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☆ Signa group's SportScheck retailer to file for insolvency - reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

'SportScheck' store is seen closed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Munich, Germany, February 5, 2021. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - German sporting goods retailer SportScheck, part of the debt-addled Austrian property empire Signa, will file for insolvency with a court in Munich on Thursday, the DPA news agency and other German media reported. The court was not immediately available for comment and SportScheck was not reachable. Signa declared insolvency on Wednesday after last-ditch attempts to secure fresh funding failed, making it the biggest casualty so far of a property crash in Europe driven by a sharp rise in interest rates and building costs. Reporting by Matthias Inverardi and Rachel More, editing by Kirsti KnolleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michaela Rehle, SportScheck, Matthias Inverardi, Rachel More, Kirsti Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, Europe

A view of the sign of Signa Holding on their headquarters in Vienna, Austria, November 6, 2023. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVIENNA/FRANKFURT, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Property and retail giant Signa declared insolvency on Wednesday after last-ditch attempts to secure fresh funding failed, the biggest casualty so far of Europe's property crash. Signa blamed its problems on external factors affecting its property business and pressure on high-street shopping. Fuelled by low interest rates, billions were funneled into property, which was viewed as stable and safe. Weakness in commercial real estate in the United States as offices remain empty after the pandemic and the struggles of major property developers in China have focused global attention on the sector.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger, Rene Benko, Signa, Switzerland's Julius Baer, Hannes Moesenbacher, Matthias Inverardi, Rachel More, Madeline Chambers, Catherine Evans Organizations: Signa, REUTERS, Rights, Chrysler, Austria's Raiffeisen Bank, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Austria, FRANKFURT, Germany, Switzerland, Hamburg, Bavaria, Hesse, Europe's, United States, China

View of the construction site of the Elbtower building, owned by Rene Benko’s Signa and a Commerzbank subsidiary, in Hamburg Germany, November 2, 2023. On Friday, Signa Real Estate Management filed for insolvency in a local court in Berlin, according to a court filing. The real estate sector was a bedrock of Germany's economy for years, accounting for roughly a fifth of output and one in 10 jobs. Now a sharp rise in rates has put an end to the run, tipping some developers into insolvency as deals freeze and prices fall. Weakness in commercial real estate in the United States as offices remain empty after the pandemic and the struggles of major property developers in China have focused global attention on the sector.

Persons: Rene Benko’s Signa, Fabian Bimmer, Signa, Elliott, Rene Benko, Switzerland's Julius Baer, Hannes Moesenbacher, Matthias Inverardi, John O'Donnell, Miranda Murray, Sharon Singleton, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Elliott Investment Management, Chrysler, Estate Management, Austria's Raiffeisen Bank, Thomson Locations: Hamburg Germany, Austrian, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Berlin, Bavaria, Hesse, Hamburg, Europe's, United States, China

☆ Amazon hit by strikes, protests across Europe during Black Friday trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Make Amazon Pay", a campaign coordinated by the UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday - the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, when many retailers slash prices to boost sales - through to Monday. In Germany, Amazon's second-biggest market by sales last year, around 250 workers were on strike at a Leipzig warehouse and around 500 at an Amazon warehouse in Rheinberg, trade union Verdi said on Friday. More than 200 workers were striking on Friday at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry, England as part of a long-running dispute over pay. The striking workers were chanting their demand for a pay rise to 15 pounds ($18.69) an hour. Amazon has remained popular in Europe even as rivals like Shein and Temu have seen rapid growth.

Persons: Amazon's, Verdi, Nick Henderson, Amazon, CGIL, CCOO, Helen Reid, James Davey, Phil Noble, Matthias Inverardi, Elisa Anzolin, Corina Pons, Sharon Singleton Organizations: UNI Global Union, U.S, Amazon, Castel, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S, Germany, Leipzig, Rheinberg, Amazon's, Coventry, England, Castel San Giovanni, France, London, Dusseldorf, Milan, Madrid

☆ Amazon protests in Europe target warehouses, lockers on busy Black Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On Black Friday, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, many retailers slash prices to boost sales. More than 1,000 workers at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry, England, will strike on Friday, according to trade union GMB, as part of a long-running dispute over pay. Many Amazon shoppers use its lockers, which are located in train stations, supermarket car parks, and street corners, to receive their orders. Attac, which calls Black Friday a "celebration of overproduction and overconsumption", said it expects the protest to be wider than last year, when it estimates 100 Amazon lockers across France were targeted. "Make Amazon Pay", a global campaign coordinated by UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday through to Monday.

