Munich, 3 November 2026 - A PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH team led by Managing Partner Ivo-Meinert Willrodt has advised Bike Tree GmbH on the acquisition of the business operations of Winora Staiger GmbH.
Within the PLUTA team, lawyer Martin Jungclaus was responsible for drafting the purchase agreement. Lawyer Dr. Karl-Friedrich Gulbins handled all employment law matters. Throughout the entire M&A process, from the first contract draft to signing, the team worked closely with all parties involved to make this solution possible.
Bike Tree GmbH belongs to the Tri Star Group / DuTech, headquartered in Singapore. By way of an asset deal, Bike Tree acquires the material assets, including the bicycle brands WINORA and HAIBIKE. The transaction closed on 1 November 2026.
According to PLUTA lawyer Ivo-Meinert Willrodt, the team advised the buyer from the start of the process through to the signing of the purchase agreement; in his view, the deal is a good solution for the client, as Bike Tree takes over two bicycle brands with a long tradition (quote paraphrased).
Continuation of the Sennfeld site
The acquisition covers in particular the brands, inventories, selected operating and business equipment as well as technical and commercial know-how. The business is to be continued with 87 employees. The takeover involves job cuts, which will be implemented on the basis of a reconciliation of interests agreed with the works council. The apprenticeship positions will be retained.
Bike Tree plans to continue the business at the Sennfeld site with the transferred part of the workforce and to further develop the WINORA and HAIBIKE brands, drawing on the experience and network of the Tri Star Group in the bicycle industry.
Target in self-administration proceedings
ACCELL Germany GmbH and its German subsidiaries Winora Staiger GmbH, Ghost-Bikes GmbH and Engelbert Wiener Bike Parts GmbH had filed for the opening of insolvency proceedings in self-administration with the Schweinfurt Local Court on 5 August 2026. On 29 October 2026, the court opened insolvency proceedings over the assets of Winora Staiger GmbH. On the same day, Lei Chen, managing director of Bike Tree GmbH, and Joost van Schaik, managing director of Winora Staiger GmbH, signed the purchase agreement.
Since the preliminary self-administration proceedings were ordered, the GRUB BRUGGER team led by restructuring expert Martin Mucha, together with the management around Joost van Schaik, has driven the restructuring of the German ACCELL Group and developed a solution for Winora Staiger GmbH. In an international investor process managed from the Netherlands, numerous interested parties were approached and various continuation options were examined. Lawyer Dr. Stefan Debus, partner at Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen, was appointed as custodian (Sachwalter). In self-administration, entrepreneurial responsibility remains with management; the court does not appoint an insolvency administrator but a custodian who supervises the proceedings in the interest of the creditors.
Bike Tree GmbH, based in Mechernich, belongs to the Tri Star Group / DuTech and was founded as an acquisition vehicle to take over the business operations and assets of Winora Staiger GmbH. Its managing director is Lei Chen. DuTech is a leading global developer and manufacturer of security products with more than 3,850 employees in Europe, North America and Asia, including more than 850 in Germany. The DuTech Group generates annual revenues of EUR 450 million, including from its e-bike business. The group is headquartered in Singapore and owned by US entrepreneur Dr. Johnny Liu.
Berater Bike Tree: PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH
Ivo-Meinert Willrodt (Managing Partner, Federführung), Martin Jungclaus (Rechtsanwalt, Vertragsrecht), Dr. Karl-Friedrich Gulbins (Rechtsanwalt, Arbeitsrecht)
Eigenverwaltung Winora Staiger: GRUB BRUGGER
Martin Mucha (Sanierungsexperte)
Sachwalter: Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen
Dr. Stefan Debus (Partner)
This text was automatically translated from the German original.