Cosa Liebermann
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ernst Liebermann
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | International trade |
| Founded | 1912 (as Liebermann-Wälchli & Co. AG) |
| Founders | Johann Wälchli Ernst Liebermann |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | Acquired by Hagemeyer |
| Headquarters | Switzerland |
Area served | Asia, Europe |
Key people | Claude Barbey Stephan Schmidheiny |
| Products | Textiles, sporting goods, consumer goods |
Cosa Liebermann was a Swiss trading company specializing in commerce between the Far East and Europe. The company was founded in 1912 in Japan as Liebermann-Wälchli & Co. AG and existed until its acquisition by the Dutch trading company Hagemeyer in 1999.
Johann Wälchli and Ernst Liebermann founded Liebermann-Wälchli & Co. AG in Japan in 1912. The firm specialized in trade with the Far East.[1]
In 1988, the company merged with Übersee-Handel AG (UHAG), which had been founded in 1927 by Julius Müller, to form Cosa Liebermann (Cosa standing for Commerce d'outre-mer SA, meaning Overseas Trading Corporation). The same year, the newly formed company acquired the German sporting goods manufacturer Puma.[1]
In 1990, Claude Barbey and his family sold Cosa Liebermann to Anova, owned by Stephan Schmidheiny. From 1994, the company was jointly owned by the Dutch trading company Hagemeyer, which held a 50% stake. At the end of 1999, Hagemeyer acquired all remaining shares from Anova, resulting in complete absorption of the company.[1]
