POELLATH advises Bäckerei Schmidt on the acquisition of Kamps GmbH
Bäckerei Schmidt, a portfolio company of a fund managed by Argos Wityu, has acquired Kamps GmbH (“Kamps”), one of Germany’s most significant and well-established bakery brands. The seller is the French Le Duff Group. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
As part of the transaction, Argos is establishing a new group structure, with overall responsibil-ity assumed by Marc Kranz as Group CEO. Bäckerei Schmidt will continue to be led by its Managing Director, Martin Manski. Katharina Keil, Managing Director of Kamps, will continue to manage the company and actively drive its further development together with the existing management team.
The acquisition pursues a clear growth strategy encompassing organic growth, expansion of the store network and targeted add-on acquisitions. The objective is to build a leading bakery group in Germany while continuously strengthening quality, customer experience and opera-tional excellence. With the integration of Kamps, the group will grow to more than 400 stores nationwide, operated under independent brands.
Bäckerei Schmidt, headquartered in Preußisch Oldendorf (North Rhine-Westphalia), is a long-established family-owned business and today ranks among the leading bakeries in the East Westphalia region. Since its acquisition by Argos in 2024, the company has grown both organically and through targeted add-on acquisitions and now operates around 90 locations in North Rhine‑Westphalia and Lower Saxony.
Kamps is one of Germany’s best-known bakery brands and operates a dense network of lo-cations with a focus on high-traffic sites. During Le Duff Group’s ownership, the company developed successfully and sustainably strengthened its market position.
POELLATH advised Bäckerei Schmidt on tax matters in connection with the transaction with the following team:
- Dr. Nico Fischer (partner, co-lead, tax, Munich)
- Raphael Baumgartner (associated partner, co-lead, tax, Munich)
- Bianca Disch (senior associate, tax, Munich)
