Entrepreneur Roberto Martullo rescues shoe manufacturer Künzli
Published: Wednesday, Oct 23rd 2024, 15:10
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The traditional Swiss shoe company Künzli was actually on the verge of closing its doors at the end of the year due to the lack of a successor solution. Now the company has been saved for the time being. Roberto Martullo, the husband of SVP National Councillor and Ems boss Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, has stepped into the breach. He wants to lead Künzli back to its former greatness.
"We have found an ideal successor in Roberto Martullo," said the previous Künzli boss Barbara Artmann to the media on Wednesday. She had taken over Künzli SwissSchuh AG in 2004, "in a desolate state", as she explained.
Ten years later, the company is back on a sound footing and the gratitude is now "huge" that the company, which was previously threatened with closure, is allowed to continue to exist. According to Artmann, Künzle employs eleven people in Switzerland. In the company's own shoe factory in Albania, there are a total of 24 people, all of whom can now continue to be employed.
As the new owner, Roberto Martullo will also personally manage Künzli's operations, at least until further notice. Artmann intends to support him at least until mid-2025 or "as long as he wishes". In the longer term, however, the entrepreneur, who was born in 1961, plans to take on other challenges. However, these are likely to be of a more "social" nature, as she said.
"Coole Sneaker"
However, with Martullo as the new owner, it is now ensured that production will continue and, in particular, the orthopaedic footwear division, which is consistently successful and enjoys great support in the healthcare sector. The leisure shoe and sneaker division is also to be continued.
Martullo even has big expansion plans for this area: "We want to rejuvenate the brand in this respect so that 20-year-olds also think it's cool to wear Künzli sports shoes." He also wants to lead the company for a longer period of time if necessary: "It remains to be seen whether I will pass on the management or not."
The decision to buy Künzle was initially a "project of the heart". According to Martullo, who otherwise works as an independent personnel consultant for managers, he could not accept simply letting a company with an almost 100-year tradition go under. Martullo did not want to comment on the purchase price, but described it as "acceptable for both sides".
When asked about his lack of experience in the shoe industry, the new owner is confident that he will be able to move the brand forward together with the previous Managing Director Artmann. They complement each other ideally in their respective areas.
Jobs secured
All employees at the headquarters in Windisch have also agreed to cancel the redundancies by mutual agreement. The company's own factory in Albania will continue production without interruption.
His family circumstances also had little influence on his decision, said the son-in-law of former Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher when asked by AWP: "The family was informed and the tenor was that I should do it if it was the right thing to do."
Künzli SwissSchuh AG has a history dating back almost 100 years. The company was founded in 1927 by Werner Künzli. In 1955, his son Kurt Künzli took over the business and developed the company into a popular Swiss sports shoe manufacturer.
In 2005, the Künzli sneaker line with the famous five Künzli stripes was created. In 2012, however, Künzli lost the trademark to the US company K-Swiss, which was spun off from its own company. In 2020, however, the famous five stripes returned to the sneakers.
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