The German brand Salamander in the Russian Federation and in some markets was bought by Munz Group

Munz Group, which has been managing the Salamander footwear brand under license since 2020, bought the rights to the brand in Russia and a number of neighboring countries. The German Salamander could have lost interest in the local market, and Munz Group, after the deal, is already looking for new options for using the brand, including considering the home goods market. The brand is recognizable among some consumers, but entering new categories will require competent marketing and investment in advertising, experts say.

A large shoe retailer, Munz Group, has become the owner of trademarks associated with the German brand Salamander, having discovered “Kommersant” in Rospatent data. The group’s profile on HeadHunter also says that this year the Munz Group acquired the rights to the Salamander brand in Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. The Munz Group and Salamander GmbH did not answer Kommersant’s questions.

The German shoe manufacturer Salamander was founded in 1885 by Jacob Siegle in Kornwestheim. In 1985, the company began exporting products to the USSR, creating joint ventures Lenvest, Belwest and Ryazanvest in St. Petersburg, Vitebsk and Ryazan. In 1991, Salamander established JSC Salamander Moscow GmbH to develop a chain of stores, opening a salon in Moscow GUM two years later.

The main owner of the Munz Group is the president and founder of the Zenden shoe holding Andrey Pavlov. Munz Group owns the Thomas Munz shoe brand, and in 2020 received a master license from Salamander to manage the brand in Russia, having since opened 37 stores under this guise. The place of production of shoes, including those under the Salamander brand, in the declarations of conformity submitted by the Munz Group in September-October of this year, indicated the German Ara Shoes GmbH and Chinese companies, according to the Federal Accreditation Agency.

As the owner of the Kaufman brand agency Stanislav Kaufman notes, given the history of the Munz Group and Salamander partnership for several years, the sale of the brand could take place under special conditions. According to him, the brand remains popular among the middle-aged and older population, and the deal fits into the general trend of reducing the presence of foreign companies in the Russian market.

Victoria Makarova, deputy head of the trademark practice at Online Patent, says that for the German company the market of Russia and neighboring countries may not be of interest today. And Munz Group, she explains, how the licensee could be limited in the use of the brand of interest to the company in terms of time, territory, and methods of use. The holder of the exclusive right to a trademark can use the brand in any way that does not contradict the law, including registering related marks, says Alexandra Shultz, senior lawyer at Kosenkov and Suvorov.

As follows from Rospatent data, in November of this year Munz Group filed applications for registration of the Salamander Home and “Salamander for the Home” brands. The list of goods specified in the application includes household and kitchen utensils, textiles, cosmetics, etc. Managing partner of Vanchugov and Partners Alexey Vanchugov notes that although the Salamander shoe brand is obsolete, it is a European brand with history and competent marketing and investment in advertising can re-popularize the brand in related categories. In the home goods market, the expert adds, after the departure of IKEA, as well as H&M Home and Zara Home from Russia, no new strong and well-known brands have appeared.

But competition here is getting tougher. According to NF Group, in 2023, 21% of all foreign brands entering the Russian Federation worked in the household goods market. Thus, stores were opened by the Turkish Madame Coco, Karaca Home and Kelebek, as well as the Belarusian Swed House. Large Russian clothing and footwear chains are also interested in the market. The owner of the Russian Lime chain, Dmitry Khokhlov, registered the Lime Home brand, under which dishes and kitchen utensils, storage and decorative items, etc. can be produced. This year, an application for registration of the Zarina Home brand was submitted by Melon Fashion Group (brands Love Republic, Sela, Befree, Zarina). Plans for a line of household goods were also discussed at 12 Storeez.

Alina Savitskaya, Polina Gritsenko