Jack Wolfskin

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Jack Wolfskin equipment for Draussen GmbH & Co. KGaA

logo
legal form GmbH & Co. KGaA
founding 1981
Seat Idstein , GermanyGermanyGermany 
management Melody Harris-Jensbach (CEO)
Markus Bötsch (CSO)
Ante Franicevic (CFO)
Alexander Hauser (COO)
Number of employees 1248 (JW Group, 2017/18)
sales 333 million euros (JW Group, 2017/18)
Branch Textile industry
Website www.jack-wolfskin.com
As of September 30, 2018

The Jack Wolfskin Equipment for Outdoor GmbH & Co. KGaA (proper spelling Jack Wolfskin , shortly JW ) is a US American golf equipment manufacturers Callaway Golf Company belonging German manufacturer of functional clothing , outdoor (eg. As backpacks and tents) equipment and Shoes based in Idstein im Taunus . The company also operates as a franchisor in the German sports retail trade. The articles are offered in many European countries.

history

Jack Wolfskin clothing

Jack Wolfskin was founded by Ulrich Dausien in 1981 as a private label of the Sine company in Frankfurt-Nied . With increasing success Jack Wolfskin became an independent company and in 1991 it was sold to Johnson Outdoors (including the rights holder of Scubapro ) for 15 million DM . Jack Wolfskin only supplied the specialist trade until 1993 when it opened its first own shop in Heidelberg. Other stores across Europe followed, such as B. in Austria (1995), Switzerland (2000), Belgium and Finland (2003), Great Britain (2005), Luxembourg, Italy and Russia (2009). Expansion in Korea, China and Asia has continued since 2009. As of mid-2012, there were over 600 Jack Wolfskin stores worldwide, 245 of them in Germany. Almost all of them are operated in the franchise system.

In August 1997 the company moved from Mörfelden to Idstein , where it is still based today. In 2001, the private equity company Bain Capital took over Jack Wolfskin from Johnson Outdoors for 42 million euros. Jack Wolfskin has been operating as Jack Wolfskin Equipment for Draussen GmbH & Co.KGaA ever since. In 2005, Bain Capital sold Jack Wolfskin for 93 million euros to the two financial investors Quadriga Capital and Barclays Private Equity .

Hiking backpack

In 2011, the two investors and the previous managing director and co-owner Manfred Hell sold the company to the US investment company Blackstone for an unpublished price . Industry experts assumed a sales price of around 700 million euros; Hell is said to have received 57 million for his share. Manfred Hell left the company for personal reasons and with immediate effect - after almost 25 years at the top.

Daypack from the Tech Lab series

The takeover, as is usual with private equity companies , was largely financed with debt capital . For this purpose, Blackstone took out a loan of EUR 500 million that was placed with investors through the major banks Morgan Stanley , Merrill Lynch , UBS and IKB Deutsche Industriebank . Since the interest for the predominantly bullet loans had to be paid by Jack Wolfskin, the debt burden of the company increased accordingly. In July 2017 it became known that the debt had to be restructured. Three hedge funds - the loan fund Sankaty (Bain Capital Credit), HIG Capital and CQS - which initially acted as lenders, have converted their claims into equity and henceforth held more than 50 percent of the shares; the rest is in more than ten other funds; Blackstone lost its entire equity investment of over 300 million euros. According to the Federal Gazette was JW Germany Holding GmbH S.Domingos parent company of the two operative Jack Wolfskin companies - - as the transferring legal entity in accordance with a merger plan by December 2017 in April 2018 the Paw Luxco III S.à rl , based in Luxembourg cross-border merged and finally deleted from the German commercial register.

Since January 2019, the Jack Wolfskin Group has belonged to the US golf outfitter Callaway Golf Company , which has spent 418 million euros on the acquisition of all company shares.

Corporate responsibility

In November 2004, Stiftung Warentest tested 14 trekking jackets and asked the companies whether the functional jackets were produced in a fair, socially and ecologically correct manner. The manufacturers Jack Wolfskin and Lowe Alpine refused to provide information.

Jack Wolfskin's products are largely produced in Vietnam and Thailand .

In July 2007 Jack Wolfskin took over the patronage of the ICE youth camp, a UNEP initiative for young people for environmentally conscious behavior and economical use of resources, in cooperation with Arved Fuchs .

Since July 1, 2010, Jack Wolfskin has been a member of the Fair Wear Foundation , a multi-stakeholder initiative that controls and certifies the working and production conditions at suppliers and producers through so-called audits. Jack Wolfskin has been monitoring suppliers since 2008; In 2009 Jack Wolfskin announced that membership in a multi-stakeholder initiative was being examined. When the Clean Clothes Campaign together with the respective country representatives (D: Christian Initiative Romero, CH: Declaration of Bern, A: Südwind) distributed questionnaires on working and production conditions to outdoor manufacturers in both 2009 and 2010, Jack Wolfskin decided to become a member in the Fair Wear Foundation; The background to this is the many similarities in the approach taken by the Fair Wear Foundation and the system implemented by Jack Wolfskin in 2008 to monitor social standards.

