Download press release - Vorwerk

Background information
Close Customer Contact is the Success Formula for all Divisions
A willingness to embrace change, innovative products and services, an
internationally oriented strategy and a direct line to the customer – all of these
form the basis for growth at Vorwerk. The corporate group with its autonomous
divisions is a successful competitor in many markets.
In its 126 history Vorwerk has developed into a corporate group with a global presence
thanks to its innovative ideas, openness to change and a philosophy that focuses on
being in touch with people. The extensive Vorwerk portfolio of products and services
encompasses home care and household appliances, carpets and cosmetics, as well as
services, both in the facility management sector and in leasing and financing. The group’s
head office in Wuppertal manages these divisions as strategic holdings.
Division Kobold
Division Kobold continues to be the holding reporting the highest sales within the Vorwerk
group. Innovative home care appliances have regularly been added to the division’s
product range, which spans the Kobold, a hand-held vacuum cleaner that is exceptionally
low on energy despite its top suction power, the equally powerful Tiger cylinder vacuum
cleaner, the electric brush, the Pulilux hard floor cleaning attachment, the Polsterboy and
a variety of accessories and cleaning agents that provide maximum cleanliness and
freshness. Thanks to their filter system, the Vorwerk vacuum cleaners are all suitable for
allergy sufferers. Company’s main markets are Italy (“Folletto”), Germany and China as
well as the remaining Europe. More than 9,000 sales advisers sell the products at product
demonstrations in the customer’s home.

Division JAFRA Cosmetics
JAFRA Cosmetics was founded in the USA in 1965 and today counts among the world’s
foremost producers of quality cosmetics. The company has been a member of the
Vorwerk group since 2004. JAFRA uses high-grade raw materials and state-of-the-art
technologies to produce its skin and body care products, decorative cosmetics, SPA
products and perfumes, all of which call for in-depth consultation. Hence the choice of
direct selling in the customer’s home as the company’s distribution channel. JAFRA’s
main markets are Mexico and the USA. JAFRA products are also sold in European
countries. Recently JAFRA opened its business in Russia, Brazil and India. Worldwide,
the division offers 526,000 independent consultants the opportunity to build a secure,
financially independent business for themselves.
Division Thermomix
A mixer that can also cook, weigh, blend, grind, chop and lots more besides, replacing at
least 12 household appliances – an ingenious idea that also makes perfect sense.
Vorwerk launched the Thermomix in 1971. It was the first heatable, multi-functional
kitchen mixer. Thanks to its ability to cook food gently, preserving flavor and vitamins, the
universal kitchen aid makes an important contribution to a healthy diet. Star chef Dieter
Müller praised the all-rounder as “one of the most important kitchen appliances since the
invention of fire.” Every minute, a Thermomix is sold somewhere in the world today by one
of the more than 18,500 representatives selling the kitchen aid through the party plan
system or on recommendation at the customer’s home. The main markets for Thermomix
direct sales are Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, Poland, Taiwan and Mexico.
Division Lux Asia Pacific
The Lux Asia Pacific group joined the Vorwerk family in 2001. Lux Asia Pacific operates in
the Asia-Pacific region, selling vacuum cleaners and the alva water purifier, to bring
customers cleanliness and freshness in the home. About 1,3 billion people have no clean
drinking water. So Lux Asia Pacific’s innovative water purifier, the alva, is a highly
attractive product because it makes a significant contribution towards improving the often

poor quality of drinking water. Test sets for on-the-spot analysis of the water quality at the
customer’s enable sales advisers to find for every household the ideal solution. The
acquisition of Lux Asia Pacific represents another important base for Vorwerk in the
emerging Asian region in addition to that in China. The division provides jobs for some
2,400 people, of whom around 1,800 are sales advisers.
Division Carpets
Vorwerk has now been making carpets for 126 years – and to this day counts among the
foremost producers of quality carpets admired for their fine materials, great durability and
exceptional design. The castle of Weimar uses Vorwerk Carpets as well as the DIFC
Dubai International Financial Center. The cornerstone was laid in 2008 for the company’s
own carpet tile collection and access was gained to the luxury hotel segment. The
German Asthma and Allergy Federation (DAAB) granted the Vorwerk carpets its seal of
approval “Suitable for allergy sufferers”. Vorwerk carpets are exported to 49 countries.
The division Vorwerk Carpets employs 350 people in Germany.
Division HECTAS Facility Services
Founded in 1974, HECTAS offering includes today systematic cleaning of buildings,
security and janitor services as well as infrastructural services. HECTAS distinguishes
itself from the competition by providing innovative, highly professional services and
implementing optimized quality assurance. With its extensive portfolio of services,
intensive customer consultations, more than 12,000 employees and 60 branches in
Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Hungary,
quality provider HECTAS is one of the most successful companies in the industry and on
course for expansion throughout Europe.
Division akf group
Vorwerk founded the akf bank in 1968 with a view to financing its customers’ purchases.
Today, the akf group, with its divisions akf bank, akf leasing and akf servicelease,
specializes with great success in the financing of mobile investment goods. Besides such

assets as laboratory equipment and construction machinery, vehicles are the chief focus
of the financing business. The akf group has made a name for itself as a competent, in-
touch partner to the small and medium-sized businesses that are its customers. The akf
group operates 12 branches and 32 sales offices in Germany and employs 220 people. In
the past two years, the group has set up its first international companies, akf equiprent
españa in Spain and akf leasing polska in Poland.
About Vorwerk
The Vorwerk & Co. KG family enterprise was founded in 1883. The holding company’s registered
office is located in Wuppertal, Germany; the headquarters of the various divisions are in Wollerau,
Switzerland (Divisions Kobold, Thermomix), Westlake, USA (Division JAFRA Cosmetics),
Singapore (Division Lux Asia Pacific), Hamelin, Germany (Division Carpets) and Wuppertal
(Division akf group, HECTAS Facility Services, Engineering).
At the head of the corporate group are Managing Partners Peter Oberegger and Walter Muyres.
The other member of the Executive Board is Reiner Strecker. Vorwerk’s core business is the
worldwide direct sale of high-quality products. Worldwide there are around 578,000 working with
Vorwerk, of whom 30,000 are sales advisers in the business of selling household appliances and
526,000 working for JAFRA Cosmetics. Vorwerk generates a business volume of more than
2.4 billion euros a year (2008) and operates in 58 countries (2009).
Photo material of the management and the products, an electronic Corporate Presentation
and further press releases can be accessed in the press section at www.vorwerk.de.