# 01

Entrepreneurship is a very serious matter.

Not. We are convinced that good entrepreneurship is, above all, fun. It is a vital source for the passion, strength and determination that are so important for entrepreneurial success, and it's needed even more at times when entrepreneurship is hard and laborious.

Patrick Gehlen,
GENUI Investor
Hubertus Bessau,
Managing Director mymuesli
Stefan Wernsing,
GENUI Entrepreneur

This is how we did it at mymuesli

mymuesli
Hubertus Bessau, Managing Director mymuesli

"It's just really fun with the GENUI team, with Stefan and Patrick. I think we create things together that we couldn't do alone."

Stefan Wernsing, GENUI Entrepreneur

He has accompanied the founders as chairman of the advisory board since 2015. He is the owner and CEO of the Wernsing Food Family and has many years of experience in the German and European food market. He is co-founder of GENUI.

Patrick Gehlen, GENUI Investor

Is co-founder of GENUI and has accompanied the mymuesli team together with Stefan Wernsing with his experience as an investor, which he gained as a member of the advisory boards of CLOSED, Fashionette, Acrolinx, Gastrohero, ISS and Leybold Optics, among others.

About

mymuesli

mymuesli was founded in Passau by the study friends Hubertus Bessau, Philipp Kraiss and Max Wittrock. They produce and distribute organic muesli in 6 European countries with around 800 employees from 2 locations. Present online, in many supermarkets and in their own shops, mymuesli generates a turnover of over €70 million.

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# 02

It took simply
another investment company
with sharper pencils.

Not. We have brought together investors and entrepreneurs, who have built market-leading companies, to be professional partners with other entrepreneurs. We contribute experience and network.

Hartmut Jenner,
GENUI Entrepreneur
Rolf Unterberger,
Managing Director CHERRY
Sumeet Gulati,
GENUI Investor

This is how we did it at CHERRY

CHERRY
Rolf Unterberger, Managing Director CHERRY

"The cooperation with GENUI is not only successful and valuable, it is above all a very partnership-based. We say thank you for your growth-oriented support and for preserving and promoting our unique culture."

Hartmut Jenner, GENUI Entrepreneur

Hartmut Jenner has accompanied CHERRY as the Chairman of the Entreprenuers’ Board since the carve out from the ZF Friedrichshafen Group. As CEO of the Alfred Kärcher Group for many years, Hartmut has a wealth of entrepreneurial experience in the production of high-quality consumer goods, the development of international sales structures and global brand management.

Sumeet Gulati, GENUI Investor

He co-founded GENUI, and together with Hartmut Jenner, he has accompanied the CHERRY team on the Entrepreneurs’ Board with his experience as an investor, which he gained as a member of the advisory boards of All4Labels, Closed, Symrise, Tognum, CBR und SSP, among others.

About

CHERRY

CHERRY is not only the oldest manufacturer of computer keyboards, but also the quality leader in a wide range of applications: In gaming, at the point of sale, at industrial plants, in the health infrastructure or on the desk. Cherry is headquartered in Auerbach, in the Upper Palatinate, with production footprint in Asia and generates over €110 million in sales with over 350 employees. GENUI acquired the company together with the management from the global automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen.

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# 03

We're just
out for a quick buck.

Not. Sure, we want to earn good returns. In our view, however, these should be generated in a balance of economic, socially responsible and ecological measures. We call this Good Entrepreneurship. That is why we have also designed our structure for the long term.

Klaus Weinmann,
GENUI Entrepreneur
Amjad Liaquat,
Managing Director Mindcurv
Alexander Meier,
GENUI Investor

This is how we did it at Mindcurv

Mindcurv
Amjad Liaquat, Managing Director Mindcurv

"We immediately felt that GENUI is the right partner for us. We share the same values - something extremely important for us. The reason why we are successful is that we have built Mindcurv based on values we endeavor to live. That connects us with GENUI."

Klaus Weinmann, GENUI Entrepreneur

He accompanies the founders as chairman of the advisory board since 2019. As co-founder and long-time CEO of Cancom SE and current Co-Founder & CEO of the technology-oriented Primepulse Group, he contributes his entrepreneurial experience in the global IT services and software market.

Alexander Meier, GENUI Investor

Is part of the GENUI Investment Team and together with Klaus Weinmann is accompanying Mindcurv with his entrepreneurial experience as co-founder of Mondosano and as an investor, which he gained working with GastroHero, Transnorm and GHD, among others.

