Kaufland closes branch in Albstadt: 100 jobs in danger!

Kaufland closes branch in Albstadt: 100 jobs in danger!

In a surprising turn, Kaufland announced the closure of his branch in Albstadt-Ebingen, Baden-Württemberg. This decision makes between 70 and 100 employees who will lose their workplace by the end of January 2026. Customers are faced with the challenge of finding alternative shopping or taking longer paths to other Kaufland branches, such as Ruhr24 reported.

The branch in Kientenstrasse is closed due to a planned renovation, which is expected to take three to four years. This closure is part of a broader strategy that also includes the opening of new markets in cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants. However, details on these new locations have not yet been announced. Kaufland is currently operating 781 branches in Germany, including two new markets that were opened in Brandenburg an der Havel and Heiligenhaus in June 2025.

hygiene scandals throw shadows

The announcement to close covers with a worrying hygiene scandal that brought Kaufland into the headlines. In April 2025, a branch in Homburg was closed due to serious hygiene defects, which is correlated with a comprehensive examination of "Team Wallraff". Over 80% of the branches tested showed inadequate hygiene standards. This can be seen in the form of dirty cooling shelves and even faecal bacteria on chicken meat, such as the Euro Weekly News determined.

In total, more than 50 branches were visited by the reporters undercover, which led to an outcry by consumers and numerous negative comments on social media. Many customers said that they no longer want to buy from Kaufland.

reactions of Kaufland

In response to the allegations, Kaufland presented a 5-point plan that provides for an investment of 500 million euros to improve the situation. The measures include the annual upgrading of the cooling units, thorough cleaning of all branches and training of the staff in relation to freshness freshness and hygiene. In addition, qualified fresh coaches are to be used at the fresh counters to establish new standards.

Kaufland plans to renovate the branch in Hamburg over the next six months and the one in Bad Tölz will also be closed at short notice for necessary adjustments. These steps are part of a larger quality TÜVS to avoid similar incidents in the future. The market management is also replaced to bring a breath of fresh wind to corporate management, such as IT-BOLTWISE

The CEO of Kaufland, Jochen Kratz, commented concernly about the findings of the investigation and emphasized that they do not meet the standards of the company. Despite the challenges, Kaufland remains a leading provider in the industry with the hope of regaining the trust of customers and successfully bridging the time until the affected branches are reopened.