutions and services worldwide with benefits to audiologists, consumers, and investors.
Following the transaction, GN will fully focus to drive success in the large and attractive audio and video peripherals markets. GN is well positioned with leading brands, premium product differentiation, and technology leadership in sound processing and low-power edge AI. Financially, GN will drive margin expansion supported by the product differentiation and its scalable and agile operations setup, while the asset-light business model will support healthy cash flows.
As the proceeds from the transaction is larger than GN’s net interest-bearing debt, GN expects to use the proceeds to 1) significantly reduce debt, 2) invest in the ongoing business to support sustainable and profitable growth as well as 3) returning capital to shareholders, subject to applicable law and in line with the dividend policy.
GN Store Nord Chair Jukka Pekka Pertola said:
We are excited to transform GN into a pure technology company. We have unique positions and capabilities making us well positioned to further grow in the large audio and video peripherals market in a focused way. While we will miss all of our great employees in Hearing, we are proud that we, together with Amplifon, will create an industry leading player in global audiology. We are convinced that the transaction and steps ahead will be beneficial to our customers, employees and investors.
GN Store Nord CEO Peter Karlströmer said:
We are today acting on an opportunity to create a global leader in audiology together with Amplifon. The new company has every chance to develop into an industry leader driving further innovation and success in hearing care. For GN, this also creates an opportunity to further strengthen our position in the large and attractive audio and video peripherals markets. We have unique brands, talents, and capabilities and a rich set of opportunities. We have in the last few years strengthened GN significantly financially and operationally. As we open up this new chapter, we are focused on driving success as an innovative technology company with global reach and scale. This is very exciting for GN’s customers, employees, and investors.
Amplifon CEO Enrico Vita said: “Today marks a turning point for Amplifon. We are announcing the most transformative acquisition in our 75-year-long history, that will fundamentally change the future of the hearing care industry worldwide and create significant and long-term value for all our stakeholders. With combined revenues of approximately €3.3 billion, a presence in more than 100 countries, a cutting-edge R&D platform, leading manufacturing capabilities, and an unparalleled commercial network, we will be forming a truly global vertically integrated leader in audiology. Importantly, Amplifon will continue to preserve and enhance Hearing’s unique identity, heritage, and strengths, recognizing its brand value, culture, and distinct capabilities as key contributors to the future success of the combined organization. We look forward to working closely with the exceptional team at Hearing to improve hearing health for millions of people globally”
Background
Over the past years, GN has significantly strengthened its strategic focus and execution capabilities across the group, supported by substantial investments in innovation, technology, and its supply chain. These efforts have created a solid foundation for sustainable and profitable growth. During this period, the Board and Executive Management received several unsolicited expressions of interest, including from Amplifon, and subsequently engaged in exploratory discussions. One of these led to Amplifon making a financially and strategically compelling proposal with a high degree of deal certainty. After extensive deliberation and a thorough evaluation process, the Board and Executive Management unanimously decided to pursue and accept the proposal from Amplifon.
Transaction Highlights
Financial implications and guidance
As a direct consequence of the transaction, Hearing will be classified as discontinued operations, and associated assets and liabilities as held-for-sale.
GN’s financial guidance for 2026 now excludes discontinued operations and therefore only reflects Enterprise and Gaming. Consequently, the organic revenue guidance is now expected to be 2-8%, based on unchanged divisional assumptions of 0-6% organic revenue growth in Enterprise, and 7-13% organic revenue growth in Gaming.
To drive the necessary changes of this significant transaction, GN will incur one-off costs, including but not limited to transaction and carve-out costs, which will impact group EBITA in 2026. Following the establishment of a standalone operating system structure, the company is expected to re-introduce a profitability guidance.
The current long-term financial targets are suspended; however, the company’s ambition to drive strong profitable growth remains unchanged. GN is in a strong position to deliver healthy growth, strong profitability and an attractive cash conversion.
