Sennheiser has acquired the business of Vienna-based distributor Grothusen Audio Video Vertriebs, and has founded a new sales subsidiary – Sennheiser Austria.

Sennheiser joint CEOs Daniel and Dr Andreas Sennheiser announced the signing of the contract in February, and the new company will commence operations on 1 April 2016.

‘We would like to thank Grothusen CEO Alexander Kränkl for his excellent work, which was instrumental for Sennheiser’s success in the region, and are grateful for his many achievements,’ says Daniel Sennheiser. ‘In founding Sennheiser Austria, we are delighted to welcome the expert team of Grothusen to the Sennheiser family. We are building on a long-standing relationship with one of our strongest distributors to create even stronger relationships with our customers. The new operation will be key to even better serve Austria and the Eastern European region, delivering the value added services and consulting needed to offer a seamless experience of audio excellence.’

Grothusen was founded in 1953 by Reimer J Grothusen and has distributed Sennheiser products since 1956. With an team of around 30 highly-qualified audio staff covering a wide range of applications – including opera, theatre, broadcasting, conferencing, exhibitions, sports locations, churches and museums – Grothusen has represented Sennheiser and Neumann to Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Slovenia and Albania. Its services include planning and support for audio systems as well as consultancy and education for the field of audio technology.

With Sennheiser Austria becoming its 19^th sales subsidiary, the audio specialist further expands its global reach. Björn Grefer, who had previously served as President of Finance and Operations at Sennheiser (Schweiz) AG, has been appointed as Operations Manager.

“Grothusen has worked to develop exceptional expertise working as a proud partner to Sennheiser, and this next exciting step is a great reflection of the team’s achievements, as they join the company to play a key role in taking the Sennheiser story forward in the region,’ Grefer says.