Clothing Calida faced with claim for damages in the millions
The sale of the garden furniture division Lafuma Mobilier last year has legal repercussions for the lingerie manufacturer Calida. The buyer is claiming damages of 39 million euros in court.
25.03.2025, 10:52
SDA
Calida rejects the claims in their entirety in a press release issued on Tuesday. The claims asserted are "unfounded" in terms of their basis, justification and amount, writes Calida. The Group will publish further information "in due course".
Large part of the sales proceeds
Calida sold the garden furniture division Lafuma Mobilier to the French industrial group Peugeot Frères at the end of July 2024. No details of the sale price were provided at the time. Thanks in part to the sale, Calida was able to report a net profit of CHF 15 million for the 2024 financial year, following a loss of CHF 66 million in 2023.
Following the completion of the transaction, Calida carried out share buybacks amounting to CHF 43.6 million last fall. A "large part" of the proceeds from the sale of the furniture division were used for this, as was reported at the time. At the same time, the founding Kellenberger family was able to reduce its stake in the Group.
"Bitter aftertaste"
According to a commentary by Bank Vontobel, the buyer is now demanding "around 70 percent" of the sale price back, amounting to 39 million euros. Although the claim is disputed, the news leaves a bitter aftertaste, according to the analyst responsible. Many investors had already been disappointed last week when Calida replaced the pyjamas as a traditional dividend in kind with a 30 percent discount voucher.
On the stock exchange, the Calida share rose by 1.4 percent to 19.40 francs by 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Since the end of the share buyback program in September, however, the shares have lost around 30 percent of their value. Last week, a new all-time low of 19.00 francs was even reached.
