The decline of the insolvent drugstore chain schlecker continues. Three markets in hammelburg (bahnhofstrabe), oberthulba (hammelburger strabe) and wildflecken (bischofsheimer strabe) are affected by the latest wave of closures. You have on saturday, 24. Marz, opened for the last time, said district manager marion mildenberger. Final sale to begin immediately.
The bad kissingen branch on the market square will be retained. The number of customers was limited on wednesday, and the shelves were fuller earlier. "We are glad and we are happy that it is going on", said a staff member who does not wish to be named. She and her two colleagues did not know what to do next.
"Preliminary final"
This applies to all 110 women, whose boss is marion mildenberger. If "their" branch schliebe, don't be told you're losing your job. A social plan is being worked out for those who have been made redundant.
This was also said by schlecker spokesman alexander guttler. Those affected and employee representatives were informed of the planned closures by fax on tuesday: "unfortunately, we have to inform you today that, according to the preliminary status, your sales outlet will be closed on the 24th of this month". March 2012 will be closed". It was stated that this did not automatically mean that the shop would be closed.
On wednesday, schlecker published a 40-page list of the more than 2,000 stores that will be shut down in just a few days. Guttler described it as "preliminarily final". There could be still other changes.
Union secretary peter konig (ver.Di) called the list "flawed and a bit shraggy". He sharply criticized company founder anton schlecker, his treatment of employees and the business model. Although a cleanup was necessary, the closure of every second branch is now imminent. Once again, lower franconia was severely affected, after the district had already bled in the past.
Among other things, markets in bad kissingen, hammelburg, euerdorf, elfershausen and oerlenbach have long been closed. Preserved – for the time being? – those in munnerstadt, bad bruckenau, mabbach and poppenlauer.
Hope until the end
Schlecker customers in hammelburg are informed by red posters. After the abandonment of the store in the marketplace in 2011, the death throb for the remaining store now follows. "That's a pity.", says elisabeth young. Together with her son mitchell she will buy daily necessities there. For her, the store closures are not least due to the fact that another drugstore chain has recently settled on the outskirts of the city center.
A young mother is horrified: "for me, it was only a few meters to fub here. Here I can find everything I need for our family's physical care." The three permanent employees obviously found out about the closure on tuesday evening.
Three employees are also affected in wildflecken. "We are very sad. We had hope until the very end", says the branch manager. She has been working at schlecker for 17 years, her two colleagues for 15.
"It is sad and regrettable that the state does not help", thinks barbara schmidt (78) from wildflecken. Mayor alfred schrenk (SPD) is also dismayed: "the closure is regrettable. Every lost opportunity is a loss" but the head of the town hall does not expect any major repercussions.
"We suspected it would come to an end. But we didn't expect it to happen so quickly", says sebastian hauke, store manager at the neighboring rewe supermarket. The chain is very interested in the flatness. Negotiations were underway with the landlord.