[ad_1]
Cologne –
Kaufhof and Karstadt have been fighting for a merger for years now things are getting serious: the Canadian owner of Kaufhof, the Hudson & # 39; s Bay Company (HBC) and the owner of Karstadt, Signa, have signed an important letter of intent. This means that Kaufhof, Karstadt and Karstadt Sport merge into a joint venture. Kaufhof is to bring in its 96 department stores, Karstadt operates homes at 79 locations. There is also "center des bons affaires". The brand "Galeria Kaufhof" should remain for the moment.
Signa takes 51% of the planned joint venture. Operational management is to take over Karstadt, currently more successful than the red writing Kaufhof. Nothing is sealed, the experts are currently reviewing each other's books.
The companies did not want to comment on the plans. According to "Wirtschaftswoche", the head office should not be located at the headquarters of Karstadt in Essen, but be – as previously Kaufhof – in Cologne or at another place in NRW.
Trading circles talk about "less than 15 branches" [19659007] Employees and customers have to adapt to drastic cuts. In bargaining circles, we talk about "less than 15 branches" to close. On the other hand, trade expert Gerrit Heinemann expects that many more houses will be closed. Since the merger does not lead to new sales, the new Warenhaus AG is expected to reduce costs.
"In the places where Karstadt and Kaufhof are, the department stores are closing," says Heinemann. Thus, about 30 homes are threatened with closure. There are double pitches in Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach. In addition, Heinemann sees up to 6,000 at-risk jobs. According to bargaining circles, administration, computer logistics and purchasing should be combined
Andreas Pinkwart (FDP), Minister of Economic Affairs of NRW, calls on companies not to leave their cities Deserts: "That's why companies are in demand We can and want to invest sustainably in the modernization of department stores," Pinkwart told our publishers.
The Verdi union demands quick clarity from the owners. "Once this has clarified their case, we will begin discussions to find rules that protect the interests of employees of both companies," said Bernhard Franke, who is negotiating for Verdi with Kaufhof on a restructuring collective agreement. Karstadt, on the other hand, left the collective agreement some time ago.
[ad_2]
Source link
