Finance
Lanxess Reports Annual Sales Below Market Estimates
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 19, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 19, 2026
Quick Summary
Lanxess reported full-year 2025 revenue of €5.67 billion, down from €6.36 billion and missing analysts’ expectations of €5.72 billion, reflecting persistent weakness in its end markets.
Lanxess misses 2025 sales estimates, plans further job cuts in Germany
Lanxess Reports Lower Sales and Announces Cost-Cutting Measures
By Ozan Ergenay
March 19 (Reuters) - Speciality chemicals maker Lanxess on Thursday reported annual sales below market expectations and said it did not expect business to improve before the second half of 2026 at the earliest.
Challenging Market Conditions for German Chemical Sector
The German chemical sector, the country's third-largest, has been struggling for years with subdued demand, high energy costs, supply chain issues and an economic slowdown.
Lanxess Revenue and Share Performance
Lanxess' annual revenue fell 10.9% to 5.67 billion euros ($6.50 billion), missing analysts' average estimate of 5.72 billion in a company-provided poll.
Shares of the Cologne-based group, down 24% since the start of the year, fell 3.3% in early Frankfurt trade.
Impact of Geopolitical Tensions
Chemical companies have been hit the hardest by the Iran war, as the Middle East is an essential region for them, producing a lot of raw materials for the industry. The widening war has disrupted supply chains, pushed up energy prices and sparked fears of rising inflation and weakening consumer demand.
Lanxess' Strategic Response
Cost-Cutting Initiatives
"We control the things we can control, that means continuing to cut costs, streamline processes and create new market opportunities," Lanxess CEO Matthias Zachert said in a statement.
The company launched additional cost-cutting measures for 2026, aimed at generating permanent annual savings of around 100 million euros by the end of 2028. As part of that, it plans to cut 550 jobs, about two-thirds of which will be in Germany.
CEO's Outlook on Market Environment
Zachert said the market environment remained weak last year, both for Lanxess and the broader industry, and was characterised by high levels of geopolitical uncertainty.
"For 2026, we expect to see positive momentum in the second half of the year at the earliest, for example through the German government's infrastructure stimulus program," he said.
Financial Forecasts
Lanxess forecast earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) pre-exceptionals of 450-550 million euros for 2026, compared with 510 million euros last year.
Both last year's number and this year's outlook were broadly in line with market estimates.
Additional Information
($1 = 0.8724 euros)
(Reporting by Ozan Ergenay in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
Key Takeaways
- •Revenue for 2025 fell 10.8% year‑on‑year to €5.67 billion, below consensus of €5.72 billion (lanxess.com)
- •Pressure from weak demand persisted throughout 2025, evidenced by a 16.3% Q3 sales drop and narrowed EBITDA guidance (financialreports.eu)
- •Company continues cost‑saving efforts via its “FORWARD!” plan and portfolio transformation, including divestment of its Urethane Systems business (lanxess.com)
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Lanxess reports annual sales below market estimates
1What were Lanxess' annual sales for 2025?
Lanxess reported annual sales of 5.67 billion euros for 2025.
2Did Lanxess meet market expectations for its annual sales?
No, Lanxess' reported sales were below the average analyst estimate of 5.72 billion euros.
3How do Lanxess' 2025 revenues compare to the previous year?
Revenues fell from 6.36 billion euros in the previous year to 5.67 billion euros in 2025.
4What was the market environment like for Lanxess in 2025?
Lanxess faced a persistently weak market environment in 2025.
5Who reported and edited the news on Lanxess' annual sales?
The article was reported by Ozan Ergenay and edited by Milla Nissi-Prussak.
