Düsseldorf's Kaufhof on Schadowstrasse faces potential shutdown
In a challenging retail landscape, Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, a renowned German department store chain, is navigating through significant restructuring efforts. The company has faced rising energy prices and waning consumer demand, leading to potential store closures and job losses.
As of June 2025, Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof originally planned to close 16 locations by the end of August 2025. However, after negotiations with landlords, six more locations were saved, reducing the closures to ten. The saved locations include Berlin-Spandau, Köln Breite Straße, Mainz, Mannheim, Oldenburg, and Würzburg, securing around 500 additional jobs.
The exact number of job losses and affected locations for July 2023 and January 2024 remains unclear from the available search results. Historical press releases or company statements from that time would be necessary for precise data.
However, the broader trend involves department stores worldwide facing closures and restructuring efforts. Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, specifically, has been going through an insolvency process and has seen changes in ownership and operational strategies.
The company's chairman, René Benko, has not commented on the job losses. In contrast, Sigrid Wolf, the regional chairperson of the DGB Düsseldorf-Bergisch Land, has expressed solidarity with the employees, stating that they are paying the price for serious management mistakes. Wolf has emphasised the communal political relevance of the branch closures, often leading to a further decline of inner cities.
Wolf has also highlighted the importance of securing employees' social security, stating that every job should be fought for. In a demonstration of solidarity, a paper-mâché effigy of Benko was rolled out before a building, and employees were allowed to hit it with oversized boxing gloves.
In October 2020, the Kaufhof branch at Wehrhahn was demolished, serving as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by the company. By March 13, 2023, Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof announced the closure of 52 out of 129 stores.
By July 30, 2023, branches in Celle, Coburg, Cottbus, Duisburg, Erlangen, Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, Hamburg-Wandsbek, Hamburg-Harburg, Leipzig Neumarkt, Leverkusen, Munich Central Station, Neuss, Nuremberg, Nuremberg-Langwasser, Offenbach, Paderborn, Regensburg Neupfarrplatz, Saarbrücken, Siegen, and Wiesbaden are scheduled to close. By January 31, 2024, the branches in Bayreuth, Berlin-Charlottenburg, Berlin-Muellerstraße, Bielefeld, Braunschweig, Bremen, Darmstadt, Dortmund, Düsseldorf Schadowstraße, Essen, Esslingen, Frankfurt Zeil, Hanau, Heidelberg Bismarckplatz, Hildesheim, Kempten, Krefeld, Leonberg, Limburg, Lübeck, Mönchengladbach, Oldenburg, Pforzheim, Reutlingen, Rosenheim, Rostock, Schweinfurt, Siegburg, Stuttgart-Eberhardt-Straße, Viernheim, and Wuppertal are set to close.
Wolf has made it clear that the active employees will fight for every job, expressing hope that it may still be possible to prevent the closure of branches. The management of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof has not commented on this aspect yet. The closures could put around 5,000 jobs at risk.
In the midst of financial turbulence and industry-wide struggles, department stores, such as Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, face controversies, including significant restructuring and potential store closures. These closures could impact thousands of retail business employees, as seen by the potential job losses facing up to 5,000 workers in Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof.