About

Mindcurv

Mindcurv, based in Essen, was founded in 2011 by Amjad Liaquat and Nazareno Avila. Mindcurv serves mainly medium-sized and large companies in their digital transformation and develops, extends and operates complex and global IOT, Commerce & Content platforms and Cloud infrastructures. Mindcurv employs around 235 people in Germany, Spain, Netherlands and India.

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# 04

Scaling is the decisive factor - people are interchangeable

Not. We have ambition and want to help make successful solutions even better. At the same time, we are convinced that understanding and preserving the unique culture of a company is essential.

Andreas Jacobs,
GENUI Entrepreneur
Jan Oberbeck,
Managing Director All4Labels
Max Odefey,
GENUI Investor

This is how we did it at All4Labels

All4Labels
Jan Oberbeck, Managing Director All4Labels

"GENUI understood our unique culture well and helped us to preserve and strengthen it during the period of strong growth and integration. The most important thing is that we enjoyed our time together very much."

Andreas Jacobs, GENUI Entrepreneur

He accompanied the founders as chairman of the Entrepreneurs’ Board for five years. As long-time principal owner and Chairman of Barry Callebaut, he contributed his entrepreneurial experience in the global food and consumer goods industry and in the consolidation and internationalization of companies. He is co-founder of GENUI.

Max Odefey, GENUI Investor

Is co-founder of GENUI and together with Andreas Jacobs accompanied the All4Labels Team with his many years of experience as an investor, which he gained as a member of the advisory boards of Market Logic Software, Schendel & Pawlaczyk, mymuesli, Acrolinx, proALPHA, novem, Iris Software and FiveTen.

About

All4Labels

During the years of partnership with GENUI, All4Labels has developed from being the German market leader to number 3 globally in the market for self-adhesive labels, with annual sales of over €450 million. The company is a pioneer in the field of digital label printing and, with its more than 3,000 employees, it is present in 29 locations in Europe, Latin America and South Africa.

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# 05

We always have smart advice and we get involved in the operational day-to-day business.

Not. We know how important professional governance is for the long-term success of a company. That is why we clearly distinguish between the operational responsibility of management and our involvement.

Torsten Toeller, GENUI Entrepreneur
Daniel Raab, Managing Director Fashionette
Oliver Serg, GENUI Investor

Fashionette
Daniel Raab, Managing Director Fashionette

"GENUI is a sparring partner who is always available. Torsten Toeller has experience in all facets of retail and successfully scaling companies internationally. He shares his valuable insights with us proactively and with great pleasure."

Torsten Toeller, GENUI Entrepreneur

As founder and CEO of Fressnapf, Torsten brings his experience in building a leading consumer goods company with Europe-wide multi-channel sales.

Oliver Serg, GENUI Investor

Oliver Serg co-founded GENUI, and together with Torsten Toeller, is accompanying the Fashionette team with his experience as an investor, which he gained as a member of the advisory boards of Mindcurv, CHERRY, UDG and Roeser Medical, among others.

About

Fashionette

Founded in 2009, Fashionette has developed over the past few years into the market-leading online retailer of high-quality handbags and accessories. Fashionette offers a range of more than 5,000 items from over 100 luxury and premium brands and has one of the most comprehensive offers in the industry. In addition to its core market DACH, the company with its 130 employees is now active in 10 other European countries and achieves a turnover of over €70 million.

Investments

Investments

Acting in partnership is most important for us. Hence, we are just as happy to be minority shareholders as majority owners.

Our investments.

Team

Team

What unites us at GENUI is that we believe in Good Entrepreneurship. And, we have the honest claim of treating each other with respect on eye level - within the team and beyond.


Meet the team

Please don’t hesitate to contact us personally.

GENUI GmbH
Neuer Wall 80
D-20354 Hamburg

+49 (0) 40 3208669-0

Team

Alexander Meier
Investor
Christian van der Bosch
Investor
Jonas Coesfeld
Best Practice Team
Katharina Thorn
Investor Relations Assistant
Max Odefey
Investor
Nico Kollmann
Investor
Nora Schulte
CFO
Oliver Serg
Investor
Patrick Gehlen
Investor
Sumeet Gulati
Investor
Susanne Eck
Team Assistant
Olivier Franscella
GENUI Investor
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investments

Our investments

  • Physio Holding pursues a Buy & Build investment strategy in Germany with focus on physiotherapy, out-patient rehabilitation and medical fitness. Over the next years, the company aims to create a group of high quality centers which will continue to operate largely autonomously under their established brands. The group will provide the centers with a platform to exchange experiences and best practices while offering support with, a.o., certifications, staff, invoicing and accounting.

