The Swiss laundry group Calida Holding AG suffered further losses in sales in the 2025 financial year, but was able to make progress in earnings. This emerges from an annual report that the parent company of the Calida, Aubade and Cosabella brands published on Thursday.
CEO Thomas Stöcklin was overall satisfied with the results given the “challenging market environment.” “Geopolitical uncertainties, American trade and customs policy as well as subdued consumer sentiment in our core markets influenced the entire industry,” he explained in a statement. “In this environment, the Calida Group is showing strategic discipline and moving step by step in the desired direction.”
All corporate brands have to accept losses in sales
Last year, group sales from continuing operations – i.e. excluding the contributions from the Lafuma Mobilier division, which was sold to Peugeot Frères Industrie in the summer of 2024 – amounted to 215.9 million Swiss francs (236.6 million euros). This corresponded to a decrease of 6.6 percent compared to the same period last year. Adjusted for exchange rate changes, revenue fell by 5.0 percent.
All Group brands suffered losses in sales. The core brand Calida recorded a decline of 3.4 percent (-2.4 percent adjusted for currency effects) to 145.1 million Swiss francs. Aubade’s revenue fell by 8.6 percent (-7.1 percent adjusted for currency effects) to 58.0 million Swiss francs, which, according to the company, was not least due to weak consumer sentiment in France, the label’s home market.
At the US label Cosabella, sales even slipped by 26.4 percent (-21.9 percent adjusted for currency effects) to 12.8 million Swiss francs. “The brand remains in an intensive repositioning phase and is under strategic review,” it said in a statement. A turnaround “close to operational break-even” will be sought in the 2026 financial year.
The reform program is having an impact
Despite the decline in sales, the group made progress in earnings due to recent reforms. “Through the consistent implementation of organizational measures, the group is positioned to be more efficient, agile and future-proof,” said the group.
The operating result (EBIT) from continuing operations, which had been 4.0 million Swiss francs in the previous year, rose to 9.0 million Swiss francs. The EBIT margin increased from 1.7 to 4.2 percent. Net profit from continuing operations grew from 0.5 to 7.6 million Swiss francs.
The reported net profit attributable to shareholders fell from 14.9 to 10.4 million Swiss francs (11.4 million euros), which was due to the fact that higher one-off income from the sale of Lafuma Mobilier was recorded in the previous financial year.
Management is sticking to its strategic course
The management emphasized that it would stick to its course in the current year, which envisages an increasing “premium positioning of the brands” as well as “the continuous increase in efficiency and effectiveness, with product development and intensified brand communication as strategic core elements”.
These measures are expected to bear further fruit in the current year. “In the short term, a further increase in the operating profit contribution for the core brands Calida and Aubade and an operating EBIT margin for the group of over 6 percent are expected for 2026,” the group explained. “While the operational business is being further optimized, it is also important to set the course for the next strategic development stage.”
