Bröderna Berner Handels AB
Our Swedish subsidiary is called Bröderna Berner Handels AB. It consists of two units: Gullviks, which specializes in plant protection agents, nutrients and seeds, and Berner Medical, which operates in healthcare. Our sales organization covers all of Sweden and the headquarters is in Malmö. Bröderna Berner Handels AB is ISO 9001 certified.
Plant protection, nutrients and seeds
Gullviks focuses on the retail sale of plant protection agents, nutrients, seeds, foliage nutrients and products used in forestry that are sold directly to farms.
Gullviks’ expertise, specialized personnel and trading methods have allowed it to achieve a position of trust among customers. Its strong cooperation with Swedish farmers continued to grow during the year. Plant nutrient sales grew further in 2016.
Berner Medical
Berner Medical selection includes Ansell surgery gloves, Harry Holms racks and Bode Chemie disinfectants. The unit is known for its high-quality brands and its position in the market continues to strengthen.
Berner Medical’s sales have seen steady growth in the past few years. The good result is based on its cost-efficient organization. In the future, sales growth will also be sought by expanding the product selection and strengthening the organization. The sales of synthetic surgical gloves grew substantially in 2016 due to a new agreement. We were also active during the year in ensuring the responsibility of the products we import.
Baltic operations
We harmonized the operations of the Berner Group in the Baltic countries in late 2016 by having our subsidiaries adopt the Berner name and brand. Starting from January 1, 2017, the official names are Berner Eesti OÜ, Berner Latvia SIA and UAB Berner Lietuva.
In the agricultural supplies business, we are the local organization of Dow Agroscience and DuPont Agro in all three Baltic countries. We also represent the products of Nisso Chemicals and Indofil Industries Netherlands B.V.
The year 2016 was a difficult one for agriculture and farming due to low world market prices and unfavorable weather conditions. The wintering of crops sown in the fall was challenging in places due to a period of freezing weather in January–February. In Estonia, in particular, crops sown in the fall suffered major damage. Dry conditions in the early summer slowed down the growth of crops sown in the spring and also compromised the growth of the crops sown in the previous fall. Later in the summer, substantial rainfall during the ripening stage had a negative effect on the harvested crops, resulting in low quantity and quality.
Berner Eesti’s sales of plant protection agents developed favorably in 2016 despite the challenging weather conditions. The growth was facilitated by the increased sales of products launched in 2015 as well as closer cooperation with key customers. New customers also contributed to the growth.
Berner acquired the Lithuanian company UAB Kruzas Nordic Cosmetics Distribution in 2014. To maintain consistency with Berner’s other subsidiaries in the Baltic countries, UAB Kruzas Nordic Cosmetics Distribution changed its name to Berner Lietuva. Berner Lietuva’s turnover saw steady growth in 2016, from EUR 9 million in the previous year to approximately EUR 9.5 million in 2016.
Berner Lietuva signed an agreement with Pierre Fabre Dermo Cosmetics on the distribution of its brands – Avene, Rene Furterer, Klorante, A-Derma, Ducray and Dexeryl – in Lithuania and also began operating as the PFDC Baltic Hub in Latvia and Estonia. The company also signed an agreement with Weleda on the distribution of its products in Latvia.