Ara sells premium brand to Swiss investment company
Arklyz Group AG, based in Stans, Switzerland, will become the new owner of Lloyd Shoes GmbH in Sulingen. Arklyz and Ara have made a binding agreement that Arklyz will take over Lloyd Shoes GmbH including all operating companies, according to a statement. The committees of Arklyz Group AG and Ara AG each voted unanimously in favor of the transaction.
“Today’s announcement is a strategic milestone for us,” said Param Singh, CEO of Arklyz Group. “This is a unique opportunity to take over one of the most respected and well-known companies in the German shoe industry. Lloyd is already the undisputed market leader in the premium men's segment in its strategic European core markets, and we look forward to further developing the brand internationally. We also see great growth potential for Lloyd by expanding its omnichannel presence.”
“We decided to sell Lloyd to Arklyz because Arklyz, with its broad expertise in the areas of sports and lifestyle, is the perfect partner for Lloyd’s next chapter of growth,” says Andreas Wortmann, CEO of Ara AG.
“Our goal is to develop Lloyd into a global footwear and lifestyle brand with high visibility. We have already recorded good growth in recent years, but together with Arklyz we will be able to push our omnichannel strategy even further and expand internationally on its basis,” says Andreas Schaller, spokesman for the management of Lloyd Shoes GmbH.
The companies involved assume that the closing will be completed in the first half of 2024. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and antitrust approvals. All parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details.
About Arklyz
Arklyz was founded in 2018 by Param Singh, owner and CEO of Arklyz Group AG. Based in Stans, Switzerland, Arklyz Group AG is an investment company in the areas of sports, lifestyle and workwear. Their business model is based on the vertical networking of the global value chain - with a special focus on the areas of brand management, sales, retail, e-commerce and production. Arklyz owns The Athlete's Foot, Asphaltgold, Intersocks as well as various global licenses and distribution licenses for brands such as Salomon, Head, Crocs, Nordica, Adidas or Hey Dude.
About Lloyd
Founded in 1888, Lloyd is the market leader in the premium sector in German-speaking countries and in the Scandinavian markets. Based on its omnichannel strategy, the company sells its collections worldwide, currently in 48 countries at around 2.800 sales points. Lloyd operates 35 concept stores in the most important cities in Germany and in metropolises such as Copenhagen, Lima, Vienna and Beijing, as well as the international online store lloyd.com. Lloyd offers leather goods such as jackets, bags and belts to match the shoe collections for men and women. Lloyd Shoes GmbH employs over 1.500 people, almost 500 of them in Germany alone.
