Overview
- Depot owner GDC Deutschland GmbH filed for insolvency in self-administration, and the Aschaffenburg court ordered preliminary oversight with Frankfurt lawyer Thomas Rittmeister as provisional trustee.
- CEO Christian Gries said the chain will keep trading and try to preserve as many stores as possible, and he warned more closures are likely as talks with landlords and a concept review get underway.
- This marks a second insolvency within a short span after a 2024 process that shrank the network from about 400 locations to roughly 150 in Germany and around 30 in Austria.
- Gries cited tariffs, rising pressure from online platforms such as Temu, and weak consumer demand as key reasons the business has come under renewed strain.
- Trade reports describe rent arrears late last year, about 30 stores still losing money, and an estimated €16 million capital need, while concrete restructuring steps and any new funding have not been disclosed.