Bloomberg: Leica Camera AG could be bought by Chinese company

Leica Camera AG is currently 55 percent owned by the Austrian billionaire Dr. Andreas Kaufmann and 45 percent by the US-based investment company Blackstone. According to Bloomberg, Blackstone is currently in talks to sell this stake to the Chinese HongShan Capital Group (HSG), formerly known as Sequoia Capital.

The investment company from China is also said to be interested in Dr. Andreas Kaufmann's stake and is considering another IPO of Leica Camera AG after the company was fully privatized and delisted from the stock market in October 2012. It is not yet known whether the Austrian has agreed to a sale. Blackstone and HSG have declined to comment on the takeover talks. The talks are still ongoing and an announcement on a takeover could be "weeks" away if Blackstone, Dr. Andreas Kaufmann and HongShan Capital Group can reach an agreement.

According to Bloomberg, Leica Camera AG could be valued at around €1 billion in the event of a takeover. With this takeover, another traditional camera manufacturer would fall into the hands of Chinese companies, after Hasselblad was taken over by drone manufacturer DJI in 2017. As Dr. Andreas Kaufmann currently also acts as chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG, a takeover could have a significant impact on the company's direction and strategy.