General Terms and Conditions of Sale

§ 1 Scope, form

(1) These General Terms and Conditions of Sale (GTCS) apply to all business relationships of UniBev GmbH, Rotebühlstr. 66, 70178 Stuttgart, registered in the commercial register of the local court of Stuttgart under HRB 771909, with our customers (“Buyer”). The GTCS apply only if the Buyer is an entrepreneur (§ 14 BGB), a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law.

(2) The GTCS apply in particular to contracts for the sale and/or delivery of movable goods (“goods”). Unless otherwise agreed, the GTCS in the version valid at the time of the Buyer’s order or in any case in the version last notified to him in text form shall also apply as a framework agreement for similar future contracts without our having to refer to them again in each individual case.

(3) Our GTCS apply exclusively. Deviating, conflicting or supplementary general terms and conditions of the buyer shall only become part of the contract if and to the extent that we have expressly agreed to their validity. This requirement of consent shall apply in any case, for example even if the Buyer refers to its Terms and Conditions within the scope of the order and we do not expressly object to this.

(4) Individual agreements (e.g. framework supply agreements, quality assurance agreements) and information in our order confirmation take precedence over the GTCS.

(5) Legally relevant declarations and notifications by the buyer with regard to the contract (e.g. setting of deadlines, notification of defects, withdrawal or reduction) must be made in writing.. Written form within the meaning of these GTCS includes written and text form (e.g. letter, e-mail, fax). Legal formal requirements and further proof, in particular in case of doubt about the legitimacy of the declarant, shall remain unaffected.

§ 2 Conclusion of contract

(1) Our offers are subject to change and non-binding. This shall also apply if we have provided the Buyer with catalogues, other product descriptions or documents – also in electronic form.

(2) The order of the goods by the buyer shall be deemed a binding offer of contract. Unless otherwise stated in the order, we are entitled to accept this contractual offer within two weeks of its receipt by us.

(3) Acceptance can be declared either in writing (e.g. by order confirmation) or by delivery of the goods to the buyer.

§ 3 Delivery period and delay in delivery

(1) The delivery period shall be agreed individually or stated by us upon acceptance of the order. If this is not the case, the delivery period is approx. 3 weeks from conclusion of the contract.

(2) We are entitled to make partial deliveries if the partial delivery is usable for the Buyer within the scope of the contractual intended purpose, the delivery of the remaining ordered goods is ensured and the Buyer does not incur any significant additional expense as a result of the partial delivery. Any additional shipping costs resulting from the partial delivery will be borne by us.

(3) If we are unable to meet binding delivery deadlines for reasons for which we are not responsible (non-availability of performance), we shall inform the Buyer of this without delay and at the same time notify the Buyer of the expected new delivery deadline. If the service is also not available within the new delivery period, we are entitled to withdraw from the contract in whole or in part; we will immediately refund any consideration already paid by the buyer. Non-availability of the service exists, for example, in the event of late delivery by our supplier, if we have concluded a congruent hedging transaction, in the event of other disruptions in the supply chain, for example due to force majeure, or if we are not obliged to procure in the individual case.

(4) The occurrence of our delay in delivery shall be determined in accordance with the statutory provisions. In any case, however, a reminder by the buyer is required.

(5) The rights of the buyer according to the § Section 8 of these GTCS and our statutory rights, in particular in the event of an exclusion of the obligation to perform (e.g. due to impossibility or unreasonableness of performance and/or subsequent performance), shall remain unaffected.

§ 4 Delivery, Transfer of Risk, Acceptance, Default of Acceptance

(1) Delivery shall be ex warehouse, which is also the place of performance for the delivery and any subsequent performance. At the request and expense of the buyer, the goods shall be shipped to another destination (sale by delivery to a place other than the place of performance). Unless otherwise agreed, we are entitled to determine the type of shipment (in particular transport company, shipping route, packaging) ourselves.

(2) The risk of accidental loss and accidental deterioration of the goods shall pass to the buyer at the latest upon handover. In the case of sale by delivery to a place other than the place of performance, however, the risk of accidental loss and accidental deterioration of the goods as well as the risk of delay shall already pass upon delivery of the goods to the forwarding agent, the carrier or the person or institution otherwise designated to carry out the shipment. Insofar as acceptance has been agreed, this shall be decisive for the transfer of risk. In all other respects, the statutory provisions of the law on contracts for work and services shall also apply mutatis mutandis to an agreed acceptance. Handover or acceptance shall be deemed equivalent if the buyer is in default of acceptance.

(3) If the buyer is in default of acceptance, fails to cooperate or delays our delivery for other reasons for which the buyer is responsible, we are entitled to demand compensation for the resulting damage including additional expenses (e.g. storage costs).

§ 5 Prices and terms of payment

(1) Unless otherwise agreed in individual cases, our prices current at the time of conclusion of the contract shall apply, ex warehouse plus statutory value added tax.