    Website

  • Mindcurv, based in Essen, was founded in 2011 by Amjad Liaquat and Nazareno Avila. Mindcurv serves mainly medium-sized and large companies in their digital transformation and develops, extends and operates complex and global IOT, Commerce & Content platforms and Cloud infrastructures. Mindcurv employs around 235 people in Germany, Spain, Netherlands and India.

    Website

  • Berge & Meer was founded over 40 years ago in Rengsdorf in the Westerwald region of Germany and is now Germany's No. 1 direct provider of travel services. Today, Berge & Meer and its more than 450 employees offer a wide range of travel options and more than 1,500 tours in over 80 countries. GENUI acquired the company from TUI AG together with the management.

    Website

  • Founded in 1991, the Schendel & Pawlaczyk Group is one of the leading providers of services in the fields of trade fair construction, design and live communication in the German-speaking world. In 2019, the company added its competitors conform and MMD to its group of companies in order to further strengthen its market position.

    Website

  • Acrolinx is the only AI software platform with a linguistic engine that "reads" text and provides both suggestions for improvement and powerful analytics. Acrolinx's technology helps global brands such as Intel, Nestle, IBM, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Boeing, SAP and Amazon create brand-compliant and targeted content across the enterprise. The company is a spin-off of the internationally renowned German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and employs over 120 people in Berlin and Boston.

    Website

  • Market Logic develops and distributes marketing information systems as a software-as-a-service solution that help branded companies to support innovation and marketing processes with the right information at the right time. Customers include Coca-Cola, Unilever, Heineken, Mondelez, Allianz and other global consumer companies, as well as customers in the healthcare, retail, high-tech, finance, media & entertainment and telecommunications sectors. Market Logic employs over 300 people in Berlin and Chicago.

    Website

  • Mark Baukmann, Jens Schütte and Andreas Korsus founded the online retailer of catering supplies in 2013. Since then, the company has grown quickly and successfully to over €40 million in sales and employs over 100 people at its Dortmund and Cologne locations. The product range extends from small items such as pots and pans to large appliances such as refrigerators and pizza ovens. In addition to online trading, GastroHero offers additional services such as the complete planning of canteen kitchens at the customer's site or technical support and installation of equipment via an international network of technicians.

    Website

  • CHERRY is not only the oldest manufacturer of computer keyboards, but also the quality leader in a wide range of applications: In gaming, at the point of sale, at industrial plants, in the health infrastructure or on the desk. Cherry is headquartered in Auerbach, in the Upper Palatinate, with production footprint in Asia and generates over €110 million in sales with over 350 employees. GENUI acquired the company together with the management from the global automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen.

    Website

  • mymuesli was founded in Passau by the study friends Hubertus Bessau, Philipp Kraiss and Max Wittrock. They produce and distribute organic muesli in 6 European countries with around 800 employees from 2 locations. Present online, in many supermarkets and in their own shops, mymuesli generates a turnover of over €70 million.

    Website

  • During the years of partnership with GENUI, All4Labels has developed from being the German market leader to number 3 globally in the market for self-adhesive labels, with annual sales of over €450 million. The company is a pioneer in the field of digital label printing and, with its more than 3,000 employees, it is present in 29 locations in Europe, Latin America and South Africa.

    Website

  • Founded in 2009, Fashionette has developed over the past few years into the market-leading online retailer of high-quality handbags and accessories. Fashionette offers a range of more than 5,000 items from over 100 luxury and premium brands and has one of the most comprehensive offers in the industry. In addition to its core market DACH, the company with its 130 employees is now active in 10 other European countries and achieves a turnover of over €70 million.

    Website

  • CLOSED has stood for unique designs, uncompromising quality and handmade jeans in Italy since 1978. The family-owned company, based in Hamburg, has been committed to sustainability since its beginnings and manufactures 85 percent of its collection with European producers. In five years of cooperation with GENUI, CLOSED has achieved a turnover of over €100 million through continuous growth and is now active in 32 countries with 50 monobrand shops and over 1,200 wholesale partners.

