The traditional shoe manufacturer from Hessia has every reason to look optimistically to the future. With the restructuring now complete, the company from Schwalmstadt is able to concentrate on what really matters: producing quality shoes. Besides additional funding there will be a change in the shareholder structure: the entrepreneurs Viola Metzner and Hans-Josef Orth from Troisdorf have taken over the ROHDE group.
As of the beginning of November Viola Metzner and Hans-Josef Orth are the sole shareholders of the ROHDE group. The new shareholders have a long and successful entrepreneurial track record. “We have intensively looked at the development of ROHDE“, says Hans-Josef Orth. Going forward the entrepreneurs will be supporting ROHDE with their expert knowledge. „We see a big potential in this traditional company and we are looking forward to bringing it back to where it belongs: on the road to success.”
The restructuring of Rohde was able to show its first success in 2013, with the ROHDE group finishing the year with a profit.
„ROHDE is now on a sound economic footing. The problems of the past seasons have been resolved.“, says CEO Oliver Kraxner, who has lead the company through the challenging restructuring phase. Currently ROHDE is strengthening the company and the brand. After the necessary and tough cost cutting measures of the last years ROHDE is now investing in its products, the production process and the internal logistics, especially in order to improve delivery performance. „It was not always easy, but we at ROHDE have achieved our common aim. I thank all who remained loyal to ROHDE and who have supported us to achieve this important step. All this has been made possible by our financial partners, the commitment of the employees and especially our customers, who have remained loyal to us.”
The former shareholders take their leave of the company after the completion of the successful restructuring. Wheatfield Investments, Morgan Stanley and Constantin Bastian Leander Venture Capital had taken over the ROHDE group in 2008. The successful restructuring has also been constructively supported by the workers council at Rohde and the IGBCE Union, which helped in maintaining the location and jobs there. Hans Schweinsberg, Deputy District Director of the IGBCE in Kassel: “I would like to thank all employees and staff for their support.”
The successful restructuring and the current changes are a promising new start for the traditional company from Hessia/Germany. We at ROHDE have demonstrated that in a team one can achieve everything. Especially our customers will notice this new start at ROHDE very positively in short term” says ROHDE-CEO Oliver Kraxner.
About ROHDE
The shoe producer ROHDE with headquarters in Schwalmstadt (Hessia/Germany) was founded in 1862 in Guben (Margraviate of Brandenburg) and sets its priority on comfortable shoes. More than 500 styles are designed and introduced in two collections each year. Worldwide the traditional company ROHDE sells about three million pairs of shoes each year.
