Insolvency at Hammer: Customers in Prenzlau and Pasewalk affected!

Insolvency at Hammer: Customers in Prenzlau and Pasewalk affected!

The announcement by Brüder Schlau GmbH & Co KG is causing a lot of conversation in the Uckermark: the parent company of the popular specialist stores “Hammer” and “Schlau” has announced bankruptcy under self-administration. This became public on June 28, 2025 and the responsible district court has already initiated insolvency proceedings, as stated SVZ reported.

Sven Krüger, franchise partner of the Hammer markets in Prenzlau and Pasewalk, was not surprised by the bankruptcy. At the end of 2024, 24 stores across Germany had to close and many employees were laid off. In Prenzlau, the rental agreement for the market, which covers an area of ​​2,200 square meters, is also on the brink: the termination was already given on September 30, 2025.

Challenges for retail

Retail is under pressure – sales are declining. Large chains are increasingly concentrating on metropolitan areas and at the same time fighting against competition from the Internet. Krüger also notices a reversal trend in the sales ratio: it used to be 70% box office sales, but now 70% order sales dominate. Despite these difficulties, he is not giving up: he plans to continue running the specialist stores in Prenzlau and Pasewalk as an independent managing director, independent of “Hammer”.

The significant changes in the location concept cannot be overlooked either. Krüger notes that the current location in Prenzlau is no longer up to date and the trend is towards smaller specialist stores. However, negotiations about dividing the sales area in Prenzlau to create two separate stores are going slowly. He wants to continue to fulfill his obligations to suppliers for all current orders.

The look forward

A clearance sale at the Hammer specialist store in Prenzlau begins on June 30th. In addition, Krüger is looking for a new location in the Uckermark district town in order to maintain supply to customers. At the Pasewalk location, where everything seems stable, nothing is expected to change for the time being - the economic basis here can be assessed as stable.

The current developments are part of a larger wave in retail that is not only evident in Brandenburg. Loud Statista There were around 110,200 bankruptcies in Germany in 2023, which is 31,000 fewer than in 2013. Service companies were particularly affected, 59% of which had to file for bankruptcy. This situation also demands jobs: The Brüder Schlau group of companies from Holtrup is planning to organizationally separate the Hammer and Schlau brands, which will probably lead to a reduction in workforce. Specific figures have not yet been published, but social security has been developed for affected employees in other locations.

For Krüger and its markets, the hope remains that the new store will open seamlessly by October 1st in order to continue to support customers with products. The situation now requires a lot of skill and perseverance. These are times when every euro counts and every store shows its customers that it can be a reliable partner even in difficult times.