Osborne Clarke advises Performance Health on the acquisition of Ludwig Artzt GmbH Produkte für Sport und Gesundheit

Osborne Clarke advises Performance Health, owner of the TheraBand brand, among others, on the acquisition of Ludwig Artzt GmbH Produkte für Sport und Gesundheit.

Performance Health operates in the wholesale sector with a focus on rehabilitation products, assistive devices and daily living aids. As owner of the TheraBand brand, Performance Health is known worldwide as the original developer of elastic resistance bands and the colour‑coded Trusted Progression™ system.

Ludwig Artzt GmbH Produkte für Sport und Gesundheit was founded in 1981 by Ludwig Artzt, after whom the company is named. Based in Dornburg, Hesse, the company is now managed in the second generation by Felix Artzt and employing around 35 staff, distributing more than 2,000 products to customers across Europe. Its portfolio includes products for therapy, fitness, prevention and rehabilitation under its own brands, such as ARTZT vitality, ARTZT neuro and ARTZT thepro, as well as products distributed on behalf of international brands.

Performance Health and Ludwig Artzt GmbH have maintained a close distribution partnership centred on the TheraBand brand since the late 1980s. Through this transaction, Performance Health is deepening this longstanding collaboration and strengthening its presence in German-speaking markets and across Europe. 

Osborne Clarke provided comprehensive legal advice to Performance Health on the cross-border acquisition of Ludwig Artzt GmbH Produkte für Sport und Gesundheit. The firm has advised Performance Health for several years, primarily on IP and regulatory matters through Dr Tim Reinhard and his team.

“With this transaction, we are further expanding our life sciences and healthcare transactional practice in the therapy and rehabilitation sector,” said Dr Philipp Reeb of Osborne Clarke. “Performance Health’s acquisition of Ludwig Artzt GmbH demonstrates how international healthcare companies are strategically developing longstanding distribution partnerships and strengthening their European market presence – and how important the combination of cross-border M&A expertise and sector-specific regulatory expertise is in this context.”

The Osborne Clarke team was led by Dr Philipp Reeb and included Lisa Gerards, Dr Patrick Stadtbäumer, Julian Baldus and Dr Ladina Kierdorf (all M&A), Dr Tim Reinhard and Marina Fröhlich (both Regulatory), Florian Merkle (Tax), André Braig and Doris Podratzky (both Employment), Moritz Windheuser (Real Estate), Marco Aatz and Dr Adrian Deuschle (both Competition) and Jan‑Willem Prügel (IP).

The advice provided to Performance Health underlines the firm’s transactional expertise in the life sciences and healthcare sector, a strategic focus area for the legal practice. With its strong European and international presence, Osborne Clarke advises pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, as well as other healthcare businesses that contribute to improving patient care. On both acquisitions in Germany and cross-border acquisitions, the firm combines M&A expertise with a deep understanding of the sector’s specific regulatory and commercial characteristics to provide integrated advice across legal disciplines and national borders.