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Insolvency shock: Hammer closes 66 branches – thousands of jobs at risk!
Brüder Schlau GmbH is planning to close 66 Hammer branches, including Zwickau. There is a risk of insolvency and job losses.
Insolvency shock: Hammer closes 66 branches – thousands of jobs at risk!
In a dark turn for retail in Germany, the Brüder Schlau GmbH & Co KG group plans to close 66 branches of the Hammer furniture chain. This means that numerous employees are at risk of losing their jobs. Mercury reports that the company, which employs around 3,900 people, filed for self-administration insolvency at the Bielefeld district court in June 2025.
Of the approximately 180 Hammer stores spread across the country, the closures are primarily expected in North Rhine-Westphalia and other federal states. Affected cities include Münster, Bielefeld, and Krefeld, while some markets such as those in Fulda and Zwickau are also on the closure list.
Affected employees and locations
The closures are the result of tough negotiations with investors and are expected to take effect as early as October 1, 2025. However, a closure date of the end of the year has been announced for the Delmenhorst location. This creates a lot of uncertainty among employees, who wonder whether there may be clearance sales in their stores.
Also reported Ruhr24 that in addition to the Hammer markets, 50 of more than 60 Schlau craft markets are also facing closure. This affects another 850 employees. This means that a total of almost 4,000 employees in the companies are worried about their jobs.
Brüder Schlau GmbH and market developments
Brüder Schlau GmbH was founded in Minden in 1921 and operates the Hammer brand, which is aimed at private customers, in contrast to the Schlau markets, which are aimed at craft businesses. So far, a strategic partner has only been found for a fifth of the craft markets, which puts an additional strain on the overall situation. Meanwhile, discussions with potential investors continue.
The insolvencies of these companies come in the context of a continuing increase in corporate insolvencies in Germany. IFM Bonn notes that the number of corporate bankruptcies will rise again in 2024 and the causes lie in ongoing economic crises and challenges.
The coming months are crucial for affected employees and consumers in the regions where the closures are taking place. Official confirmation of the closures is still pending, but the effects are already clearly noticeable. How the situation continues remains to be seen, and both customers and employees are hoping for positive news.