(2) In the case of a sale by delivery to a place other than the place of performance (§ 4 para. 1), the Buyer shall bear the transport costs ex warehouse and the costs of any transport insurance requested by the Buyer. Any customs duties, fees, taxes and other public charges shall be borne by the buyer.

(3) The purchase price is due and payable within 14 days from the date of invoice and delivery or acceptance of the goods. However, we are entitled at any time, also within the framework of an ongoing business relationship, to make a delivery in whole or in part only against advance payment. We declare a corresponding reservation at the latest with the order confirmation.

(4) Upon expiry of the aforementioned payment deadline, the Buyer shall be in default. During the period of default, the purchase price shall bear interest at the applicable statutory default interest rate. We reserve the right to assert further damage caused by delay. With respect to merchants, our claim to the commercial due date interest (§ 353 HGB) remains unaffected.

(5) The Buyer shall only be entitled to rights of set-off or retention insofar as its claim has been legally established or is undisputed. In the event of defects in the delivery, the counter rights of the Buyer shall remain unaffected, in particular pursuant to § 7 para. 5 sentence 2 of these GTCS.

(6) If it becomes apparent after the conclusion of the contract (e.g. by filing for insolvency proceedings) that our claim to the purchase price is jeopardised by the buyer’s inability to pay, we shall be entitled to refuse performance in accordance with the statutory provisions and – if necessary after setting a deadline – to withdraw from the contract (§ 321 BGB). The statutory provisions on the dispensability of setting a time limit shall remain unaffected.

§ 6 Retention of title

(1) We retain title to the goods sold until full payment of all our current and future claims arising from the purchase contract and an ongoing business relationship (secured claims).

(2) The goods subject to retention of title may neither be pledged to third parties nor assigned as security before full payment of the secured claims. The buyer must inform us immediately in writing if an application is made to open insolvency proceedings or if third parties (e.g. pledges) have access to the goods belonging to us.

(3) In the event of conduct by the buyer in breach of contract, in particular non-payment of the purchase price due, we shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract in accordance with the statutory provisions or/and to demand the return of the goods on the basis of the retention of title. The demand for return does not at the same time include the declaration of withdrawal; we are rather entitled to demand only the return of the goods and to reserve the right of withdrawal. If the buyer does not pay the purchase price due, we may only assert these rights if we have previously set the buyer a reasonable deadline for payment without success or if setting such a deadline is dispensable according to the statutory provisions.

(4) Until revoked in accordance with (b) below, the Buyer is authorised to resell and/or process the goods subject to retention of title in the ordinary course of business. In this case, the following provisions shall apply in addition.

(a) The Buyer hereby assigns to us by way of security all claims against third parties arising from the resale of the goods or the product in total or in the amount of our co-ownership share, if any, pursuant to the preceding paragraph. We accept the assignment. The obligations of the buyer mentioned in para. 2 shall also apply with regard to the assigned claims.

(b) The buyer remains authorised to collect the claim in addition to us. We undertake not to collect the claim as long as the buyer meets his payment obligations towards us, there is no deficiency in his ability to pay and we do not assert the retention of title by exercising a right pursuant to para. 3. If this is the case, however, we may demand that the buyer informs us of the assigned claims and their debtors, provides all information necessary for collection, hands over the relevant documents and informs the debtors (third parties) of the assignment. Furthermore, in this case we are entitled to revoke the buyer’s authority to further sell and process the goods subject to retention of title.

(c) If the realisable value of the securities exceeds our claims by more than 10%, we shall release securities of our choice at the buyer’s request.

§ 7 Claims for defects of the buyer

(1) The statutory provisions shall apply to the rights of the Buyer in the event of material defects and defects of title (including incorrect and short delivery as well as improper assembly/installation or defective instructions), unless otherwise stipulated below. In all cases, the special statutory provisions on the reimbursement of expenses in the case of final delivery of the newly manufactured goods to a consumer (supplier’s recourse pursuant to §§ 478, 445a, 445b BGB) shall remain unaffected, unless an equivalent compensation has been agreed, e.g. within the scope of a quality assurance agreement.

(2) The basis of our liability for defects is above all the agreement reached on the quality and the presumed use of the goods (including accessories and instructions). All product descriptions and manufacturer’s specifications which are the subject of the individual contract or which were publicly announced by us (in particular in catalogues or on our Internet homepage) at the time of the conclusion of the contract shall be deemed to be an agreement on quality in this sense. Insofar as the quality has not been agreed, it is to be assessed according to the statutory regulation whether a defect exists or not (§ 434 para. 3 BGB). Public statements made by the manufacturer or on his behalf, in particular in advertising or on the label of the goods, take precedence over statements made by other third parties.

