Stuttgart – Swiss private equity firm Capvis is set to become the new majority shareholder of the Felss Group, an engineering company based in Baden-Württemberg. As the current sole owner, Ms Christine Kienhöfer has sold her (indirect) shares in the Felss Group to a fund advised by Capvis Equity Partners AG. Christine Kienhöfer is retaining her links with the Felss Group via reinvestment in the buyer as a minority shareholder and as a member of the advisory board. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from the competition authorities.
A CMS team headed by lead partner Dr Antje Becker-Boley advised the owner of the Felss Group, Ms Christine Kienhöfer, on the investment by Capvis as the new majority shareholder. Acting jointly with consulting firm IMAP M&A Consultants AG, the CMS team held a limited auction with selected investors for the sale of the Felss Group. The transaction was completed in less than six months. Both the Felss Group and Ms Kienhöfer are longstanding clients of CMS, being advised on all aspects of various legal matters on an ongoing basis.
Established in 1905, the Felss Group is a technology leader in the cold forming of hollow parts, especially for the automotive industry. Its headquarters are in Königsbach-Stein in Baden-Württemberg. The Group currently has six production sites in Europe, Asia and the US. More than 600 employees generated sales of around EUR 125 million in the last period for which figures are available. Its customers include well-known international automotive suppliers and OEMs. In addition to highly specialised production equipment for cold forming, its service portfolio includes contract manufacturing of custom components.
Capvis is a leading private equity firm in Switzerland and one of the most active investors in the German-speaking countries of Europe. With a current fund size of EUR 720 million, Capvis mainly acquires majority stakes in leading mid-sized companies. Since 1990 it has conducted some 50 transactions worth more than EUR 5 billion.
CMS Hasche Sigle
Dr Antje Becker-Boley, Lead Partner
Dr Johannes Joepgen, Counsel
Christopher Köth
Martina Meier, both Associates, all Corporate/M&A
Dr Stefan Voß, Partner, Real Estate & Public
Dr Rolf Hempel, Partner, Competition & EU
Dr Kai-Oliver Giesa, Counsel
Patrick Zimmermann, Senior Associate, both Commercial Law
Dr Werner Walk, Partner, Labor, Employment & Pensions
Luise Uhl-Ludäscher, Counsel, Tax
Dr Marc Seibold, Partner
Dr Andreas Grunert, Senior Associate, both Banking & Finance
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