Hobby to retain its independence

On the eve of the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, the founder of Hobby, Harald Striewski, announced an important step towards safeguarding the future of his company. The shares in the German campervan and motorhome manufacturer, which were previously owned by the family, will be placed into two newly created foundations. This guarantees that the Hobby Group will remain autonomous and independent, as Harald Striewski wants.

In the future, the company, Hobby-wohnwagenwerk, and its subsidiary, Fendt-caravan, as well as the management company, Striewski KG, and its subsidiaries, Formlight Gmbh and Rendsburger Feuerverzinkerei Gmbh, will be transferred to the Harald Striewski family foundation and the non-profit Harald Striewski foundation.

After fleeing from their original homeland East Prussia, which had been destroyed by the war, the Striewski family was welcomed in Fockbek and Schleswig-holstein and so, with the establishment of the charitable foundation, Harald (now aged 85) would like to express his deep gratitude to the region.

Pierre Gilgenast (CEO) and Anke Bumann have been appointed as the first members of the board of the newly created foundations. Both are long-time associates of Harald, who will take over as Chairman of the foundation’s boards and his son, Michael, will become a member of the board.

The creation of the foundation and transfer of company shares has no impact on the structure and business activities of the operative companies, and Bernd Löher and Holger Schulz will remain the General Managers of Hobby Gmbh.

The Hobby/fendt Group is Europe’s market leader for new caravans, with a share of almost 40 % in Germany and more than 25% across the Continent. The group generates an annual turnover of approximately 500 million euro and has a workforce of more than 2,000 employees.