Deloitte Legal and White & Case advise on successful sale of Esprit trademark rights to Deichmann SE

A Deloitte Legal team led by Hamburg based restructuring partner Frank Tschentscher has advised Esprit Holdings Limited, the Hong Kong-listed parent company of the ESPRIT Group, on the conclusion of a significant agreement with Deichmann SE under which Deichmann acquired the entire European trademark rights as well as the licences for the ESPRIT shoe business in the USA. The parties have agreed not to disclose the terms of the agreement.

In a highly complex transaction involving multiple jurisdictions, the entire European trademark rights for the ESPRIT textile division were acquired by the Deichmann subsidiary fasbra SE and the Netherlands based Theia Brands Group of Companies. The long-standing ESPRIT partner Deichmann will continue the brand for the footwear segment. Theia Brands Group of Companies will work closely with Deichmann in revitalizing the iconic brand and ensuring consistency in terms of design, quality and aesthetic for all other product types.

Frank Tschentscher, Head of Deloitte's Legal Corporate Restructuring Group, led the negotiations with Deichmann SE and the self-administration of the insolvent German ESPRIT companies on behalf of Esprit Holdings Limited and ensured a smooth transition of the brand rights to the two acquirers in close cooperation with high-calibre teams from the international law firm White & Case in Singapore and London.

The transaction enables the ESPRIT Group to focus on revitalising its core business outside Europe while repositioning its business through strong partnerships.

Hamburg restructuring partner Frank Tschentscher, who is admitted as a lawyer and solicitor (England & Wales), has been advising the international ESPRIT Group for many years and had already played a leading role in advising the parent company on all insolvency and restructuring law issues during the insolvency plan proceedings that the German Esprit companies successfully underwent at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020.

Advisors to Hildings Limited:
Deloitte Legal: Frank Tschentscher, LL.M. (NTU) (Partner, Corporate Restructuring Group), Dr. Volker Schulenburg (Partner, Corporate/ M&A), Marcus C. Spangenberger, M.B.L.-HSG (Counsel, Corporate Restructuring Group), Christina Wöste (Associate, Corporate Restructuring Group), Alexander T. J. Hartmann (Associate, Corporate/M&A), Darwin Pfeiffer (Associate, Corporate/M&A) all Hamburg.

White & Case
Singapore: Jonathan Olier (Partner), Jean Renaldy (Associate), Corporate M&A / Private Equity
London: Lindsey Canning (Partner), Dr. Philip Trillmich. (Partner), Aliya Manji (Associate), Alex Robinson (Associate), all Intellectual Property Rights

Published: October 2024