Eversheds Sutherland is advising Goodyear on the sale of its long-standing Fulda facility to the city

Eversheds Sutherland provided comprehensive legal counsel to Goodyear Germany GmbH in connection with the sale of its former production site in Fulda to the City of Fulda. The industrial site, located in the city center, covers approximately 16 hectares and has a history of tire production spanning about 125 years. Production at the site ceased at the end of September 2025. 

Goodyear had initially sold the property to an investor. The corresponding property purchase agreement was notarized at the end of December 2025. In March 2026, the City of Fulda exercised its municipal right of first refusal for the site based on a preemptive purchase ordinance adopted the previous year. At the end of June 2026, the city and Goodyear signed supplementary notarized agreements regarding the acquisition of the former factory site as well as an adjacent parking lot.

Eversheds Sutherland advised Goodyear throughout the entire process, from the initial sales and exclusivity phase through due diligence and the drafting and negotiation of the first real estate purchase agreement, all the way to the completion of the transaction with the City of Fulda. 

A particular challenge was the exercise of the municipality’s right of first refusal after the original purchase agreement had been concluded. Eversheds Sutherland structured and supported the adaptation of the transaction to the new acquisition structure and advised on all material issues relating to closing, land registry, corporate, and tax law.

Due to the site’s long-standing industrial significance and its future urban development use, the transaction was of particular interest to the public and local political spheres. The City of Fulda intends to further develop the site in the long term as a commercial, employment, and production hub and to attract new businesses and jobs there.

The Eversheds Sutherland team was led by Sebastian Woschech (lead counsel, Partner, Real Estate, Munich). He was supported by Dr. Christoph Seidl (Counsel, Real Estate, Munich) and Marius Scheffelt (then Associate, Real Estate, Munich), as well as Dr. Pia Dorfmueller (Partner, Tax, Frankfurt) and Konstantin Ecker (Senior Associate, Tax, Frankfurt). 

On behalf of Goodyear’s legal department, the transaction was primarily managed by Nikos Leonard Jongen, Senior Legal Counsel for DACH. In particular, he led the negotiations with the city and, together with the external advisory team, coordinated the overall strategy as well as the legal and intra-group consultations throughout the transaction.

The City of Fulda was advised by Muth & Partner: Christian Jutzi (lead counsel, Partner), Tarek Bary (Partner), Julian Wehner (Associate), Lisa Schlicht (Associate); Tax: Marco Bug (Partner).