Salamander Deutschland GmbH & Co KG and Schuhhaus Klauser GmbH & Co KG have found an investor.
Prime Footwear Investors AG is taking over the two companies, confirmed insolvency administrator Christian Holzmann at FashionUnited’s request. The companies previously belonged to the shoe supplier Ara Group, based in Langenfeld near Düsseldorf.
With the new owner, new management will also be set up for the companies, reports the industry magazine Textilwirtschaft. The corresponding insolvency plans had already been unanimously approved in mid-September. Accordingly, the protective shield procedure will be ended at the end of the month.
In December, Salamander and Klauer announced a comprehensive restructuring as part of a protective shield procedure, followed by self-administration insolvency proceedings at the end of February. The trademark rights to Salamander were taken over by the Swiss shoe manufacturer AstorMueller AG at the end of August. Salamander Deutschland GmbH & Co KG is therefore only the associated retail business.
According to the trade magazine, there are some industry experts behind the new owner. Those involved include the former owner of Salamander and Klauser, Peter Pranger, the former managing director of the ANWR shoe retail group, Günther Althaus and Lothar Schäfer, who once worked as managing director for the Adler fashion stores and the Appelrath Cüpper fashion brand. The main owners of the investor group are Convergenta Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Franz Wiest and the Brandstetter-Finger family.
Investors get involved in management
Two of the investors, Wiest and ex-Adler CEO Schäfer, will join the management after the end of the protective shield proceedings filed last December. The aim is “a long-term further development and modernization of the shoe retail company,” according to the industry magazine with reference to a communication they have received. The majority of the company’s approximately 1,000 jobs and a total of 65 branches will be retained, the insolvency administrator confirmed. At the beginning of the insolvency proceedings, the companies had 93 branches in Germany.
It is said that until the end of the process, the self-administration team will design the transition together with the new owner, after which Salamander and Klauser will be modernized and introduce an omnichannel concept “that combines online and offline shopping in an unconventional way”. Cooperation with suppliers will also be intensified, with the German Central Cooperative Bank once again taking over central regulation.