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Demant takes over KIND GmbH & Co. KG

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In a landmark decision, Danish hearing health giant Demant has announced it will acquire KIND, one of Germany’s most trusted names in hearing care. With over 650 clinics under the KIND brand, this €700 million deal marks Demant’s largest acquisition to date — and it’s about more than just business.

Both Demant and KIND were founded on strong family values, with a shared mission: to improve lives through expert hearing care. KIND, a household name in Germany since 1952, brings deep trust and local connection. Demant brings global experience, cutting-edge technology, and an expanding reach — now surpassing 4,500 clinics worldwide.

Most importantly, what does this mean for us?

  • More access to care: Whether you’re in Germany, Switzerland, or beyond, the combination means broader access to personalized, high-quality hearing services.
  • Trusted hands: KIND’s familiar face stays intact — just now backed by even more resources and innovation.
  • Better outcomes: With Demant’s advanced hearing technology and KIND’s strong customer focus, users can expect even more tailored, effective solutions.

For customers, staff, and communities, this merger is not about changing what works — it’s about strengthening it. As Dr. Alexander Kind put it, the legacy continues, now with a partner who shares the same heart for hearing care.

In short: a bigger, better network, same human touch.

Also, has anyone used products from KIND GmbH & Co. KG before? I am considering checking them out.

Full documentation here:
Demant takes over KIND (Press Release).pdf (138.0 KB)

9 people in this conversation8 min readJump to latest
@thivyan.pillay said:

More access to care: Whether you’re in Germany, Switzerland, or beyond, the combination means broader access to personalized, high-quality hearing services.

how?

@thivyan.pillay said:

Trusted hands: KIND’s familiar face stays intact — just now backed by even more resources and innovation.

says nothing.

@thivyan.pillay said:
  • Better outcomes: With Demant’s advanced hearing technology and KIND’s strong customer focus, users can expect even more tailored, effective solutions.

Didn’t KIND have access to Demant’s advanced hearing technology before? Is KIND getting exclusive access to Demant technogy? I’m sure Demant’s audiologist customers will be glad to hear it.

More profits through vertical integration.
Greater power to influence retail pricing for the hearing aid market.

I hate hearing aid industry marketing speak. Good night everyone.

I’ll be honest with you :sweat_smile:
Literally got my hands on this document and threw this together with ChatGPT.

Yea, I do agree it is a bunch of BS. Before today I had never heard of KIND. They sell here where I live but through a single audiologist which makes servicing the devices really exclusive. I would hope that maybe people who use the KIND systems have access to more potent hardware?

And no, KIND would not have had access before. (Watch my economics kick in) It’s a differentiated market meaning that even though they all sell the same device, each one is slightly nuanced using non-price competition. It just so happens that KIND now has access to the same resources that Oticon has access to.

I am also assuming maybe KIND may sell in more places and be offered alongside Oticon? Because they currently only sell in 12 regions, according to their website.

I, too, wonder how a change in ownership *per se * will improve accessibility and performance. The new owners can do things to make the retail chain be more accessible, and they can improve performance, but usually change in ownership does the opposite, IMO.

ChatGPT (and other ‘’ chatbots) are so GREAT! I asked for the latest on hearing aid tech, and I got marketing info about previous generations of aids.

I’m too lazy to type by myself
But I did add the official press release documents at the bottom. I thought it’d be interesting to share!

I wouldn’t expect access to more advanced tools. Just less freedom of the KIND in the brands they dispense, assuming previously they were multi-brand and now possibly only push Demant products. Maybe they won’t be that way. But zero surprise on my part if they do.

Demant seems to already provide a lot of support to HCPs fitting their gear. So I also wonder where the improvement will be, beyond the KIND company continuing. Were they facing financial issues? Or were they selling themselves at max profit position?

WH

This is so confusing

An assumption… but… given that you are from Germany (your flag) and these are German conpanies, could you possibly help me in the questions I have had for the past 5 years?

Is audifon trash?

I don’t know any better but if I connect my hearing aids and put my phone in my pocket the connection quality is so low that the one hearing aid on the opposite side of my body will disconnect. Like right pocket, no left ear.

Is this normal? Can I do better? Is this expected from audifon? I feel they overmarketed and underdelivered.

So curious if you can answer! Also the mobile app is the worst thing I have ever used.

In reply to @firenzel

And then one more, should I buy from KIND? These are the two options that my audiologist promotes, because they are the SOLE providers. No other audiologist has heard of or works with these two brands. Makes my life very difficult when I plan to move on.

But I do plan to buy new hearing aids with the last bit of money I have left and I need them to be good. So I am now wondering, can KIND be trusted?

In reply to @thivyan.pillay

@thivyan.pillay said:

I don’t know any better but if I connect my hearing aids and put my phone in my pocket the connection quality is so low that the one hearing aid on the opposite side of my body will disconnect. Like right pocket, no left ear.

Is this normal? Can I do better? Is this expected from audifon? I feel they overmarketed and underdelivered.

It’s generally a normal situation for Bluetooth to function poorly outdoors in wide areas without any close vertical reflective surfaces or with absorbing surfaces. It is difficult for radio waves to pass through the human body.

In buildings, it is less of a problem because the radio signal goes to one wall, bounces to the wall on the opposite side, and then to the hearing aid in the ear on the opposite side from your smartphone.

I don’t know much about KIND company, didn’t hear about their special features and benefits.

There is KIND subsidiary in my country. I have used audifon aids before 2013 and they were nothing to write home about. They started selling Starkeys in my country around 2013 and Starkey was far better. They introduced Oticon aids in 2016 and stopped selling Starkeys in my country. I assume that they will be selling exclusively Oticon aids from now.

I mean my audifon systems are okay.
But I’m and also a bit of a geek and literally get excited that other companies allow you to adjust the startup sound of your hearing systems.

I don’t feel audifon has enough R&D or publicity to be trusted. I literally don’t have anyone to talk to. You are the second person I have found in 5 years of owning their product who caj say they have owned it.

Maybe its time to switch to a more recognizable household name?

@thivyan.pillay said:

Maybe its time to switch to a more recognizable household name

Yes do it if possible, just remember that the “more recognisable” names are just that, as in they are exactly the same as the rebranded models, without all the issues of “special” software or locked out of , do you guys have Costco in you area?

Lol
No Costco
Only through an official audiologist and fitting and stuff can you get hearing aids. No .

Well we have hear.com3 which is part of WSAudiology but…

In reply to @WhiteHat

Yes they are, Demand is almost a monopoly when it comes to audiology equipment owning , Interacustis, GSI, Maico, Amplivox, Inventis, Medrx. Example, it would be very inexpensive for them to change their audiometers and now implement ACT, it basically cost them very little. I would agree that the more concentration in the market the less compettion. Which is not good.

We see the EU come down on anti-competitive business practice all the time, yet this gets through? In Australia, the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) investigated the hearing aid industry and identified vertical integration as a problem. They did nothing about it of course.

We have Audika (Demant) and Connect Hearing (Sonova), not to mention Blamey & Saunders that was founded to disrupt the industry but was bought out by Sonova. I’m sure there are others.

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