Persons: Pascal, Amazon's, Verdi, CGIL, CCOO, Helen Reid, James Davey, Matthias Inverardi, Elisa Anzolin, Corina Pons, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Workers, U.S, Amazon, GMB, Trade, Amazon's, Castel, UNI Global Union, Thomson Locations: Boves, France, Europe, U.S, Germany, Bad Hersfeld, Dortmund, Koblenz, Leipzig, Amazon's, Coventry , England, London, Castel San Giovanni, Black, Dusseldorf, Milan, Madrid

☆ Signa unit files for insolvency as crisis at Benko's empire deepens -Spiegel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FRANKFURT, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Signa Real Estate Management Germany filed an official application for bankruptcy at the Berlin Charlottenburg district court, German magazine Spiegel reported on Friday, as the crisis at Rene Benko's property group deepens. Separately, Austrian newspaper Der Standard said a bankruptcy filing for Signa Group could come next Tuesday, citing a source. Meetings of Signa employees are planned for the same day, when employees will be given information about the insolvency and further steps, the paper reported. Signa Group declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The Signa group has holdings of 27 billion euros ($28.8 billion) and 25 billion euros in development.

Persons: Spiegel, Rene Benko's, Benko, Signa, Emma, Victoria Farr, Matthias Inverardi, John O'Donnell, Elisa Martinuzzi, Louise Heavens Organizations: Estate Management, Signa, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Estate Management Germany, Berlin Charlottenburg, Austria, Germany, Europe's

☆ Amazon hit by strikes, protests across Europe during Black Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In England, more than 200 workers were striking on Friday at Amazon's warehouse in Coventry as part of a long-running dispute over pay. The striking workers were chanting their demand for a pay rise to 15 pounds ($18.69) an hour. [1/4]People hold a banner during a Black Friday strike outside the Amazon warehouse, in Coventry, Britain November 24, 2023. Spanish union CCOO called for Amazon warehouse and delivery workers to stage a one-hour strike on each shift on "Cyber Monday" next week. Amazon has remained popular in Europe even as rivals like Shein and Temu have seen rapid growth.

Persons: Amazon's, Verdi, Nick Henderson, Phil Noble, Amazon, CGIL, CCOO, Helen Reid, James Davey, Matthias Inverardi, Elisa Anzolin, Corina Pons, Nick Zieminski, Jason Neely Organizations: UNI Global Union, U.S, Amazon, REUTERS, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S, Germany, Rheinberg, Leipzig, England, Amazon's, Coventry, Britain, Italy, Castel San Giovanni, Spanish, France, London, Dusseldorf, Milan, Madrid

☆ German union Verdi calls for strikes at Amazon on Black Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 23 (Reuters) - German trade union Verdi has called on members to go on strike at five Amazon (AMZN.O) distribution centres across Germany on Black Friday, it said in a statement on Thursday. Strong demand thanks to bargains on Black Friday mean the day is usually one of the most profitable for online retailers like Amazon. "Amazon employees have decided to rename Black Friday 'Make Amazon Pay Day'", said Silke Zimmer, the member for retail on Verdi's governing board. "It's not for nothing that half of our colleagues have been with us for over five years," the Amazon spokesperson said.

Persons: Pascal, Verdi, Silke Zimmer, Matthias Inverardi, Louis van Boxel, Woolf, Emma, Victoria Farr, Miranda Murray, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon, Bad, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Germany, Koblenz, Leipzig, Rheinberg, Dortmund, U.S

And while the local government says Berlin has sufficient space to build over 100,000 apartments, there is no sign the housing crisis gripping the city will ease. But as Europe's largest economy teeters near recession, economists warn that high rents will feed inflation and reduce household consumption. In Berlin, local opposition has frustrated plans to build, while regulation creates a two-tier rental market that is cheap for some long-term tenants and expensive for new renters. Rising property demand saw private companies develop luxury apartments that offered a higher yield - in part, Buch said, because government permissioning for more affordable housing projects was so slow. OPPOSITIONSome building projects have since faced local opposition while a recent attempt to curb rent increases backfired.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Rolf Buch, Buch, you've, Konstantin Kholodilin, Marwa, Monika Neugebauer, Goldman Sachs, Neugebauer, Gesa Crockford, Martin Pallgen, Anna Hohnrath, Hohnrath, Matthias Inverardi, Matthias Williams, Catherine Evans Organizations: Berlin, REUTERS, Rights, Vonovia, Reuters, DIVISION, International Union of Tenants, European, West, Foreigners, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, San Francisco, California, City, Tempelhof, Valencia, Spain

