Kodi

Mäc Geiz Files for Insolvency, Store Closures Possible

The German non‑food discounter Mäc Geiz (Mäc Geiz Handelsgesellschaft mbH) has filed for insolvency in self-administration at the Amtsgericht Halle (Saale), per the public insolvency notices. The filing also affects MTH Retail Services (Germany) GmbH; lawyer Lucas Flöther was appointed as the provisional insolvency administrator. The chain operates roughly 180 stores (mainly in East Germany) and employs about 1,200 people; business operations are to continue initially while all locations are reviewed for profitability and potential closures. Employees will receive insolvency pay for three months. The company cited weak consumer demand, rising living costs and the cancellation of its trade credit insurance as reasons. Kodi Beteiligungs GmbH recently acquired many Mäc Geiz outlets in February; previous owner was MTH Retail Group.

German Retail Stores Fall Below 300,000

Germany’s brick-and-mortar retail sector continues to shrink: the Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE) estimates the number of physical stores will drop below 300,000 this year and forecasts a further decline to about 296,600 in 2026 (‑4,900). Since reunification the total has never been under 300,000; end-2015 there were ~372,000 stores. The pandemic accelerated closures; recent years saw large annual drops (e.g., 11,500 in 2021, 11,000 in 2022). HDE reports online retail grew real +3.5% in 2025 while in-store sales stagnated. Insolvencies in retail rose to 2,571 in 2025 (Allianz Trade), up from 2,291 the prior year, with insolvency cases including Görtz, Gerry Weber, Wormland and Eterna. HDE president Alexander von Preen warned of visible inner-city vacancies and urged political action on energy and labor costs. The retail sector’s annual trade-real-estate congress meets in Berlin this week, with Parliamentary State Secretary Sabine Poschmann among attendees.