Habanos Distributor for Germany Placed Under Court-Appointed Administration

Any disposal by Fifth Avenue of its assets now requires the approval of the preliminary administrator.

The Waldshut-Tiengen district court ordered, on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 5 p.m., the preliminary insolvency administration of Fifth Avenue Products Trading-GmbH, the exclusive importer of Cuban cigars for Germany, Austria and Poland. The proceedings are registered under case number 4 IN 194/26.

According to the court order, Mr. André Berbuer, a lawyer based in Freiburg, has been appointed preliminary administrator. Any disposal by the company of its assets now requires his approval. A preliminary creditors’ committee has also been established, including a representative of the Agentur für Arbeit (employment agency) and the chairman of Fifth Avenue’s works council.

This court decision follows a letter sent by Fifth Avenue to its customers on September 4, informing them of a suspension of all new orders and shipments. The company cited a “compliance and sanctions review” concerning one of its shareholders, leading to restrictions on its banking relationships.

This announcement comes just over a month after Chen Zhi, a shareholder of Habanos S.A., was added to the European Union’s sanctions list.

According to information filed last October with the German commercial register, the majority shareholder (80%) of Fifth Avenue is Altabana, Habanos S.A.’s vehicle for its stakes in distributors’ capital, while the German-Swiss Villiger group holds a minority 20% stake.

Contacted by L’Amateur, Habanos S.A. stated, through its communications agency, that it is “working closely with its distribution partners worldwide” to “ensure business continuity” and “strengthen the resilience of its distribution network,” but declined to comment on the specific situation of any particular distributor.

According to the latest available figures, in 2024 Germany was Habanos S.A.’s fifth-largest market, behind China, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.