    Website
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Imprint

Imprint

GENUI GmbH
Neuer Wall 80
D-20354 Hamburg

Tel: + 49 (0) 40 320 8669 0
Fax: + 49 (0) 40 320 8669 80

E-Mail: info@genui.de

Managing Directors: Patrick Gehlen, Dr. Sumeet Gulati,
Dr. Max Odefey, Dr. Oliver Serg
Commercial Register Hamburg, HRB 131130

VAT No.: DE296137172

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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Scope of application

GENUI GmbH (herewith “GENUI” or “we”) is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. With this privacy policy we would like to inform you in detail about how we use your personal data.
This privacy policy applies to the use of your personal data when you visit our websites available at www.genui.de and when you contact us by e-mail or telephone. We have prepared a separate privacy policy for our investors, which we will be happy to forward to you at any time upon request if this has not already been done.

Who is responsible and to whom can I reach out?

GENUI GmbH, Neuer Wall 80, 20354 Hamburg, is responsible for the processing of personal data described in this privacy policy.
You can contact the following office for all inquiries related to data protection:

GENUI GmbH
Neuer Wall 80
20354 Hamburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 40 320 08669 0
Fax +49 (0) 40 320 8669 80
E-mail info(at)genui.de

You can contact our external data protection officer at:

VIVACIS Consulting GmbH
Jochen Geck
Datenschutzbeauftragter
Horexstraße 1
Alter Güterbahnhof
61352 Bad Homburg
Deutschland

E-Mail: jochen.geck(at)vivacis.de

Which data do we process from you?

We collect and process various personal data from you depending on the specific processing situation. Below you will find a list of the data related to the respective processing situations.

What data do we process when you visit our websites?

You can visit our websites without disclosing your identity. If you use the services provided by GENUI on the websites without registering, we will process, inter alia, the following data from you:

  • Data about the usage of the provided websites (e.g., used browser, used operating system, referrer URL, time of server request, requested contents, duration of usage);
  • IP address; and
  • Other technical data equivalent to those above.

Which data do we process when you contact us?

Depending on your request, you can contact us via our websites or outside the Internet, either by telephone or in writing. We only store and process your e-mail address, telephone number, postal address, and other information that you have provided to us.

From whom do we collect your personal data?

Personal data is only collected directly from you, e.g., by visiting our websites or using the services offered, such as the possibility of contacting us by e-mail.

For what purposes and on what legal basis do we process your data?

We process your personal data exclusively in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz) (“BDSG”). In certain situations, we also process your personal data to fulfill other legal obligations or based on your explicit consent.

For the performance of a contract

We process your personal data to fulfill contractual or quasi-contractual obligations, to enter into an agreement, e.g. to provide services in our role as investor, to support current customers, or to answer questions.

To be in compliance with legal obligations

To the extent that we are subject to legal obligations, for the compliance of which the processing of your personal data is necessary, we process your personal data on the basis of these legal obligations.

Based on our legitimate interests

We also process your personal data to protect our legitimate interests, except where your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms, which require the protection of your personal data prevail.

Subject to a decision to be made in individual cases, we usually assume that our legitimate interests prevail within the context of the following processing situations, which are not listed exhaustively:

  • Improving our offers and services;
  • Analysis of the usage of our websites;
  • Ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of our IT systems;
  • Cooperation with public authorities.

Based on your consent

If you have given us separate consent to process your personal data, we will process your personal data within and on the basis of this consent. Consents may, for example, relate to the transfer of data to associated companies, the evaluation of your data for targeted advertising activities or sending of newsletters.

Consent is always freely given. Refusing or revoking your consent will not have any negative consequences for you.

To whom do we transfer your data?

We transfer your personal data to the extent necessary for the formation, execution or termination of an agreement or quasi-contractual legal relationship, in principle, only to companies affiliated with us.

Transfer to business partners and external consultants

If necessary, we transfer your personal data to our business partners for the execution of an existing contract or if we believe, based on our current business relationship, that the transfer of your personal data is in your interest, for example, to introduce business contacts of interest. Personal Data is regularly transferred to our external consultants in connection with fund-raising, investments, or the establishment and management of funds within the framework of existing contractual relationships.

Transfer to processors

For the processing of your data we also use external service providers to whom we transfer your personal data, who only process the data on our behalf and only in a contractually agreed upon manner (“Processers”). Processors are also contractually obliged, for example, to either delete or return the data upon termination of the engagement.

Transfer based on legal obligations or for the protection of legitimate interests

To the extent we are obliged to do so by law, court order, or by an enforceable official order, we will transfer your personal data to bodies entitled to receive information.

