D üsseldorf – Karstadt owner Nicolas Berggruen are at: The once acclaimed as the savior financial investor sold the ailing department store chain for only one euro to the real estate investor Rene Benko .
Already at the beginning of next week should the Austrians take control of the 83 branches, as Benko’s Signa Holding and the Berggruen Holdings announced on Friday. Also Berggruen’s remaining stake in Karstadt premium department stores and Karstadt Sports and brand names go to Signa.
The German-Americans had Karstadt in 2010 also the for the symbolic price of one euro from insolvency taken. In an “image” interview admitted Berggruen error in the management of Karstadt. At the same time, however, he rejected accusations of having enriched themselves at the company. “The fact is: Karstadt for us was not good business, not only in financial terms but also with regard to my reputation in Germany,” he said. With its complete exit he wanted to make way for a new beginning. “We all know that things can not go on,” he said.
The new owner has Signa after presentation of Berggruen Holdings so far invested around 200 million euros in Karstadt and thus a clear commitment to the future of the company filed. The managing director of Signa Retail GmbH, tungsten wedge, said given the recent commitment, the complete takeover of the Karstadt department store GmbH in the current situation is the “logical consequence”. The Federal Cartel Office must approve the deal yet. Was
primary goal now that einkehre in the department store group rest and the next steps of a viable recovery strategy promptly advise would be adopted and implemented. Karstadt had to “get out of the media and the grueling public discussion,” said Wedge. Karstadt is in crisis for a long time. The company is struggling with red ink and declining sales.
On Thursday next week the Karstadt Supervisory Board will advise you according to current plans on a restructuring plan. Medium term, 15 to 20 houses are closed, wrote the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in the evening in its online edition, citing the environment Benko. Before this to happen, the new owner but would examine at Karstadt house by house on profitability. A Signa spokesman did not comment on the report dpa request in the evening. The “SZ” information, according to Benko will be valid for ten years or more and invest in the company. He plans to bring brand dealers as additional tenants in most Karstadt stores and remodel to major shopping centers
Supervisory Board Chairman Stephan Fanderl announced a tough restructuring program a month ago. Everything needed for Karstadt be put to the test. The company is doing “legitimate concerns about the profitability” of more than 20 stores, Fanderl had the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” told. But concrete closure decisions give it yet.
employee representatives held Berggruen goodbye in no uncertain terms omissions before. “Nicolas Berggruen and his representatives have failed in a rescue of Karstadt voluntarily in recent years,” said Verdi national board member Stefanie Nutzenberger in a statement. Instead of investing in Karstadt, Mr. Berggruen have destroyed more than 2,000 jobs and capital drawn from the company. “The employees have been bitterly disappointed by this alleged social Investor Berggruen,” Nutzenberger said.
The union Verdi hopes that the new Karstadt owner the “thousands of employees is a real chance “. Benko must immediately present and show that he was willing to invest adequately in the company his future concept for Karstadt, demanded the employee representatives in a statement. At the same time, they reaffirmed their demands for location and employment guarantees. The department store chain currently has 17,000 employees
Benko had the majority of the most lucrative parts of the company last year -. The sports stores and premium stores like the KaDeWe – secured. As part of the acquisition Berggruen also give its remaining minority interests in these sectors from, it said in the statement, as its investments in individual Karstadt real estate.
The federal government asked the new Karstadt owner René Benko to take into account the interests of the 17,000 employees adequately. “Our appeal to the new investor can be in the moment only the employee to participate fully,” said a spokesman for the Federal Minister of Labour Nahles (SPD).
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