The Austrian shoe supplier Leder & Schuh AG is likely to get new owners. According to a statement published on Monday, the financial investor Advance Capital Partners and the Slovenian retailer Mass have entered into an agreement with the previous owners of Leder & Schuh to acquire the company.
The transaction, whose financial details were not disclosed, still requires approval from the relevant competition authorities. Its completion is “expected in the first half of 2026,” the company said.
Leder und Schuh currently operates 210 branches of the Humanic and Shoe4You concepts in nine countries. The company employs more than 1,700 people and recently achieved annual sales of over 300 million euros.
According to the announcement, following the completion of the takeover, Leder & Schuh will “become part of the Mass Group, but will remain an independently operating company with its headquarters in Graz”. The merger will create “one of the ten largest shoe retailers in Europe” with sales of more than 400 million euros, 290 stationary branches and ten online shops as well as over 2,300 employees, according to the statement.
The transaction provides Leder & Schuh with “financial stability”
Aleš Škerlak, the CEO of Advance Capital Partners, explained the reasons for the now agreed takeover: “The partnership between two companies with strong traditions and shared ambitions will create a real footwear retail giant in Central and Eastern Europe,” he explained in a statement. “The expanded Mass Group, majority owned by Advance Capital Partners, will operate in nine markets with a total population of around 150 million and is expected to achieve annual sales of over €500 million by 2029.”
As part of the transaction, the investment house will “also refinance all existing bank loans of the Austrian group, which will provide the company with a solid foundation for long-term financial stability and create the conditions for further growth,” emphasized Škerlak.
Armin Weger, the CEO of Leder & Schuh, welcomed the upcoming merger: “Our goal is to make the shoe trade fit for the future and to create a stable basis for sustainable growth,” he explained. “With Mass we gain a strong and experienced partner who shares our vision, while Advance Capital Partners offers us the financial stability that is crucial for our further development. I am very much looking forward to taking this path together and giving new impetus to the industry.”