Taylor Wessing advises the insolvency administrator on the sale of Sympatex Technologies GmbH to Pidigi

A team of Taylor Wessing led by Dr Hendrik Boss and Lisa Iwersen provided legal advice to the insolvency administrator Axel W. Bierbach of the law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen (Munich) on the sale of the core assets of Sympatex Technologies GmbH (Sympatex) to the Italian company Pidigi S.p.A. (Pidigi) and a German subsidiary of the latter. The transaction is taking place as part of a transfer-based restructuring and will enable business operations to continue under the Sympatex brand. 

As part of the asset deal, Pidigi, together with a German subsidiary, is set to acquire the key assets of Sympatex, including the membrane technology and the international market presence, with effect from 1 June 2026. At the Unterföhring site near Munich, 21 jobs and the apprenticeships of all four trainees will be retained; the international locations in France, China and Hong Kong, as well as the Korean sales office, are also to be continued. 

The transaction was structured against the backdrop of a challenging market environment in the textile and footwear industry, as well as Sympatex’s unique corporate history. Pidigi has been using Sympatex laminates and membranes for many years and sees significant operational and economic synergy potential throughout the value chain in the transaction. 


Axel W. Bierbach, solicitor and insolvency administrator at the law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen, specialises in business continuations and restructuring across a broad range of sectors and has many years of experience, particularly in the textile and sporting goods industries. 

Sympatex Technologies GmbH has been developing and producing non-porous membrane technology for functional apparel, footwear, workwear, personal protective equipment and technical applications since 1986. The PFAS-free polyester membrane is waterproof, windproof and breathable, and forms the technological core of the company, which has an international network of brand, industry and development partners. 

Pidigi S.p.A. has been active since 1953 as a supplier of materials to the footwear, leather goods and technical sportswear industries. With a logistics centre covering over 15,000 m², a range of around 10,000 items and eight international branches, Pidigi serves customers worldwide and generates total turnover of over 80 million euros. 

Taylor Wessing advised the insolvency administrator on the legal aspects of structuring and implementing the transaction and on all related matters.

Legal advisers to insolvency administrator Axel W. Bierbach: MHBK Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen

Taylor Wessing Germany: Dr. Hendrik Boss (Partner), Lisa K. Iwersen, LL.M. (Stellenbosch) (Salary Partner), both lead counsel, both Restructuring & Insolvency, Munich; Dr. Christian Saueressig (Partner), Alexandra Prasch (Senior Associate), Constantin Borowiak (Associate), Dr. Emily Stumpp (Associate), Frederik Kaup (Associate), Christian Benko (Associate), Anna Morawietz (Associate), all Restructuring & Insolvency, Munich; Marc-Oliver Kurth, LL.M. (Sydney) (Partner), Dr. Christian Köhler (Salary Partner), Pascal Simon Wrusch (Senior Associate), all Corporate/M&A and Capital Markets, Berlin; Dr Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche, LL.M. (L.S.E.) (Partner), Dr. Julius Alexander Remmers, LL.M. (Edinburgh) (Senior Associate), both Technology, Media & Communications, Hamburg; Dr. Stefan Horn, LL.B. (Salary Partner), Lara Nonnenmühlen (Senior Associate), both Competition, EU & Trade, Hamburg; Dr. Michael Brüggemann (Partner), Tim Hendricks (Associate), both Competition, EU & Trade, Düsseldorf; Dr. Benedikt Rohrßen (Partner), Giorgia Carandente, LL.M. Eur. (Senior Associate), both Commercial Agreements & Distribution, Munich

Insolvency Administrators
MHBK Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen: Axel W. Bierbach (insolvency administrator), Severin Haneke, Bettina Pabst, Angela Zumbach, Thomas Funk, Julian Weidner


M&A advisers
Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner: Dr. Hubertus Bartelheimer, Ante Jelavic, Thomas Müller