Capital Markets Day
GN intends to hold a Capital Markets Day post-closing of the transaction. The Capital Markets Day will cover among other subjects the future strategy, long-term financial targets, capital allocation policy, including further clarifications on distributing excess capital to shareholders.
Press Conference
GN will host a press conference at 09:30 CET on 16 March 2026.
Contact Group Media Manager Helge Coroli Frandsen at hcfrandsen@gn.com to sign up.
Investor and analyst conference call
GN will hold will host a teleconference at 12:00 CET on 16 March 2026. Please visit www.gn.com/investor to access the teleconference. Presentation material will be available on the website prior to the start of the teleconference.
Advisors
J.P. Morgan Securities plc is acting as exclusive financial advisor, and Gorrissen Federspiel Advokatpartnerselskab and Gianni & Origoni are acting as legal advisors, and PricewaterhouseCoopers has provided due diligence services to GN.
This announcement contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation).
For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations
Rune Sandager +45 45 75 92 57
Media Relations
Steen Frentz Laursen +45 20 65 34 20
About GN
GN brings people closer through our leading intelligent hearing, audio, video, and gaming solutions. Inspired by people and driven by innovation, we deliver technologies that enhance the senses of hearing and sight. We help people with hearing loss overcome real-life challenges, improve communication and collaboration for businesses, and provide great experiences for audio and gaming enthusiasts. GN was founded more than 150 years ago with a vision to connect the world. Today, inspired by our strong heritage, GN touches more lives than ever with our unique expertise and the broadest portfolio of products and services in our history – bringing people closer to what is important to them.
We market our solutions with the brands Jabra, ReSound, SteelSeries, Beltone, Interton, BlueParrott, Danavox, and FalCom in 100 countries. Founded in 1869, GN Group employs more than 7,500 people and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (GN.CO).
Visit our homepage GN.com - and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter
About Amplifon
Amplifon, global leader in the hearing care retail market, empowers people to rediscover all the emotions of sound. Amplifon’s around 20,600 people worldwide strive every day to understand the unique needs of every customer, delivering exclusive, innovative and highly personalized products and services, to ensure everyone the very best solution and outstanding experience. The Group, with annual revenues of around 2.4 billion euros, operates through a network of around 10,000 locations in 25 Countries and 5 continents. More information about the Group is available at: https://corporate.amplifon.com.
The forward-looking statements in this announcement reflect the management's current expectations of certain future events and financial results. Statements regarding the future are, naturally, subject to risks and uncertainties, which may result in considerable deviations from the outlook set forth. Furthermore, some of these expectations are based on assumptions regarding future events, which may prove incorrect. Changes to such expectations and assumptions will not be disclosed on an ongoing basis, unless required pursuant to general disclosure obligations to which GN is subject.
Factors that may cause actual results to deviate materially from expectations include – but are not limited to – general economic developments and developments in the financial markets as well as foreign exchange rates, risks related to the above mentioned transaction, technological developments, changes and amendments to legislation and regulations governing GN markets, changes in the demand for GN products, competition, fluctuations in sub-contractor supplies, and developments in ongoing litigation (including but not limited to class action and patent infringement litigation in the United States).
For more information, please see the "Management's report" and "Risk management” sections in the Annual Report. This announcement should not be considered an offer to sell or buy securities in.
1 Share component value based on €10.52 per Amplifon share as of 13 March 2026
2 Cash component of EUR 1,690m converted to DKK at DKK/EUR 0.134
3 Share component value based on €10.52 per Amplifon share as of 13 March 2026
4 Cash component of EUR 1,690m converted to DKK at DKK/EUR 0.134
5 Assumes Amplifon completes up to EUR 0.75bn equity raise as per Amplifon’s communication to the market. Should Amplifon not complete any equity raise, GN’s shareholding at closing would amount to 19.8%
6 EBITDA includes group cost allocations and certain carve-out costs that the buyer will not take over, as well as other transaction adjustments of around DKK 230 million in total