(3) As a matter of principle, we shall not be liable for defects of which the Buyer is aware at the time of conclusion of the contract or is not aware due to gross negligence (§ 442 BGB). Furthermore, the buyer’s claims for defects presuppose that he has complied with his statutory duties of inspection and notification (§§ 377, 381 HGB). If a defect becomes apparent during delivery, inspection or at any later time, we must be notified of this in writing without delay. In any case, obvious defects must be reported in writing within 7 working days from delivery and defects not recognisable during inspection within the same period from discovery. If the buyer fails to properly inspect the goods and/or give notice of defects, our liability for the defect not reported or not reported in time or not reported properly shall be excluded in accordance with the statutory provisions.

(4) If the delivered item is defective, the purchaser may initially demand, at his discretion, either rectification of the defect (subsequent improvement) or delivery of a defect-free item (replacement delivery) as subsequent performance. If the buyer does not declare which of the two rights he chooses, we may set him a reasonable deadline to do so. If the buyer does not make the choice within the period, the right of choice shall pass to us upon expiry of the period. Our right to refuse subsequent performance under the statutory conditions remains unaffected.

(5) We are entitled to make the subsequent performance owed dependent on the buyer paying the purchase price due. However, the buyer shall be entitled to retain a reasonable part of the purchase price in relation to the defect.

(6) The buyer shall give us the time and opportunity required for the subsequent performance owed, in particular to hand over the goods complained about for inspection purposes. In the event of a replacement delivery, the buyer shall return the defective item to us at our request in accordance with the statutory provisions; however, the buyer shall not have a claim for return.

(7) We shall bear or reimburse the expenses required for the purpose of inspection and subsequent performance, in particular transport, travel, labour and material costs, in accordance with the statutory provisions and these GTCS if a defect is actually present. Otherwise, we may demand reimbursement from the buyer of the costs incurred from the unjustified request to remedy the defect if the buyer knew or was negligent in not knowing that there was actually no defect.

(8) If a reasonable period to be set by the buyer for subsequent performance has expired unsuccessfully or is dispensable under the statutory provisions, the buyer may withdraw from the purchase contract or reduce the purchase price in accordance with the statutory provisions. In the case of an insignificant defect, however, there is no right of withdrawal.

(9) Claims of the buyer for damages or reimbursement of futile expenses shall also exist in the case of defects only in accordance with § 8 and are otherwise excluded.

§ 8 Other liability

(1) Insofar as nothing to the contrary arises from these GTC including the following provisions, we shall be liable in accordance with the statutory provisions in the event of a breach of contractual and non-contractual obligations.

(2) We shall be liable for damages – irrespective of the legal grounds – within the scope of fault liability in the event of intent and gross negligence. In the event of simple negligence, we shall only be liable, subject to statutory limitations of liability (e.g. care in own affairs; insignificant breach of duty), for

a) for damages resulting from injury to life, body or health,

b) for damages resulting from the breach of an essential contractual obligation (obligation, the fulfilment of which makes the proper execution of the contract possible in the first place and on the observance of which the contractual partner regularly relies and may rely); in this case, however, our liability is limited to the compensation of the foreseeable, typically occurring damage.

(3) The obligations arising from par. 2 shall also apply to third parties and in the event of breaches of duty by persons (also in their favour) for whose fault we are responsible in accordance with statutory provisions. They do not apply insofar as a defect has been fraudulently concealed or a guarantee for the quality of the goods has been assumed and for claims of the purchaser under the Product Liability Act.

(4) Due to a breach of duty that does not consist of a defect, the buyer may only withdraw from or terminate the contract if we are responsible for the breach of duty. A free right of termination of the buyer (in particular according to §§ 650, 648 BGB) is excluded. In all other respects, the statutory requirements and legal consequences shall apply.

§ 9 Limitation

(1) Notwithstanding section 438 para. 1 No. 3 BGB, the general limitation period for claims arising from material defects and defects of title is one year from delivery. Insofar as acceptance has been agreed, the limitation period shall commence upon acceptance.

(2) The above limitation periods of the law on sales also apply to contractual and non-contractual claims for damages of the buyer based on a defect of the goods, unless the application of the regular statutory limitation period (§§ 195, 199 BGB) would lead to a shorter limitation period in the individual case. Claims for damages of the buyer pursuant to. § 8 para. 2 sentence 1 and sentence 2(a) as well as under the Product Liability Act shall become time-barred exclusively in accordance with the statutory limitation periods.

§ 10 Choice of law and place of jurisdiction

(1) The law of the Federal Republic of Germany shall apply to these GTCS and the contractual relationship between us and the Buyer to the exclusion of international uniform law, in particular the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

(2) If the buyer is a merchant within the meaning of the German Commercial Code, a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law, the exclusive – also international – place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising directly or indirectly from the contractual relationship shall be our registered office in Stuttgart. The same shall apply if the buyer is an entrepreneur within the meaning of § 14 BGB. However, we are also entitled in all cases to bring an action at the place of performance of the delivery obligation in accordance with these GTCS or a prior individual agreement or at the general place of jurisdiction of the buyer. Overriding statutory provisions, in particular on exclusive competences, shall remain unaffected.