U.S. Investor Buys 44% Stake in Leica

Businessn.a. ♦ Published: October 19, 2011; 15:55 ♦ (Vindobona)

The U.S. investment fund Blackstone acquired 44% in Leica Camera from the Austrian investor Andreas Kaufmann.

U.S. Investor Buys 44% Stake in Leica / Picture: © Leica

Leica, which is well known as German manufacturer of cameras, has a new shareholder. The major owner, the Austrian investor Andreas Kaufmann, sold a 44% stake in Leica to Blackstone.

Before, Kaufmann held 97% of Leica´s shares via its Salzburg-based company ACM. In 2010, Leica´s sales increased substantially from € 158m to € 249m. Profits went up from € 2.9m to € 35.5m.…