Globus closes branches in NRW: Kaufland takes over! Drama in the supermarket!

On January 7, 2025, the SB-Warenhaus Globus announced that several branches are closed in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The affected locations are Wesel, Bedburg, Essen and Chemnitz. The location in Wesel will be closed on January 31, 2025, while the branch in Bedburg will close its doors on January 4, 2025. A closure for the middle of 2025 is planned for the locations in Essen and Chemnitz, but more detailed data are still unknown.

Kaufland will take over the locations of Globus, which is a strategic realignment of the company. Globus had previously taken over some locations of the insolvent department store chain Real and is now forced to make these closures. The location in Wesel was only renovated before the opening in spring 2023. The family -run company Globus was founded in St. Wendel, Saarland in 1828 and currently operates over 50 locations in Germany with a wide range of products.

causes and background of the closings

According to a comprehensive research, Globus sold a total of five branches to Kaufland. These locations are Bedburg, Chemnitz, Essen, Neubrandenburg and Wesel. However, the sale must still be approved by the Federal Cartel Office. Globus, which now acts with a total of 65 branches in Germany, sees itself towards economic challenges. The customer acceptance of the sales concept was less than expected, which prompted the group to finally close them.

All jobs should be preserved according to the new operator. In recent years, Globus has made considerable investments in the renovation of the real locations taken over, a total of almost 20 million euros. But since the acquisition of the former real branches, the company has experienced an economic decline, which now leads to these drastic measures. While Kaufland has already been discussed as a potential buyer, industry experts see these restructuring as necessary.