Görtz — Hamburg shoe retailer filed for second insolvency in three years

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.