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Focus on Germany
OCTOBER 2013
Germany Focus Mr. Offeney and Mr. Reiter
As part of Lawyer Monthly’s Germany focus, we speak to Mortiz Offeney, the CEO of Scarosso, luxury shoe manufacturer. Here Moritz tells us about the German business environment and what foreign investors should know before embarking upon a business venture there.
How has business been over the last year? are you still seeing any effects from the financial downturn?
No, we grew by about 500 percent in 2012 and business is good. I would attribute this to the fact that we have a very, very good product. We are a great brand with a very good price.
What would you say are the most common legal implications that arise within your day to day role?
This would have to be financing issues.
Has the company been involved in any mergers or acquisitions recently?
We have not been involved in any acquisitions, but we have closed three financing loans. We are not at the stage where we can be looking at acquiring companies at the moment, but it is
people, which helps our situation greatly. We also have a very low cost of living with a very high quality of life.
What should foreign investors know about doing business in Germany?
It depends on the industry. If we refer to the industry that I myself am in, I would
contact details: www.scarosso.com
something we would not rule out looking at in the future if we come to a stage where it is appropriate.
Is Germany a good place to do business right now?
Germany is always a good place for business. I think it is a great market to start with because our economic situation is good. I don’t believe overall that Germany has seen any effects from the financial crisis so far and we are a country of innovative
say that it is important to be aware of consumer behaviour.
Germans behave differently to other markets and the German consumer knows his rights and so in that respect they return a lot. You have to adapt your business to cope with that. If I were to warn foreign investors about anything regarding the German business environment, it would be return rates. LM