At the end of April, furniture visionary Michael Eck died unexpectedly at the age of 71. The founder of the “Laundry” in Hamburg shaped the success story of the unusual furniture store for years. Now the company is filing for bankruptcy.
Just a few weeks ago, the founder of perhaps Hamburg’s most unusual furniture store died. Now there is sad news again from “The Laundry”. The company has filed for bankruptcy. What’s next for the furniture store and the employees?
At the end of April, furniture visionary Michael Eck died unexpectedly at the age of 71. The store, headquartered at Mexicoring in City Nord, is a paradise for everyone who loves unusual furniture and accessories. From the colorful sofa to the designer lamps to the tray with koi decorations – there was not an item in the “laundry” that the boss hadn’t personally approved. Celebrities like Sylvie Meis, Mirja Neven Du Mont and Ina Müller also stocked up here. The “laundry” was a success story for many years, but last year sales fell dramatically.
Last Friday, the “Laundry” filed for insolvency proceedings. Jennie Best from Hamburg is the provisional insolvency administrator. She and a team of experts are now examining the company’s financial situation.
“The primary goal of opening insolvency proceedings is to enable a sustainable restructuring of the company. This can be achieved through various measures, such as continuing business operations, developing a restructuring plan or looking for investors. This also applies in this case,” says Jennie Best, partner at the Hamburg law firm Reimer.
At the moment, no concrete statements can be made about the company’s long-term prospects. This will be clarified in the coming weeks and months as part of ongoing analysis.
Important for all fans of the “laundry”: Business operations will continue as normal. The salaries of the 48 employees are also covered by the insolvency benefit.
The late founder loved design and lifestyle. In 1974 he opened his first shop, the “Tractor” record store on Eppendorfer Landstrasse. He had already designed the facility himself back then. In the 90s, Michael Eck sold the “Tractor”, first became a salesman in the “Laundry”, then on the Osterbek Canal, and finally took over the furniture business. When the ensemble had to be demolished in 2012, the furniture store moved to its current location in City North.
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The original of this article “After the surprising death of furniture visionary: well-known Hamburg furniture store is insolvent” comes from Mopo.