9 January 2021
CARL MERTENS is a traditional manufacturer of high-quality chef’s and kitchen knives, designer cutlery and tableware accessories. Founded in 1919 in Solingen as a small supplier company, CARL MERTENS developed into an industrial company after the 2nd World War but has concentrated increasingly on design-oriented products since the 1970s. Some of these products found their way into the collections of various museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York or the Museum for Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt am Main.
The buyer, KBH kitchenware GmbH, is the German subsidiary of Zhejiang BH kitchenware Co, Ltd, which was founded 13 years ago in Jinhua, China, specialises in the manufacture of kitchen pans and employs more than 800 people. Zhejiang BH kitchenware has a broad sales network in China with dealers in more than 30 provinces and over 6,000 sales outlets in supermarkets and franchise shops. Its products are also marketed abroad, for example in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Singapore or Malaysia.
B4U law advised the buyer, KBH kitchenware GmbH, on the asset deal. The lead counsel was Tim A. Fongern, supported by the firm’s China Desk.