Other transfers

If you have given us a separate consent form to use and transfer your personal data, your personal data may be passed on to the recipients named therein. As part of the provision of third-party services on our websites, personal data may be passed on to third parties. Please refer to section 12 for more detailed information. In addition, no personal data will be transferred on to third parties unless, in individual cases, there is a specific legal justification for the transfer, and your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms do not prevail.

Do we transfer your data to third countries?

For some types of processing, we may transfer your personal data to countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area, to so-called third countries. In the course of a transfer of personal data to a third country, we will regularly provide appropriate guarantees, for example, by concluding the Standard Contractual Clauses of the European Commission to ensure that the transfer of data takes place with the same level of data protection that corresponds to the GDPR.

How long do we store your personal data?

We process and store your personal data only as long as necessary for our processing purposes.

Upon request, we will regularly delete the data collected and stored for our websites’ usage at any time. We will do this ourselves and within a few days, unless we have a particular interest in continuing storage for individual cases, e.g., cyberattacks.

Regarding your contact requests, we only store your data for the time period necessary to answer your request.

Insofar as a longer retention period is required by statutory retention and documentation obligations or to protect our legitimate interests, e.g., in the event of possible legal disputes, your personal data will be stored and processed even after the above-mentioned period has expired. With complete execution of a contract or quasi-contractual relationship, we will, as far as possible, immediately restrict your personal data from further processing.

A final deletion takes place after the legal retention and documentation obligation periods expire, which are between two and ten years and result, inter alia, from the Fiscal Code of Germany (Abgabenordnung) or German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch).

Your rights

In the following, you will find a summary of your rights regarding the processing of your personal data:

Rights to access, delete, correct, restrict processing, and portability of your data

According to Article 15 GDPR, you have the right to obtain confirmation from us as to whether or not personal data concerning you is being processed by us. Where that is the case, you have a right to access the personal data and obtain further information.

According to Article 16 GDPR, you may have the right to obtain the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you without undue delay.

According to Article 17 GDPR, you may have the right to obtain erasure of personal data concerning you if (i) it is no longer necessary in relation to the purpose for which it is collected, (ii) you have withdrawn your consent on which the processing is based, (iii) you have objected to the processing pursuant to Article 21 (1) GDPR and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21 (2) GDPR, (iv) your personal data has been unlawfully processed; (v) the personal data has to be erased for compliance with a legal obligation to which GENUI is subject , or (vi) the personal data has been collected in relation to the offer of information society services pursuant to Article 8 (1) GDPR.

According to Article 18 GDPR, you may have the right to obtain the restriction of processing. Such right shall exist if (i) you contested the accuracy of the personal data, (ii) the processing is unlawful and you oppose the erasure of the personal data and request the restriction of its use instead, (iii) the personal data is no longer needed for the purposes of the processing, but it is required by you for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims, or (iv) you have objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR pending the verification of whether our grounds legitimately override yours.

According to Article 19 GDPR, you have the right to obtain information about the recipients of data to whom the rectification, erasure, or restriction of processing has been communicated.

According to Article 20 GDPR, you have the right to obtain personal data concerning you in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to transmit the data to another controller.

If the processing or transfer of your personal data is based on a consent given by you, you can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future.

You have the right to lodge a complaint against the processing of your data or any decision of GENUI in relation to one of your rights you have exercised, to the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Der Hamburgische Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit), Kurt-Schumacher-Allee 4, 20097 Hamburg.

Contact

To exercise your rights under section 9.1, you can contact us without any formality by post, fax or e-mail at the points of contact listed in section 2.

RIGHT TO OBJECT PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 21 DSGVO

OBJECTION ON GROUNDS OF YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION

ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 21 (1) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT, ON GROUNDS RELATING TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION, AT ANY TIME, TO PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA CONCERNING YOU WHICH IS BASED ON OUR LEGITIMATE INTERESTS, INCLUDING PROFILING (E.G., CREDIT RATING). WE SHALL NO LONGER PROCESS THE PERSONAL DATA UNLESS WE DEMONSTRATE COMPELLING LEGITIMATE GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING WHICH OVERRIDE THE INTERESTS, RIGHTS, AND FREEDOMS OF YOU, OR FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT, EXERCISE, OR DEFENSE OF LEGAL CLAIMS.

