Gunsmith
Power struggle among Heckler & Koch shareholders is decided
Whether assault rifles, machine guns, pistols or grenade launchers: Heckler & Koch is on growth course when selling handguns. But a shareholders made negative headlines.
The years of power struggle between two major shareholders from Heckler & Koch has ended. The Federal Court of Justice announced that a non -admission complaint was rejected (file number XI ZR 8/24).
With this complaint, the former majority shareholder Andreas Heeschen wanted to maintain his influence at the largest German manufacturer of handguns, but failed. A judgment of the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court becomes final.
In the past decade, he had pledged the Luxemburger Finanzholding CDE a large share package, but later continued to register the right to voting rights. For years it was unclear whether the CDE had the majority of votes or not. With the decision of the BGH it is now clear that it holds more than 80 percent of the voting rights and that the investor Heeschen is only a marginal figure.
Heckler & Koch announced that legal clarity had now been created and that a previously open company law issue has been developed. The Finanzholding CDE welcomed the decision: “This decision confirms our position and ensures the necessary legal certainty that ensures stable and sustainable development of society.” The investor Heeschen, inferior in the legal dispute, initially left an inquiry unanswered.
Curious situation at a shareholder meeting
The power struggle between the two shareholders CDE and Heeschen had led to a surprise to be stopped last summer: the chairman of the supervisory board Rainer Runte had decided not to allow the controversial stock package to vote due to the still open legal question.
Because Heeschen, contrary to expectations, did not register another share package for the Annual General Meeting, less than 50 percent of the share capital were represented at the shareholder meeting – the minimum participation was wrong and the general meeting ended abruptly, which is extremely unusual at such meetings. Heckler & Koch will no longer have such uncertainties after the BGH decision.
Company has full order books
With its more than 1,100 employees, Heckler & Koch is the largest German manufacturer of so -called small weapons – this means weapons that can be carried alone, i.e. assault rifles, machine guns, pistols and grenade launchers. The main customer is the Bundeswehr.
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine almost three years ago, the demand for weapons has increased significantly, which has also boosted the shops of the Black Forest weapons. The competitors of H&K include Haenel from Thuringia Beretta from Italy, Sig Sauer from the USA, FN Herstal from Belgium and the Czech company CZG, which took over the US company Colt in 2021.
dpa
Source: Stern
