Hellweg hardware stores are closing in droves: clearance sales with a 50% discount!

Hellweg hardware stores are closing in droves: clearance sales with a 50% discount!

The hardware store chain Hellweg is currently causing a stir in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) because it is closing a total of ten branches in Germany. Seven locations in North Rhine-Westphalia are affected. The closed markets include branches in Duisburg, Oberhausen, Bonn-Duisdorf, Werl and Münster. Markets are also being closed in Hanau, Berlin-Weißensee and Halle/Saale. This is reported by wa.de.

The background to these measures is falling sales and a change in strategy in order to better adapt to changing market conditions. This was announced by the company management, which internally described the closures as a “liberation strike”. In particular, the opening of a new Hornbach store is seen as a major competitor that will put pressure on the existing locations. A spokeswoman for the company said in Duisburg that employees should be informed about the closures earlier.

Clearance sale and employee takeover

A clearance sale is already underway in several of the affected branches, which has been well received by customers. The discounts range between 10 and 50 percent, which attracts many do-it-yourselfers to the stores. There are also corresponding promotions on the company website that customers can experience. The closures are a shock for many employees. In Werl, for example, the flow of customers is noticeable through the sales, which only further strengthens the deal.

The company spokeswoman emphasized that the majority of employees whose branches will be closed will continue to be employed in surrounding Hellweg locations. Trainees are even taken on in their entirety. In total, Hellweg employs around 4,000 people and operates 95 stores in Germany and Austria. However, it remains unclear how many employees are specifically affected by the closures in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Market analysis and sales

The closures come at a time when the entire hardware store industry in Germany is under pressure. The total sales of the six largest companies in this industry fell by 0.7 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, totaling 19.533 billion euros. The reasons for this are global crises and unfavorable weather conditions. While some large chains such as Bauhaus and Hornbach have recorded moderate sales growth, others such as Rewe and Hagebau are struggling with negative figures. This shows that the industry as a whole is facing greater challenges, which also applies to Hellweg, according to handelsdaten.de.

The situation surrounding Hellweg is causing the company to reduce its branch network by at least nine locations. A clear sign that a lot has to change in the DIY market landscape in order to survive in the tough competition, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the competition is anything but sleeping. The DIY store chains are faced with the task of adapting not only to the challenges of the market, but also to the wishes of customers in order to continue to do good business in the future, observes ruhr24.