☆ Siemens Energy shares slide 39% after company seeks guarantees from German govt
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The logo of energy technology company Siemens Energy is displayed during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. The weekly said Siemens Energy is seeking up to 15 billion euros in guarantees. Siemens remains an anchor investor in Siemens Energy, retaining a 25.1% stake. The government was ready to help Siemens Energy while stakeholders also will have to play their role, they said. J.P. Morgan said in a note that the energy transition will require substantially higher rates of investments, which will bring commercial opportunities for Siemens Energy and sector peers.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Siemens Gamesa, WirtschaftsWoche, Morgan, Matthias Inverardi, Christian Kraemer, Alexander Huebner, Vera Eckert, Friederike Heine, Miranda Murray, Sabine Wollrab, Rachel More, Jan Harvey, Susan Fenton Organizations: Siemens Energy, REUTERS, Companies Company, Siemens, Siemens AG, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Spiegel, European Commission, Siemens Gamesa, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, BERLIN, Berlin

☆ Prominent German banker on trial in giant tax fraud scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Christian Olearius, former CEO of Warburg Bank looks on as he arrives for Cum-Ex tax fraud trial, at a regional court, in Bonn, Germany, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay Acquire Licensing RightsBONN, Sept 18 (Reuters) - A top German banker went on trial on Monday accused of playing a role in a multibillion-euro German tax fraud scheme that has ensnared scores of domestic and global banks and hundreds of individuals. The trial that began on Monday in Bonn involves Christian Olearius, the 81-year-old former CEO and chair of the Hamburg-based bank M.M. Prosecutor Stephanie Kerkering told the court that Olearius had conspired with others inside and outside Warburg to engage in the transactions. Earlier this year, a tax lawyer alleged to have masterminded the fraud received a second eight-year jail sentence, the longest to date.

Persons: Olearius, Wolfgang Rattay, Christian Olearius, M.M . Warburg, Stephanie Kerkering, Warburg, Olaf Scholz, Matthias Inverardi, Tom Sims, Friederike Heine, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Warburg Bank, REUTERS, Rights, M.M, Warburg, Thomson Locations: Bonn, Germany, Rights BONN, German, Hamburg, M.M ., Warburg

☆ Douglas chooses banks as global coordinators for planned IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUESSELDORF, Sept 13 (Reuters) - German perfume and cosmetics retailer Douglas, majority owned by CVC Capital Partners, has chosen Goldman Sachs (GS.N), Citi (C.N), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), UniCredit (CRDI.MI) and UBS (UBSG.S) as global coordinators for a planned IPO, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Reuters reported in August that the private equity house was working with advisers at Rothschild & Co to prepare the initial public offering (IPO), which could happen as early as next year. The IPO could value Douglas at up to 7 billion euros ($7.68 billion), people close to the matter said at the time. Douglas declined to comment. Reporting by Matthias Inverardi, Writing by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Douglas, Goldman Sachs, Matthias Inverardi, Victoria Waldersee, Chris Reese Organizations: CVC Capital Partners, Citi, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Reuters, Rothschild & Co, Thomson

For years, low interest rates fuelled a global boom, igniting interest in German property, seen as safe and stable as the country. The health of Germany's property sector - Europe's biggest property investment market outside of Britain - is critical, making up roughly a fifth of output and providing one in 10 jobs. Late last year, Hoeglmaier put his penthouse on the market, and Euroboden closed its Frankfurt office. In 2020, as the property market heated up, the Bundesbank warned the country's banks, for whom property accounted for about 70% of all domestic loans, of the risks. The 380-square meter (4,090 square foot) penthouse, which occupies the fifth through seventh floors and includes a rooftop terrace, originally listed for just under 13 million euros.

Persons: Leonhard Simon, Stefan Hoeglmaier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Tillmann Peeters, Hoeglmaier, Oscar Loya –, –, Euroboden, Daniel Bauer ,, Oliver Schartl, Loya, Christoph Niering, Matthias Inverardi, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, FalkenSteg, European Central Bank, Reuters, Facebook, Garden, Graphics, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, Europe's, Britain, Berlin, Frankfurt, Ukraine, Sweden, Europe, homebuilders, China, Evergrande

☆ Ukraine reports new attack on grain silos but cargo ship sets sail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Hong Kong-flagged container ship Joseph Schulte leaves the sea port, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, in this handout picture released August 16, 2023. Russia has made regular air strikes on Ukrainian ports and grain silos since mid-July, when it pulled out of the U.N.-backed deal for Ukraine to export grain. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), which owns the ship jointly with a Chinese bank, confirmed that the ship was en route to Istanbul. Kubrakov said it was carrying more than 30,000 metric tons of cargo in 2,114 containers, adding that the corridor would primarily be used to evacuate ships from the Black Sea ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi. DANUBE PORTSUkraine turned to its Danube river ports after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal seeking better terms for exports of its own food and fertilizer.

