BHG Group acquires the majority of the online store Gartenmoebel.de
A Heuking team led by Dr. Martin Imhof, Corporate/M&A Partner at the firm’s Düsseldorf office legally advised BHG Group AB on the acquisition of a 80% majority share in AH-Trading GmbH from the founders and a financial investor. Having its registered office in Xanten, Germany, AH-Trading is one of Germany’s leading e-commerce companies in garden furniture in the mid and premium segments. With this acquisition, BHG Group broadens its offerings and enhances its presence and operations in Germany which will serve as solid basis for the group’s continued growth in the strategically important German market.
Founded in 2004, AH-Trading has an established track record of delivering strong, profitable organic growth. AH-Trading offers approx. 10,000 products via the online platforms Gartenmoebel.de and Loungedreams.com, two of the most prominent online channels in Germany for garden and outdoor furniture. With around 120 employees, AH-Trading is one of the e-commerce companies showing the fastest growth in its segments.
The founders and managing directors of AH-Trading, Aron and Birgit Holtermann will continue to manage the company’s operations, which will be consolidated with BHG’s home furnishing segment. BHG Group’s president and CEO, Adam Schatz considers the acquisition of AH-Trading as strategically important step, not least as BHG already has a customer base in Germany where BHG will now gain a local organisation and presence and has the opportunity to further develop its business in the European market. He looks forward to taking the next steps in the development of AH-Trading together with the founders within the framework of BHG.
BHG is the number 1 consumer e-commerce company in the Nordics. In addition, BHG Group has a significant presence in the rest of Europe as well as in selected markets outside of Europe. Its strong position in these markets makes BHG Group the largest European online pure-play within the home improvement space, meaning do-it-yourself and home furnishings. With an ecosystem of more than 100 online stores, supported by physical destinations and services such as last-mile-deliveries and installation, BHG offers the market’s leading range of well-known external and strong own brands, totalling close to 1 million unique products and encompassing a complete offering with DIY-leisure, furniture and furnishings. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, BHG Group AB is listed at the Nasdaq Stockholm and the group employees more than 2,000 people.
Legal Counsel to BHG Group AB
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek:
Dr. Martin Imhof (Corporate/M&A, lead), Düsseldorf
Sebastian Pollmeier (Corporate /M&A)
Tatiana Vorotnitskaya (Corporate /M&A), both Düsseldorf
Matthias M. Bosbach (Financing), Düsseldorf
Beatrice Stange, LL.M. (Antitrust), Düsseldorf
Michael Kuska, LL.M., LL.M. (IT), Düsseldorf
Astrid Luedtke (IP, Data Protection), Düsseldorf
Fabian Schmitz (Real Estate Law), Düsseldorf
Bernd Weller (Employment)
Dr. Christoph Gerhard (Employment), both Frankfurt
Birgit Schreier (E-Commerce), Hamburg
