Overview
- Reports from regional outlets say the Billie Lucky Group, owner of 2 Brüder, has filed for insolvency and the case was first reported by the Rheinische Post.
- The flagship Venlo supermarket and a branch in Siebengewald remain open for now as retail operations continue under company control.
- Company CEO Bart Rehe attributes the collapse to heavy COVID-19–era debts and costly pre-pandemic renovation work that reduced sales before the pandemic.
- An appointed insolvency administrator will now decide the next steps for each location, with options that typically include restructuring, sale of assets, or closure.
- 2 Brüder draws large numbers of German shoppers and about 80,000 weekly visitors to Venlo, so any closures could hurt local footfall, traders and cross-border retail traffic.