In the autumn, Max Hofbauer will become chief executive of Bergzeit.de, the Bavarian online outdoor store that was acquired by Italy's Sportler in 2012. He will gradually take the place of its founder, Klaus Lehner, who is 55 years old and plans to retire in February 2016. Hofbauer, 52, is well known in the German sports and outdoor trade, where he has spent more than 25 years, working in various roles for Bogner, Schöffel, The North Face and other companies. He was most recently the European general manager of Icebreaker, a position that he left at the beginning of this year. Founded in 1999, Bergzeit reportedly generated sales of €24 million last year. It employs 130 people and services customers in 23 countries. It also has two physical stores.