OBJECTION AGAINST DIRECT MARKETING

ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 21 (2) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA CONCERNING YOU FOR PURPOSES OF DIRECT MARKETING, WHICH INCLUDES PROFILING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS RELATED TO SUCH DIRECT MARKETING. IF YOU OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING FOR DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL NO LONGER BE PROCESSED FOR SUCH PURPOSES.

KONTAKTMÖGLICHKEIT

YOU CAN SEND YOUR OBJECTION INFORMALLY BY POST, FAX OR E-MAIL ADDRESSED TO:

GENUI GMBH
NEUER WALL 80
20354 HAMBURG
DEUTSCHLAND

TEL. +49 (0) 40 320 8669 0
FAX +49 (0) 40 320 8669 80
E-MAIL INFO(at)GENUI.DE

Is there any obligation on your side to provide personal data?

There is neither a contractual nor a legal obligation to provide us with your personal data for the use of our websites. However, if you wish to contact us, certain information may be required to enable us to process your request.

Is the processing based on automated decision-making or profiling?

You have a right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, if the decision is not necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract, is not required by mandatory law, or is not based on your explicit consent.

GENUI does not use automated decision-making procedures, including profiling, unless we have explicitly informed you of them.

What kind of cookies and tracking technology do we use?

For the provision, maintenance, and analysis of our websites and their usage, we use various software tools from third parties and ourselves, which are regularly based on the use of cookies, Flash cookies (also called Flash Local Shared Objects), web beacons or similar technologies (collectively as “Tracking Technologies”). Tracking Technologies can help us understand how you use our services (e.g., the pages you display or the links you click and other actions you perform with the services), give us information about your browser and online usage patterns (e.g., IP address, log data, browser type, browser language, referring/exiting pages and URLs, pages viewed, whether you have opened an e-mail, clicked links, etc.) as well as information about the devices with which you access our services. Tracking Technologies allow us to link the devices you use to access our services so that we can identify and contact you on the various devices you use.

You can limit the use of Tracking Technologies by changing the settings of your browser. You can determine what access you grant us and whether and for how long cookies can be stored on your device. You can also delete cookies that have already been stored at any time. Please note that the functionality of our websites may be affected after deactivating all cookies. Similar functions (such as Flash cookies), which are used by so-called browser add-ons, can be switched off or deleted by changing the settings of the browser add-on or via the website of the browser add-on provider.

What are cookies?

A cookie is a small file that is transferred during the use of a website from the host server of the website and stored on the user’s device (desktop computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, other Internet-enabled devices) by the browser used. Cookies are used to store information about the user and to retrieve it when the website is called up again.

What are cookies used for?

Cookies help us understand the use of our websites, analyze trends, administer the websites, track a user’s steps on our websites, collect demographic information about our user base as a whole, allow you to navigate efficiently between the pages, remember your preferences and settings on our websites, and generally improve your browsing experience. We process the data collected using Tracking Technologies to (i) remember information so that you do not have to re-enter them during your visit or a new visit, (ii) recognize you across multiple devices, (iii) control the functionality and performance of our websites, (iv) collect aggregated metrics regarding the total number of visitors, total traffic, usage and demographic patterns on our websites, (v) diagnose and resolve technical issues, and (vi) otherwise plan and improve our website.

What types of cookies are used on our websites?

The cookies used on our website can usually be categorized as follows: mandatory cookies, analytical cookies, and function-related cookies.

Mandatory cookies

These cookies are essential for the functioning of our websites and enable you to move around our websites and to use their functions. Without these cookies, certain services that are required for the full functioning of our websites cannot be provided.

Analytical cookies

With the help of these cookies, we collect information about how our users use our websites, e.g., which pages are accessed and read most frequently, or how users move from one link to the next. All information collected by this type of cookie does not relate to a single user but is aggregated and processed with the information of other users. Cookies provide us with analytical data on how our websites work and how we can improve them.

Function-related cookies

These cookies allow us to save a specific selection you have made and to adapt our website in such a way that it offers you extended functions and content. These cookies can be used, for example, to save your language selection or country selection.

How long are cookies stored on my device?

The retention period depends essentially on whether the cookie is “persistent” or “session-based.” Session-based cookies are deleted after you leave the websites that set the cookie. Persistent cookies remain on your device even after you have finished browsing until they are deleted or until they have expired.

Technical security measures

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential information that you send to us as the website provider, we use SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line of the browser changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the lock symbol in your browser line.

If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

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