Görtz was a Hamburg-based shoe retailer founded in 1875. For nearly 150 years it was a fixture of German high-street shoe retail, operating approximately 160 stores in Germany and Austria with about 1,800 employees. The Ludwig Görtz GmbH branded itself as Germany's largest independent shoe retailer and was a familiar name in city-centre shopping across both countries.
In September 2022, Görtz filed for insolvency using protective shield proceedings (Schutzschirmverfahren) for the parent company and self-administered proceedings for its retail and logistics subsidiaries. The company blamed the Ukraine war, inflation, soaring rents, and the aftermath of the pandemic. 650 jobs were saved when investor Bolko Kissling acquired the company in July 2023, but the rescue required massive downsizing — the store network was cut from 160 to about 45 locations in Germany plus 7 in Austria. The business attempted a fresh start with a lifestyle-oriented retail concept.
The restructuring did not stick. On 20 January 2025, Görtz filed for insolvency for the second time in less than three years. The Hamburg court appointed Gideon Böhm as provisional administrator. Around 93 employees were laid off immediately as store closures began. The Austrian subsidiary, operating under the renamed GAT Retail GmbH, also filed for insolvency. Kissling remained as managing director attempting a second restructuring, but the reduced network could not generate enough revenue to cover Germany's high-street rent structure against online competition and fast-fashion footwear.
The second insolvency in three years cost 93 jobs and 45 stores, proving downsizing without fixing the model only delays collapse.
The 2023 rescue cut stores without fixing the model — 45 stores could not compete with online, discount chains, and shifting habits in a high-rent market
Two insolvencies in three years showed multi-brand shoe retail had changed — the market moved to online and fast-fashion footwear, none of which Görtz could replicate at 45 stores
The Austrian subsidiary's insolvency showed the problem was not isolated — Görtz's model was under pressure across both markets, and renaming the entity could not shake the economics
Having the investor who led the first rescue remain as managing director through the second collapse proved the turnaround had not gone far enough — cost base still exceeded revenue after downsizing
Cutting store count without addressing the gap between high-street shoe retail and modern shopping habits only buys time — if the model is structurally broken, smaller is not necessarily viable.
Görtz filed for its second insolvency on 20 January 2025 at the Hamburg District Court. Gideon Böhm was appointed provisional administrator. Around 93 employees were laid off as store closures began. The Austrian subsidiary, renamed GAT Retail GmbH, also filed for insolvency with 7 stores and nearly 60 employees. Managing director Bolko Kissling, who acquired Görtz out of its first insolvency in July 2023, remained in charge during the second proceedings. The case illustrated that a traditional multi-brand shoe retailer could not restore viability by reducing its store footprint alone.
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