Persons: Joseph Schulte, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Kubrakov, Urozhaine, Hanna Maliar, Izmail, Lidia Kelly, Gus Trompiz, Matthias Inverardi, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Benchmark, United Nations, Reuters, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, KYIV, Russian, Hong, Kong, Reni, Moscow, Big, Istanbul, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi, Ukrainian, Urozhaine, Azov, Constanta, Romania, Black, Turkey, Nairobi

Germany's property sector is in stress, underscoring a major change of fortune for real estate in Europe's largest economy after an end to the era of cheap money. In the latest signs of stress in the sector, Germany's largest real estate group Vonovia (VNAn.DE) posted multi-billion euro losses and writedowns, and job growth for construction workers has stagnated. The property sector makes up roughly a fifth of economic output and one in ten jobs, according to the German Property Federation. The Ukraine war has also made German property seem riskier for foreign investors. The president of the German Property Federation, Andreas Mattner, is pressing the government to temporarily suspend a property sales tax and is demanding a low-interest rate credit program to support new residential building.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Sven Carstensen, Florian Schwalm, Olaf Scholz, Klara Geywitz, Andreas Mattner, Oliver Mueller, Matthias Inverardi, Holger Hansen, Friederike Heine Our Organizations: REUTERS, CARE, German Property Federation, Reuters Graphics Reuters, European Central Bank, Germany, German Construction Industry Federation, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Germany's, Europe's, Kai Pfaffenbach FRANKFURT, United States, Sweden, Ukraine, East, Asia

☆ Canadian group buys German grocery property valued at more than $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FRANKFURT, Aug 9 (Reuters) - A Canadian investor has agreed to buy a portfolio of German grocery properties valued at more than 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion), a sale that comes amid a drought of real estate transactions in Europe's largest economy. The buyer, Slate Asset Management, and the seller, x+bricks Group, on Wednesday announced that the sale of 188 properties would come in two tranches. Germany, the largest real estate investment market on the European continent, long benefited from an era of cheap money that fed a decade-long boom, but now it is grappling with a major about-face in fortune. Investment volumes in Germany are back to 2012's levels, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. ($1 = 0.9141 euros)Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Tom Sims; Editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jones Lang LaSalle, Matthias Inverardi, Tom Sims, Rachel More Organizations: FRANKFURT, Slate Asset Management, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: tranches, Germany

FILE PHOTO-A logo of German real estate company Vonovia, is pictured during a news conference in Duesseldorf, Germany, March 6, 2018. After a decade-long property boom, Germany is undergoing a sharp reversal of fortune after an era of cheap money ended. Germany's real estate sector is mired in its worst crisis in decades, marked by insolvencies, fizzling transactions, falling prices and a stagnation in construction jobs. Vonovia, which went public in 2013 at the start of the property boom and took over its biggest rival in 2021, serves as a bellwether for Germany's property sector. Vonovia affirmed full-year guidance for its key profit metric - so-called funds from operation - of 1.75 billion euros to 1.95 billion euros, down from 2.04 billion in 2022.

Persons: Thilo, Vonovia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Rolf Buch, Matthias Inverardi, Tom Sims, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine, Kim Coghill, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Graphics, Stifel, Thomson Locations: Duesseldorf, Germany

The figures underscore broader trends in global banking, with investment banks struggling as deals are paused, while higher interest rates are a boon to other divisions. Analysts expect the retail unit will also overtake the investment bank as the main revenue driver for the full year, overturning the investment bank's pole position over the previous three years. Investment banking revenue dropped 11% during the quarter, better than an expected 16% drop. Deutsche Bank set out in 2019 to reduce dependence on its volatile investment bank and rely instead on more stable businesses that serve companies and retail customers as a way to restore profitability. Chief Financial Officer James von Moltke said the shift to the retail bank as the largest breadwinner was "significant" because the perception of the lender had been dominated over years by the investment bank, and Deutsche was becoming more balanced.

