The retail group Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof is withdrawing from Halle. “While we completely rebuilt three branches last year, (…) there are other major projects pending this year, we have to close the branch,” wrote a spokeswoman for the group on Friday. One is in coordination with the social partners regarding the possibilities for the employees. According to media reports, both houses on the market square should be closed from the beginning of 2023. The “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung” had previously reported.
The retail giant is considered financially ailing. The group was recently granted state aid in the hundreds of millions. It is the second time that the company created by the merger of the traditional companies Karstadt and Kaufhof has had to resort to state aid during the pandemic. At the beginning of 2021, the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF) helped the department store group with a loan of 460 million euros. (dpa)