FUCHS Targets African Markets With Businesses Generating About €50 Million in Annual Sales
Key Facts
FUCHS SE announced on October 28, 2026, that it had signed agreements to acquire full ownership of its former joint venture companies in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. The company also plans to establish a controlling stake in a new joint venture in Kenya and raise its stake in its existing venture in Tanzania to a controlling level. The moves will expand the group's presence in five African markets, while giving it full direct control of operations in the first three countries. In Kenya and Tanzania, the announcement did not specify the ownership percentages that would confer control. The company said the transactions are expected to close in early 2027.
The companies involved in the deals employ about 170 people and generate annual sales of approximately €50 million, according to FUCHS's announcement. This scale indicates the scope of the operations that will join the group, while the company did not disclose financial details of the transactions, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report. The announcement did not include a value for the acquisitions or investment amounts for the new ventures. Paul Dipp, regional vice president for sub-Saharan Africa, said the company wants to be "closer to our customers" and respond more quickly to local market needs. He added that the expansion supports industrial growth, without setting a quantitative target for market share or sales resulting from the deals.
FUCHS links growth opportunities for demand for lubricants and specialty products on the continent to factors including rapid urbanization, industrial development and infrastructure investment. The company also cited the expansion of mining and manufacturing activity and rising vehicle ownership among the factors supporting expected demand. The expansion builds on an existing regional structure: the group said its manufacturing and commercial platform in South Africa serves as a center for production, technical expertise and customer support across sub-Saharan Africa. In Johannesburg, FUCHS expanded its Isando facility with an investment of €26 million, opening the expansion on February 26, 2025. The company said the expansion increased the lubricant blending plant's production capacity by more than 40%.
The group's operations in South Africa provide an established base for regional expansion; FUCHS said it has operated there since 1992 and has about 450 employees. Its sales in the South African market were €125 million in 2024. Across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, revenue reached €1.156 billion in the first half of 2026, up 11% from €1.039 billion in the corresponding period of 2025. In its 2025 annual results, the group reported sales of €3.563 billion, compared with €3.525 billion in 2024; regional revenue was €2.048 billion, versus €2.029 billion. These figures reflect a broader regional business scope than the targeted African operations alone.
FUCHS previously said positive performance in the second quarter of 2026 benefited from front-loading related to the Middle East conflict, supply problems at some competitors and broad-based organic growth. In July, the company raised its 2026 EBIT forecast to a range of €460–480 million, from about €450 million previously. But it said front-loading could weigh on sales volumes in the second half, while higher raw material prices could affect margins. The company's outlook published with its 2025 results had pointed to sales of about €3.7 billion and EBIT of around €450 million for 2026. For the African expansion, the expected completion date remains early 2027, while the company's events page showed a press conference and investor call on October 30, 2026.