Persons: James von Moltke, Deutsche, Jeffrey Epstein, Tom Sims, Matthias Inverardi, Friederike Heine, Jamie Freed Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, Deutsche, Reuters Graphics Deutsche, U.S . Federal Reserve, U.S, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT

FRANKFURT/LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - German industry is finding new ways to transport cargoes from coal to chemicals as increasingly frequent low water levels on the Rhine disrupt Europe's largest economy. At Kaub , the critical chokepoint for Rhine barges, water levels fell to their lowest this year earlier this week. ARTERY OF THE ECONOMYThe impact of low water levels is not limited to big business. But logistics firms are benefiting from rising demand for vessels adapted to lower river levels. "We expect, due to climate change, that the extremes on the river Rhine will happen more often," said Maickel Uijtewaal, general manager at Stolt-Nielsen (SNI.OL).

Persons: Uwe Arndt, Barbara Hoyer, majeure, Roberto Spranzi, Maickel Uijtewaal, Steffen Bauer, Christoph Steitz, Vera Eckert, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, Rene Wagner, Nette, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Matthias Inverardi, Vincent Flasseur, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Federal Waterways, Shipping Agency, Reuters Graphics, Cologne, BASF, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Kiel Institute, Deutsche Bank, Reuters, Stolt, Nielsen, HGK Shipping, Daniels, Midland Co, Chemicals, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, LONDON, Kaub, Europe, Reuters Graphics Germany, Ludwigshafen, HGK, Frankfurt, Berlin, Duesseldorf, London

"I am worried because we are in a deep real estate crisis. And the real estate crisis needs clear, structured and downright radical steps to fix it," Mattner said. For years, Germany's property market has been seen as a safe haven, becoming a major draw for foreign investors. Recent data shows the stress the property sector is facing as the European Central Bank hikes interest rates, with little respite in sight. The fall is "catastrophic," said Andreas Beulich, head of the Federal Association of Independent Real Estate and Housing Companies.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Andreas Mattner, Mattner, Tim, Oliver Mueller, Mueller, Scholz, Danyal, Andreas Beulich, Mathias Duesterdick, ”, Andreas Naujoks, Simone Zapke, Emma, Victoria Farr, Matthias Inverardi, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, German Property Federation, German Construction Industry Federation, Reuters Graphics, European Central Bank, Federal Association of Independent, Housing Companies, Centrum Group, ECB, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Germany's, Europe's, Kai Pfaffenbach FRANKFURT, Baden, United States, Sweden

A lawyer for Woehrmann said DWS' internal investigations "did not reveal any evidence of misconduct on the part of my client". A spokesperson for prosecutors in Frankfurt, where DWS is headquartered, would only say an individual was targeted but would not name the person. DWS declined to comment on Woehrmann, but has said that it stands by its financial disclosures and fund prospectuses and is cooperating with investigators. At present, we cannot estimate when and how the proceeding of the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office will be concluded," DWS said. Woehrmann resigned as CEO of DWS last year after German prosecutors raided the offices of DWS and Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt over the allegations.

Persons: DWS's, Asoka Woehrmann, Patrizia, Woehrmann, DWS, BaFin, Matthias Inverardi, Miranda Murray, Sabine Wollrab, Susan Fenton, Louise Heavens Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt Public, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Frankfurt

☆ Elliott seeks investigation into Deutsche Wohnen loan to Vonovia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUESSELDORF, May 22 (Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott is calling for a special investigation into a loan that German property company Deutsche Wohnen (DWNG.DE) made to its top shareholder Vonovia (VNAn.DE), documents filed ahead of a Deutsche Wohnen annual shareholder meeting (AGM) show. In 2021, Vonovia completed the takeover of rival Deutsche Wohnen to create a property group with more than 500,000 apartments. In January 2022, Deutsche Wohnen disclosed in a public filing that it would lend up to 2 billion euros to its new main shareholder. Cornwall, an investment vehicle owned by Elliott, wants shareholders to vote to install an independent investigator to examine the loan at the shareholder meeting slated for June 15 to examine whether the loan was in the best interest of investors, the AGM documents show. Deutsche Wohnen's supervisory board said that it did not see any need for an investigation.

☆ German makers of Leopard 2 tank settle legal dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUESSELDORF, May 2 (Reuters) - German arms makers Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have settled a legal dispute over the intellectual property rights to the Leopard 2, one of the world's most advanced battle tanks, a court said on Tuesday. A boom in defence orders due to the war in Ukraine, and in particular demand for Leopard tanks from Kyiv to help in the fight against Russian forces, has boosted both companies. Duesseldorf-based Rheinmetall makes the cannon of the Leopard 2 and Munich-based KMW makes its chassis. Rheinmetall said both parties had sought to settle the dispute as quickly as possible with the aim of returning to day-to-day business. Earlier this year, Germany bowed to pressure from allies and agreed to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

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