Overview
- The Amtsgericht Essen approved Hellweg’s request to enter insolvency in self-administration and appointed restructuring expert Stefan Denkhaus to oversee the process.
- All 68 Hellweg stores in Germany and the online shop remain open for now, while about 2,900 Hellweg employees will receive three months of insolvency pay from the Federal Employment Agency.
- The proceedings also cover 46 Baywa Bau & Garten locations in southern Germany, affecting roughly 1,300 employees and prompting separate viability checks for those sites.
- Company statements and reporting cite a mix of external pressures—falling consumer spending, higher energy and operating costs, supply-chain strains and a weak construction market—and internal weaknesses such as late digitalisation and lost purchasing-group benefits.
- The self-administration route gives management room to restructure, seek investors and evaluate which stores can remain viable, but final decisions on closures or sales have not been announced and jobs remain at risk.