Hoffmann joins forces with SFS Group, Bär & Karrer and NKF advising 

SIX listed SFS Group has entered into an agreement to join forces with and acquire 100 per cent of Hoffmann. The transaction does not include Contorion, the eCommerce subsidiary of Hoffmann, which is geared towards a different customer segment.  

A portion of the purchase price will be paid in the form of new SFS shares to be issued from authorised capital, which is expected to be approved at an Extraordinary General Meeting of SFS Group on January 31, 2022. 

Hoffmann is an international systems partner for quality tools, serving more than 100,000 customers with a product range comprising around 500,000 items.  Headquartered in Munich, Hoffmann has around 3,000 employees and is on site in over 50 countries. 

Niederer Kraft Frey is acting as Swiss counsel to SFS Group on the planned acquisition of Hoffmann. The NKF team is led by partner Philippe Weber (pictured left), working with partner Thomas Brönnimann, senior associate Andrea Rüttimann, associate Samuel Hochstrasser and junior associate Irina Langenegger (all corporate/m&a and capital markets). 

Bär & Karrer acted as Swiss legal and tax advisor to the owners of Hoffmann in this transaction. The team included partner Urs Kägi (pictured right) and associate Rebecca Schori (both capital markets/m&a), partner Susanne Schreiber and associate Elena Kumashova (both tax), partner Mani Reinert (competition) as well as partner Thomas Stoltz and junior associate Ignaz Müller (both notarial services).