Blackstone in talks to sell stake in Leica

[Ecaton]

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As I am eagerly awaiting the Dr.'s replies....... anybody chips and beer here.....?????    

[jaapv]

He hasn't been around since the post was made. Probably too busy gathering awards and knighthoods.

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[Guest]

Well, he is a brilliant footballer, almost certainly one of the three best in the world at present. That makes him interesting to quite a lot of people.

 

If you don't like football, he's less interesting than if you do.

 

Personally I would prefer to see Messi, Ronaldo, or Bale at old Trafford.

[NZDavid]

Never heard of a Neymar camera before (surely must be mega expensive!  ), but speculation on a Zeiss buy-in of Leica is interesting. It would make a lot of sense for these two fine historic German camera and optical firms to join forces.

[Bill Livingston]

I’ve seen Ronaldo at Old Trafford... good times

[Guest]

I’ve seen Ronaldo at Old Trafford... good times

So have I but I doubt even "the special one" will get him back. Bale may be a possibility,fingers crossed.

[Peter H]

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So have I but I doubt even "the special one" will get him back. Bale may be a possibility,fingers crossed.

Very little chance Brian.

[Guest]

Very little chance Brian.

I agree with you Peter.However, very little chance is a start,for the first 3 years post Ferguson we had no chance of anything.

There is a school of thought that says J M will only last 3 years.Also possible but with 2 cups and back with a chance of the Champions League after only one year I have no complaints.I admit to a bit of bias but he was always my 1st choice.

[wurlitzer]

My name is Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, through our family holding ACM, Salzburg we're the major shareholder in LISA Germany, which holds 100% of the shares in Leica Camera AG, Wetzlar. Our Partner Blackstone is  with us soon six years, and we have a very good relation over the years. Blackstone is a private equity company, these companies are co-travelers for some time, usually 5-7 years, nothing unusual.

 

The Kaufmann family is committed to Leica, and we have at Leica a very stable3-5 years road map for interesting products and services. Whatever happens, we hope that all our respected customers and friends stay loyal, as we're heading into the future, being the last manufacturer of a certain size in this industry in Europe. You can expect exciting lenses, cameras and technologies in the next twelve months. In June 2018 we will be having a huge event at Wetzlar, as we will celebrate the opening of LeitzPark 3 (hotel, museum, archive, production site etc.). In between, whenever you are around, come visit our Headquarter - some Leica photographers call it already "the mothership"- , have a coffee at Leitz Cafe and have a look at the pictures at the Leica Galerie,

 

Yours, Andreas Kaufmann

[Michael Geschlecht]

Never heard of a Neymar camera before (surely must be mega expensive!  ), but speculation on a Zeiss buy-in of Leica is interesting. It would make a lot of sense for these two fine historic German camera and optical firms to join forces.

 

Hello David,

 

Leitz/Leica & Zeiss, whether Oberkochen or Jena, have had some philisophical differences in terms of lens design & mechanical implementation in the past.

 

Historically both have been primarily lens designers & manufacturers with cameras as a secondary consideration.

 

It might actually benefit both of them more to continue to develop their philosophies separately.

 

Sometimes organizations which operate reasonably well with a little distance between them don't do as well when they are closer together.

 

There is no need to lose what is unique in either. It is better to have what is best in both.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[sml_photo]

My name is Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, through our family holding ACM, Salzburg we're the major shareholder in LISA Germany, which holds 100% of the shares in Leica Camera AG, Wetzlar. Our Partner Blackstone is  with us soon six years, and we have a very good relation over the years. Blackstone is a private equity company, these companies are co-travelers for some time, usually 5-7 years, nothing unusual.

 

The Kaufmann family is committed to Leica, and we have at Leica a very stable3-5 years road map for interesting products and services. Whatever happens, we hope that all our respected customers and friends stay loyal, as we're heading into the future, being the last manufacturer of a certain size in this industry in Europe. You can expect exciting lenses, cameras and technologies in the next twelve months. In June 2018 we will be having a huge event at Wetzlar, as we will celebrate the opening of LeitzPark 3 (hotel, museum, archive, production site etc.). In between, whenever you are around, come visit our Headquarter - some Leica photographers call it already "the mothership"- , have a coffee at Leitz Cafe and have a look at the pictures at the Leica Galerie,

 

Yours, Andreas Kaufmann

THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY!! 

[jaapv]

Some German insights on Blackstone:

http://morningbriefing-global.handelsblatt.com/i/Yz-MhtW9cTyLmIdZaUQUQS0aJiROrc8fdtMu95FPOo4

[Alberti]

Well, of course one may differ whether investments in stores and especially galleries are wise as far as profit is concerned.

