COPENHAGEN—The latest development in a continuing trend in the hearing aid industry toward manufacturer control of the retail sector took place today (October 1) when GN Store Nord A/S acquired a major Danish hearing aid dispensing network, Dansk Hørecenter.
GN, owner of GN ReSound, made the purchase through its Beltone subsidiary. The price was not disclosed.
According to GN’s announcement, the former owners of Dansk Hørecenter decided to sell the company to prepare for their future retirement. Beltone has been a key partner and supplier to the company since its founding in 1994, so it was a natural candidate to buy it. Dansk Hørecenter has 21 retail stores and is a leader in the relatively small Danish private hearing aid market. (Most Danes get their hearing aids from government clinics.)
According to GN, the current owners will continue to manage day-to-day operations at Dansk Hørecenter.
Although its Beltone subsidiary is one of the world’s largest hearing aid retailers, GN stated in announcing the purchase of Dansk Hørecenter that its “strategic direction on hearing aid retail is unchanged; GN generally does not want to own retail.”
And the consolidation of the industry continues…