As the new owner, Roberto Martullo will “initially personally manage the operations of Künzli,” Künzli announced in a communiqué on Wednesday.Bild: KEYSTONE
Business News
The traditional Swiss shoe company Künzli was actually on the verge of collapse and wanted to close its doors at the end of the year due to a lack of a successor solution. Now the company is saved for the time being. Roberto Martullo, the husband of SVP National Councilor and Ems boss Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, steps into the breach. He wants to lead Künzli back to its former greatness.
“With Roberto Martullo we have found an ideal successor solution,” said the previous Künzli boss Barbara Artmann to the media on Wednesday. She took over Künzli SwissSchuh AG in 2004, “in a desolate state,” as she explained.
Ten years later, the company is back on healthy feet and the gratitude is now “huge” that the company, which was previously threatened with closure, is allowed to continue to exist. According to Artmann, Künzle employs eleven people in Switzerland. There are a total of 24 people in the company’s own shoe factory in Albania, all of whom can now continue to be employed.
As the new owner, Roberto Martullo will personally manage Künzli’s operations, at least for the time being. Artmann wants to support him at least until mid-2025 or “as long as desired”. In the longer term, however, the entrepreneur, who was born in 1961, plans to take on other challenges. These are likely to be more of a “social” nature, as she said.
«Coole Sneaker»
With Martullo as the new owner, it is now ensured that production will continue and especially the orthopedic shoes division, which is consistently successful and enjoys great support in the healthcare industry. The casual shoes and sneakers area will also be continued.
Martullo even has big expansion plans for the area: “We want to rejuvenate the brand in this respect so that even 20-year-olds find it cool to wear Künzli sports shoes.” If necessary, he also wants to lead the company for a longer period of time: “It remains to be seen whether I will pass on the management or not.”
The decision to buy Künzle was initially a “project of the heart”. Martullo, who otherwise works as a freelance HR consultant for executives, said he couldn’t accept that a company with an almost 100-year-old tradition would simply go under. Martullo did not want to comment on the purchase price, but described it as “acceptable for both sides”.
When asked about his lack of experience in the shoe industry, the new owner is confident that he can take the brand further forward together with the previous managing director Artmann. You complement each other ideally in your respective areas.
Jobs secured
All employees at the headquarters in Windisch have also agreed to cancel the dismissals by mutual agreement. The company’s own factory in Albania will continue production without interruption.
His family circumstances had little influence on his decision, said the son-in-law of former Federal Councilor Christoph Blocher when asked by AWP: “The family was informed and the tenor was that I should do it if it was the right thing. »
Künzli SwissSchuh AG has a history that goes back almost 100 years. The company was founded in 1927 by Werner Künzli. In 1955, his son Kurt Künzli took over the business and developed the company into a popular Swiss sports shoe manufacturer.
In 2005, the Künzli sneaker line was created with the well-known five Künzli stripes. In 2012, however, Künzli lost the trademark to the US group K-Swiss, which was created from its own company. In 2020, the familiar five stripes returned to the sneakers. (awp/sda)
This might also interest you:
Related News :