Deichmann has been selling shoes with the Esprit label for many years. To ensure that it stays that way, the shoe giant has now acquired the trademark rights.
Germany’s largest shoe retailer Deichmann has bought the trademark rights of the insolvent fashion company Esprit. Deichmann is taking over Esprit’s shoe brand rights in Europe and the USA, but not the company’s operational shares, the shoe retailer in Essen announced. “We believe in the diverse brand,” said a spokesman. The Esprit shoes fit perfectly into the portfolio. We have been developing and purchasing shoe collections together with Esprit since 2020.
Deichmann is acquiring the entire trademark rights, but wants to concentrate on the footwear product area, explained Esprit. According to the information, Deichmann has been an Esprit licensee since 2019. According to Deichmann, the trademark rights for the Esprit textile area go to the “Theia Group of Companies”. Theia Brands is a service provider specializing in brand management. The companies did not disclose the respective sales prices. The “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung” had previously reported.
Deichmann’s offer came later – and was accepted
At the beginning of August, the Düsseldorf District Court opened self-administration insolvency proceedings for the seven German Esprit companies. The trademark rights for Europe should initially go to the British financial investor Alteri Partners. Deichmann then made an offer that was accepted by the creditors, the Esprit management and Esprit Holding (Hong Kong).
According to Esprit, the cessation of business operations at the insolvent German companies is going according to plan. “According to current information, almost all of Esprit’s 56 own German branches are likely to be closed by the end of November this year after the end of the sales measures.”
Source: Stern
