goetzpartners advised the shareholders of Asphaltgold GmbH & Co. KG

Fortlane Partners advised the founder and CEO Daniel Benz on the sale of its stake in Asphaltgold GmbH & Co. KG ("asphaltgold"), a Germany-based omnichannel retailer of pinnacle fashion sneakers, streetwear and accessories to Arklyz Group AG ("Arklyz"), owner of The Athlete's Foot and Intersocks.

As one of the leading European omnichannel retail brands, asphaltgold offers the entire spectrum of pinnacle fashion sneakers from world-renowned brands such as Nike, adidas or Veja as well as a wide range of unisex apparel from contemporary streetwear brands like John Elliott or A.P.C.

Since its foundation in 2008, the company also successfully created a strong own brand and thus markets streetwear fashion and accessories under its name "asphaltgold" as well as regularly promotes collaborations with core sneaker brands like ASICS or Reebok and cross-sector brands including Mercedes Benz or Leica. With its inhouse-designed Release & Raffle app, its Fittingroom app as well as its loyal follower community across relevant social media platforms, asphaltgold positioned itself as a leader in the digital space.

The new strategically strong partnership will enable asphaltgold to continue its path of growth and success. The company will continue to operate its online retail platform and retail storefront, while utilizing Arklyz's global operations expertise, infrastructure and valuable reputation to elevate its business.

Fortlane Partners acted as exclusive M&A advisor to Daniel Benz and asphaltgold, further underlining Fortlane Partners' competence as advisor of choice in the area of e-commerce and consumer goods.

About Asphaltgold
asphaltgold is one of the leading online shops for pinnacle sneakers and contemporary streetwear in Europe. Since being founded in 2008, asphaltgold has been continuously working on new ideas and building a community. Exclusive cooperations with partners like Nike, adidas, New Balance and various cross-sector brands like Leica, Vitra or Smart are regular highlights for the German retailer. asphaltgold has a huge fanbase on social media with almost one and a half million followers on Instagram and Facebook.

About Arklyz
Based in Switzerland, Arklyz is a fast-growing powerhouse in the arena of sports, lifestyle, athleisure and workwear. Arklyz covers a vertically connected set of activities with a special focus on brand management, distribution, retail & ecommerce and manufacturing.

Transaction team:

Andreas Hering
Director
 

Adelin Trusculescu
Director

Maksim Defer
Associate

Hannah Siegler
Analyst