The insolvent clothing provider Gerry Weber International GmbH hopes for a restart with new donors: inside. In any case, the company will have to give up its traditional headquarters in the Westphalian Halle of Hall.
As part of the preliminary insolvency proceedings, the provisional creditor committee “continued to continue negotiations with two interested parties in the current investor process and to lead to a result promptly,” said the company on Wednesday in a statement and thus confirmed previous media reports. The two interested parties are “ready to continue the business of the women’s fashion manufacturer – in a structure adapted to the current market conditions – and to acquire the corresponding trademark rights”.
Even if the negotiations should lead to success, Gerry Weber cannot avoid serious cuts. Both interested parties had made it clear that “the management of the business would in any case be carried out by a location other than the Halle/Westphalia headquarters,” said the company. “Against this background, the management will take measures to the task of the Halle location, on which 281 employees are currently working.” The clothing provider had already sold the property in which its headquarters are housed, and since then rented rooms there.
The employees affected by the closure were informed about this step on Tuesday, said Gerry Weber. The management will now take on “talks with the works council”.
The roof company of the clothing provider had filed for bankruptcy in March
Gerry Weber International GmbH as the umbrella company of the group had to register bankruptcy in mid -March. Christian Gerloff, who had been appointed to the management as a renovation expert, had not to be compensated for financially.
In the period that followed, numerous subsidiaries also slipped into bankruptcy, including the state companies in the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. In Belgium, according to information from Fashionunited, the auction house Aucim will start the clearance sale of the previous Gerry Weber branches in the coming week.