Aachener, the German fashion house, is wound down after an overextended expansion

aachener – das Modehaus was a German fashion retail chain operating clothing houses across the country, focused on women's and men's fashion in the premium price segment. It was a relatively young chain that grew quickly by taking over space in former Galeria Kaufhof locations after that department-store group withdrew.

The district court in Dortmund opened insolvency proceedings on 1 March 2024. The chain had taken on six former Galeria locations, and the insolvency administrator first planned a continuation in lightly changed form, even opening four new sales branches. But the market environment stayed difficult, customers held back, and no investor could be found.

The business was wound down: two outlet locations in Dortmund and Frankfurt had already closed at the end of February 2024, and the remaining branches were shut after the decision to end the business was made on 26 June 2024. The founder and former managing director, Friedrich-Wilhelm Göbel, had gone missing and was wanted on an arrest warrant over allegations of concealment of assets, and the company was linked to a suspected fraud case.