The "Rebound" project, a rehabilitation project to improve the living conditions of former child soldiers in Uganda , was launched together with Wolfgang Niedecken and World Vision Germany . The aim of the project is to reintegrate those affected into society through various measures.

In 2010, the Swiss non-governmental organization Declaration of Bern compared the standards of working conditions in production countries by means of surveys and internet research at 77 fashion labels. Jack Wolfskin was placed in the second-best “Average” category out of five categories.

Legal disputes

In 2002, Jack Wolfskin obtained a ruling from the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg that forbids the daily newspaper taz to print or embroider outdoor merchandising products with the taz paw . This applies even if the words “die tageszeitung” next to the paw allow a clear assignment. The newspaper had its paw logo developed by the designer Roland Matticzk back in 1979 and has used it regularly since then, but not protected it under trademark law . In 1982 Jack Wolfskin had a trademark registered for its similar-looking animal paw. In July 2006, the daily was again defeated in a legal dispute over bath towels with paws and lettering before the Hamburg Regional Court .

In 2008 Jack Wolfskin built a 30,000 m² logistics center in Neu Wulmstorf on the edge of the “Moore bei Buxtehude” nature reserve . The part to be built on was part of the nature reserve and had been rededicated as an extension of the commercial area as part of a road construction project.

In 2009, Jack Wolfskin also issued a fee-based warning to small business owners who had various paw prints such as B. Use cat paws as a decorative element on your products, even if it is not clothing. Five-part paw prints, such as those of the international Bear Community , were also affected, and the Dutch clothing retailer Bearwear had temporarily ceased sales for Europe. They later reached an agreement by mutual agreement. In October 2009 it became known that the company also wants to force hobbyists to give their consent to contractual penalties of up to € 10,000 if their trademark rights are infringed. The company's reputation suffered as a result of the warning campaigns. After strong reactions in the media, the managing director Manfred Hell stated a few days later that the company would withdraw the warnings issued and would in future contact the micro-entrepreneurs concerned directly in the event of trademark infringements through paw and paw logos, instead of having them sent a warning via lawyers. In at least one case, the partial amount already paid was also reimbursed.

In December 2013, Jack Wolfskin reached an out-of-court proceeding with Alias ​​Entertainment to use a paw image in the logo of the children's film Five Friends . The agreement enables Alias ​​Entertainment, as marketer of the film, to use the representation in the categories of film and film rights and the associated merchandising.

As part of the Social Media Week in Berlin on February 2, 2010, the so-called “Oskr” Social Media Award was presented for the first time . With this new award, opponents of the most famous social media controversy of the year and the constructive culture of debate behind it are to be honored.

criticism

In May 2012, the company came under fire for having received the German Nature Conservation Award from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation for advertising purposes. In this context it was pointed out that a cooperation also appears inappropriate because the company uses perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals in its products. According to the Federal Environment Agency, these compounds, used by almost all manufacturers of outdoor articles, are hardly or not degradable in nature and can even be detected in the deep sea. In addition, these substances measured in the Arctic and Antarctic are now considered to be climate-relevant.

The environmental organization Greenpeace also pointed out the pollution of nature by the pollutants in outdoor equipment that are harmful to the environment and health. According to information from Greenpeace, more environmentally friendly and at the same time weatherproof, breathable clothing is available as an alternative .

Jack Wolfskin responded to the criticism in April 2013 and plans to phase out fluorine chemistry completely by 2020. To this end, the company is working with the Helmholtz Center Geesthacht - Center for Materials and Coastal Research and the Fresenius University in Idstein. In June 2014, the company announced that 75 percent of the clothing collection should be PFC-free by the 2015 summer season.

Web links

Commons : Jack Wolfskin  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
 Wikinews: Jack Wolfskin  - in the news

