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Date: 08/15/2014 13:07 clock
The tradition Karstadt gets a new owner: The Austrian investor Rene Benko takes over with its Signa Holding the ailing department store chain Karstadt completely. Basis was a “new ausgehandlte agreement (…) the acquisition of 100 percent of the shares in Karstadt GmbH provides” Signa said. The daughter Karstadt Sports, the premium stores in Berlin and branches in Munich and Dusseldorf go entirely to Signa.
As early as last September Benko had the majority of the operational business of the Premium Group – Berlin’s KaDeWe, the Alster in Hamburg and the Oberpollinger in Munich – secured. The previous owner Nicolas Berggruen controlled since only the majority of the operational core business for the remaining stores.
Berggruen retires
completely
Accordingly, Berggruen now complete withdrawal from the company. “It flows no further purchase price to the Berggruen Holdings”, the Benko Group underlined. Signa would now “focus redevelopment and the future viability of the Karstadt department store GmbH” on the announced tungsten wedge, CEO of Signa, at. The antitrust authorities must approve the transaction.
Benko is considered good wired in business and politics. Prominent names can be found on the advisory board of his company Signa, including ex-Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking and former Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer. Benko is not without controversy: In a corruption trial end of 2012 imposed a prison term against him. The Supreme Court in Vienna has recently confirmed the sentence
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“Benko must now invest in Karstadt”
” Instead of Karstadt, Mr. Berggruen has destroyed more than 2,000 jobs and capital withdrawn from the company, “said Verdi Board Stefanie Nutzenberger. The union expect now that Benko IN QUESTION differently and show that he was willing to “immediately and sufficiently to invest in Karstadt”.
The Works Council Hellmut Patzelt said the next few weeks would crucial for Karstadt. The management must inform about numbers and plans. “My job is to ensure that our people do not go to the dogs.”
With the takeover by Benko also speculation about a merger with Metro-daughter Kaufhof live again. Benko had tried in the past without success also to an acquisition of this department store chain. A Metro spokesman declined to Friday not comment.
In industry sources said that there were overlooking the Kaufhof any contacts between the Düsseldorf retail giants and Benko.
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