Whirlpool turns over $17 billion a year and has 44,000 employees. Bosch turns over $92 billion a year and has 430,000 employees (and does a lot more than appliances). They're simply a much bigger company than Whirlpool is. And it's kind of the way of the world that smaller companies get eaten by bigger ones. It doesn't necessarily mean the company getting bought is on the verge of going out of business, though sometimes that's the case.
In looking at the financial trends of these companies, it's worth noting that the appliance industry in general has had a bit of a downturn in the past couple years coming down from a COVID demand surge. Of course any company exposed to other industries is going to be less hurt by this than a company like Whirlpool that only does appliances.
It's also worth noting that Whirlpool made a conscious decision to downsize their company last year, when they sold off their European division to Beko/Arcelik. This made up a significant portion of their global revenue and employees, so explains a lot of their drop in revenue and employees. This also surely made them a more attractive acquisition target for Bosch, as they were smaller and easier to swallow, and it also eliminated antitrust concerns in Europe. A shrinking company may seem like it's completely failing, but not always - sometimes it's just not happy with how a particular market is going and wants to shift focus.
Of course there were still significant antitrust concerns in the USA, particularly around dishwashers, which is one reason why the sale didn't go through. Personally, I like Bosch but I'm glad the merger didn't go through. More competition is always good, and I think Whirlpool will be able to survive.
In looking at the financial trends of these companies, it's worth noting that the appliance industry in general has had a bit of a downturn in the past couple years coming down from a COVID demand surge. Of course any company exposed to other industries is going to be less hurt by this than a company like Whirlpool that only does appliances.
It's also worth noting that Whirlpool made a conscious decision to downsize their company last year, when they sold off their European division to Beko/Arcelik. This made up a significant portion of their global revenue and employees, so explains a lot of their drop in revenue and employees. This also surely made them a more attractive acquisition target for Bosch, as they were smaller and easier to swallow, and it also eliminated antitrust concerns in Europe. A shrinking company may seem like it's completely failing, but not always - sometimes it's just not happy with how a particular market is going and wants to shift focus.
Of course there were still significant antitrust concerns in the USA, particularly around dishwashers, which is one reason why the sale didn't go through. Personally, I like Bosch but I'm glad the merger didn't go through. More competition is always good, and I think Whirlpool will be able to survive.