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Consolidated financial statements for the financial year from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018 . JW STARGAZER Holding GmbH, Idstein. In: Bundesanzeiger , January 2020, accessed in the company register on May 23, 2020.
  2. ↑ In: Capital , 11/2016, p. 172.
  3. ↑ Press release: Jack Wolfskin is successfully expanding in Asia. Jack Wolfskin, April 1, 2009, accessed October 11, 2012 .
  4. ↑ a b c Jack Wolfskin changes hands . In: Südkurier , July 22, 2011 ( dpa report).
  5. ↑ Outdoor equipment supplier changes hands - Blackstone buys Jack Wolfskin. In: Tagesschau. July 21, 2011, archived from the original on July 22, 2011 ; Retrieved July 21, 2011 .
  6. ↑ Ex Wolfskin Boss . In: Express , November 19, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  7. ↑ Blackstone chases away Jack Wolfskin boss ( Memento from July 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: Financial Times Deutschland , July 22, 2011. Retrieved on October 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ Hell's last task was the sale of Jack Wolfskin ( memento of July 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: Financial Times Deutschland , July 21, 2011. Retrieved on November 10, 2012.
  9. ↑ Hedge funds take over Jack Wolfskin . In: Spiegel online , July 6, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  10. ↑ Wiesbaden District Court, HRB 26040, notification of amendment of April 10, 2018 and notification of deletion of May 22, 2018.
  11. ↑ Sale completed: Jack Wolfskin goes to Callaway Golf Company Report on the fashion specialist portal Fashion United on January 7, 2019, accessed on March 16, 2019
  12. ↑ Outdoor brand: US company buys Jack Wolfskin . In: Spiegel Online . November 30, 2018 ( spiegel.de [accessed December 1, 2018]).
  13. ↑ Functional jackets - test report assessing corporate responsibility. Stiftung Warentest, December 3, 2004, accessed on December 10, 2012 .
  14. ↑ Jens Hartmann: Why do so many townspeople wear Wolfskin clothes? , welt.de, July 10, 2009
  15. ↑ Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Center on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP): International Ice-Climate Education 2007 - Education Svalbard 2007 - Arved Fuchs Schülerexpedition ( Memento from October 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), arved-fuchs.de, June 2007
  16. ↑ Study: Outdoor manufacturers fail when it comes to social responsibility . Mirror online. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  17. ↑ CCC circular December 2010 ( Memento of September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.1 MB)
  18. ↑ Outdoor Profiles 2010 ( Memento from December 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) July 12, 2010
  19. ↑ Jack Wolfskin website
  20. ↑ Corporate cooperation with World Vision Germany ( Memento from February 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  21. ↑ http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wirtschaft/unternehmen-und-konjendung/Hippe-Label--unfaire-Produktion/story/23511741
  22. ↑ a b Jack Wolfskin versus Hobby Designer - When the Wilderness Warns , taz.de, October 19, 2009
  23. ↑ Gernot Knödler: Wolf eats nature reserve , taz.de, July 23, 2008.
  24. ↑ Jack Wolfskin defies a green island ( memento from October 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), Harburger Werbung und Nachrichten, August 19, 2008.
  25. ↑ Jack Wolfskin takes action against bears. queer.de, October 23, 2009.
  26. ↑ Rainer Hörmann: Return of the Bear Paws - Bearwear.nl reaches an agreement with Jack Wolfskin. samstagisteingutertag.wordpress.com, November 21, 2009.
  27. ↑ Konrad Lischka: Paw trademark law - Jack Wolfskin warns hobbyists about paw patterns. spiegel.de, October 19, 2009.
  28. ↑ Frank Weiß: Warning from the Jack Wolfskin company from Harmsen Utescher. ratgeberrecht.eu, October 21, 2009.
  29. ↑ Opinion - Warning from DaWanda providers due to trademark infringements. jack-wolfskin.de, October 19, 2009.
  30. ^ Tamar Weinberg: Jack Wolfskin: Reputationsfalle Warning. In: dies .: Social Media Marketing: Strategies for Twitter, Facebook & Co. 4th edition. O'Reilly Verlag, Cologne 2014, ISBN 978-3-95561-788-2 , pp. 116-118, here p. 116.
  31. ↑ Paw as a warning reason - Jack Wolfskin starts warning wave , PC Welt, October 20, 2009
  32. ↑ Web community attacks Jack Wolfskin. heute.at, October 21, 2009.
  33. ↑ Claudia Frickel: Jack-Wolfskin-Tatze - wave of warnings against hobby designers , focus.de, October 19, 2009.
  34. ↑ dpa: Jack Wolfskin shows the paws - «PR disaster»? ( Memento from October 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) zeit.de, October 21, 2009.
  35. ↑ Jack Wolfskin rows back - small business owners from Borchen overjoyed , Neue Westfälische, October 23, 2009
  36. ↑ dpa: Jack Wolfskin takes back controversial warnings. ( Memento from October 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) zeit.de, October 23, 2009.
  37. ↑ Jack Wolfskin ponders further warnings - Wolf shakes his paw. taz.de, October 30, 2009.
  38. ↑ The “Oskr 2010” goes to DaWanda and Jack Wolfskin ( memento from September 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), socialmediaweek.org, February 2010
  39. ↑ Adler and Tatze , Die Zeit, May 16, 2012. Accessed June 2, 2012
  40. ↑ avoid Per- and Ployfluorierte chemicals entries - Protecting the environment (PDF, 1.3 MB) publication of the Federal Environment Agency in July 2009. Accessed June 2, 2012 Design.
  41. ↑ The forgotten greenhouse gas. On: Wissenschaft.de from July 3, 2008. Accessed September 10, 2019.
  42. ↑ Contaminated outdoor clothing: Back to Chemistry , Spiegel Online, October 29, 2012. Accessed November 10, 2012.
  43. ^ Chemistry for Any Weather , Greenpeace Online, October 29, 2012. Accessed April 21, 2014.
  44. ↑ Jake Wolfskin: Jack Wolfskin's Long-Term Plan Of Phasing Out Fluorine Chemicals Progresses Faster Than Planned  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Press Release June 24, 2014@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.jack-wolfskin.com