Despite careful and professionally supported succession planning, no adequate successor solution was found. Owner Barbara Artmann deeply regrets this: “I have always seen my role as the guardian of the Künzli brand. It was not easy to prepare Künzli for the future and make it fit. We have succeeded in doing this in recent years. Having to close now is more than bitter.” Künzli wants to wind down operations in an orderly manner. The core products are to be purchased by the fourth quarter of 2024, if necessary by pre-order for existing raw materials. Surplus stock, remainders and sneakers are expected to be sold off by the first quarter of 2025. Historical features and memorabilia such as historical sports shoes or pictures will be auctioned off at a later date. The total of 11 employees at the headquarters in Windisch in the canton of Aargau have to be laid off. However, the company wants to support them in their new orientation. Künzli also operates a factory in Albania to manufacture therapeutic shoes. A solution is being sought for the factory that preserves the well-established team as much as possible. Given the shortage of skilled workers, there are unlikely to be any hardship cases there either, Künzli estimates.
Künzli was founded in 1927 as a manufacturer of sports shoes. In the 1970s, the stability shoe with lateral stabilizers was added, which forms the basis of Künzli Ortho. According to Künzli, this line is still the leading therapy for ankle and ligament injuries. A sneaker line was added in 2005. In 2012, Künzli lost its trademark, the five stripes, to the US company K-Swiss, which had emerged from Künzli. In 2020, however, Künzli got the rights to these back.
