On 1 August 2016, STIHL became a shareholder in the Globe Tools Group. Globe Tools is a Chinese manufacturer of corded and cordless garden tools. As lead counsel, Gleiss Lutz advised STIHL extensively on its investment in China and led a team of law firms in seven foreign jurisdictions.
The STIHL Group develops, manufactures and distributes power tools for forestry and agriculture, gardening and landscape maintenance and the construction sector. With operations in more than 160 countries, the Group had more than 14,000 employees worldwide in 2015 and generated sales of EUR 3.25 billion. With its holding in Globe Tools, STIHL plans to use synergy effects in the development and manufacture of battery products and to expand its battery product range. The Globe Tools Group is based in Changzhou in the Jiangsu province and generated approx. USD 325 million in 2015 with around 4,000 employees.
STIHL was represented by a Gleiss Lutz team headed by Dr. Michael Burian (lead, partner) and Dr. Martin Lembke (counsel, both corporate/M&A, Stuttgart), which included the following lawyers: Anselm Christiansen, Alexandra Brücher, Simon Dewes (all corporate/M&A, Stuttgart), Dr. Ulrich Denzel (partner), Patrick Grüner (both Stuttgart) und Dr. Harald Weiß (Brussels) (all competition/antitrust).
Gleiss Lutz regularly advises German companies in connection with their investments in China and assists Chinese clients with projects in Germany.
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