“We have no takeover agreement with Schuhquadrat”
Görtz owner Bolko Kissling is defending himself against accusations that he is responsible for the insolvency of the Salamander/Delka successor company Schuhquadrat GmbH in Austria. Its owner Rainer Schrems had claimed that the German shoe retailer Görtz had never paid the agreed purchase price for several branches or the rents that were due. "I have been in the restructuring business for many years, but I have never experienced anything like this," said Schrems.
"The claims made by Rainer Schrems and attorney Paul Kessler on Thursday, September 12, 2024, are completely unfounded and false," the Görtz company responded. Schrems and Kessler were asked to "retract the claims, as they are completely false and damaging to their reputation and credit." Otherwise, legal action would be taken.
"We have no agreement with Schuhquadrat regarding the partial takeover of the business and therefore there can be no claims against our company," says Görtz owner Bolko Kissling, adding: "The claim that Görtz is to blame for Schuhquadrat's insolvency is completely unsubstantiated and can be qualified as an attempt to make a third party responsible for the company's financial situation."
Since August 2023, Ludwig Görtz GmbH has been negotiating with Schuhquadrat about the partial takeover of the company. However, the negotiations failed in February 2024. "The Schuhquadrat company kept Görtz in the dark about the obviously long-standing financial difficulties and the outstanding debts with landlords, among others," the Hamburg shoe retailer now claims. "Mr. Schrems never provided the proof that there were no rent arrears that Görtz demanded as the basis for a takeover of the company," it continues.
