Around 1200 employees affected
Hussel, Eilles and Arko are said to have filed for bankruptcy
February 2, 2024, 6:08 p.m
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According to a media report, the confectionery retailers Hussel, Eilles and Arko, which belong to the German Confiserie Group, have filed for bankruptcy. This is not the first insolvency proceedings for the companies.
According to a media report, the three confectionery retailers Hussel GmbH, J. Eilles GmbH & Co. KG and Arko GmbH have filed for bankruptcy. This was reported by “Wirtschaftswoche” with reference to information from the Norderstedt district court in Schleswig-Holstein. According to the report, a total of around 1,200 people worked in the three companies.
As early as 2021, the three companies belonging to the Deutsche Confiserie Group, based in Wahlstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, had gone through insolvency proceedings under self-administration in the wake of the Corona crisis, but were able to be saved at the time. The three brands sell cookies, chocolates and various chocolate items. Arko also sells coffee in more than 100 branches in northern Germany.
Arko and Eilles took over Hussel in September 2018. The merger should bring “attractive economies of scale” and form a “foundation for shared growth”. Arko was founded in 1948 in Wahlstedt, Hussel in 1949 in Hagen. Eilles took over Arko from JJ Darboven in 2016. The Eilles brand is apparently not affected by the insolvency proceedings, according to “Wirtschaftswoche”. It belongs to the Darboven coffee group. The Eilles retail chain, which runs under the group’s umbrella alongside Arko and Hussel, is the licensee of the brand.
In recent months, retailers have lost sales due to consumers’ reluctance to buy, reports “Wirtschaftswoche” with reference to the corporate environment. Accordingly, the Christmas business was also unsatisfactory for the companies.
Employees’ wages and salaries are now secured for three months through insolvency benefits. According to the media report, the provisional insolvency administrator will initially try to stabilize business operations, save the important Easter business and find a buyer for the company or parts of it.