 

If one looks closer one finds quite a lot of similar investments, like Leica Galleries in Salzburg or the acquisition of Westlicht in Vienna. It is clear that all those activities go back to the personal whim of Dr. Kaufmann and his wife.

 

Though it was the same irrational whim which led Kaufmann to invest in Leica. It would have been much more profitable for him to put his money in something which proposed much better margins than old-fashioned cameras and lenses. If just the amount of money to be gained by an investment had been the decisive factor, Leica Camera would have ceased to exist a decade ago. Perhaps the brand name would have survived like "Voigtländer", "Rollei" or "Contax", but production would have gone from Solms or Wetzlar to unknown places in asia. Kaufmann's decision to invest in Leica was as whimsical as his investment in galleries.

 

We have seen in the meantime that even while this person seems a little bit weird as far as capitalist rationality is concerned, he is not naive. Dealsharing with someone like Blackstone shows it. Leica is profitable. One may discuss if it was more profitable without all those galleries, and M- or S-Magazines and Leitz-Parks and so on. It all comes down to the question, if one wants to use money to gain more money or to achieve something else with it.

 

Of course you are right. And I agree .

Still, when the current strategy changes the valuation does too. And I am not sure if all elements of the strategy work out, are sustainable, I am curious if there is any cross-subsidizing etc. So when new partners enter the arena all these elements of the business will be scrutinized. 

I do appreciate Kafmann very much, to to say it axplicitly.

[FrankF]

We now have a new CEO at Leica AG.

This is meant as an open letter to him.....

 

Dear Mr Harsch,

 

It is my opinion, that the best way to improve on the position of Leica as a brand name, is to improve the service to current customers. 

 

The Repair department is in a state of disaster. 

 

I have had an M6 camera returned to me with the wrong bottom plate, and in fact, with the body casting dented do badly that film canister would not fit in its place.

It took 2 weeks to get an estimate on the repair of my M9, which had a fallen off glass sensor cover plate, 8 additional weeks to repair, and an additional 2 weeks of my almost daily calls to get the camera shipped back to me.  Remember this is after I was told the repair was finished.

The latest, and current  "service" situation is for the repair of my Monochrom (CCD) with a corroded sensor cover glass plate.  The first email I received acknowledged that Leica was evaluating the camera.  It contained a email receipt for the camera,  That receipt did not have a S/N, model number, reason for return or any identifying information.  My email to address this was/is ignored.

A second email, a week later, has all the identifying information, and apparently states there will be a 2 week estimated delay on the repair due to a parts shortage.

But no estimated repair date.......  WHich means I have no idea when my camera will be returned.

 

You must ask yourself, why would any customer tolerate these systemic issues, that are easily corrected?  There are a lot of fine cameras available. 

 

Problems like these turn customers away from the Brand.

 

I am a customer. I have choices. I may not be a professional photographer, but my money is spent where the overall experience is good.

 

I live in the US and my repair s were all done by Leica USA.

 

Is thee something you can do to get the service department back on track?

 

Frank Filippone

[pico]

Some German insights on Blackstone:

http://morningbriefing-global.handelsblatt.com/i/Yz-MhtW9cTyLmIdZaUQUQS0aJiROrc8fdtMu95FPOo4

 

Billionaires deal with only billionaires; their conversations will never be known to us. Then there are the trillionaire families which guide the billionaires.

 

Those with a few billion dollars of wealth are considered by the truly wealthy as impoverished, impotent except as they serve the trillionaires political purposes. Nothing in the great area of economics happens without the influence of the exceedingly wealthy. Nothing!

 

Finally, the income/wealth difference will grow exponentially so that by 2020 a bloke who makes $200K a year will be just a regular day-worker middle class grunt going nowhere.

Edited August 28, 2017 by pico

[6bit]

That sounds like a better deal for Zeiss than for Leica. For what its worth, personally I would never add six bit coding to a lens that does not have it already.

 

 

 

Yes, Leica is doing well, but the trends in the camera/imaging market for the last 5 or 6 years since the Blackstone deal are plain to see. This could affect valuations of potential deals. A multiple of 10 times earnings or more is difficult to achieve unless you have a very secure market (natural monopoly type) and premium pricing which can be maintained into the future. As the company is private there is no stock market valuation to fall back on.

 

The progress of this will be interesting to observe. Leica will be a good investment, but only for the right buyer.

 

William

10x EBITDA is usually a strategic purchase area too.

 

While there is no stock market valuation there definitely is a valuation tied to the company and that is tied to the economy as soon as someone serious comes around looking to buy.

[earleygallery]

Any takers yet?

[andybarton]

How much are we talking about? I have my left hand down the back of the sofa right now.

 

Unfortunately, it’s a new sofa...

[Gibbo]

You need to sell those tyres first!!

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Hallo,

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