Wertkauf

Wertkauf was a German retail group that had 21 markets until its takeover by the US supermarket chain Wal-Mart in 1997. The group's head office was in Karlsruhe.

Wertkauf Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH[1]
TypeGmbH
Founded1958
Defunct1997
FateSold to Wal-Mart
Headquarters
Karlsruhe
Key people
Hugo Mann (Until 1989)
Johannes Mann (From 1989)
Revenue€1.5 billion
Number of employees
about 6,000

History

The first branch opened in 1958 in Karlsruhe. However, no food was initially offered on a sales area of about 3,500 m2. Even before the mid-1960s, The shop was a full-range supplier. In 1966, a value purchase center with 3,500 m2 was opened in Freiburg. The new Karlsruhe shopping center from the middle of the decade was almost completely destroyed on 26 August 1969 during one of the worst major fires in the history of the city. After that it was rebuilt in the same place and slightly enlarged.

Eight years later, the second sales office in Freiburg was opened, covering an area of 6,000 square metres. In 1968, the company built the largest European self-service department store in Munich Euro-Industriepark with a sales area of 13,500 m2. Among the innovations was the storage in high shelves directly in the markets; also during the opening hours the goods were handled by forklift.[2]

To date, the chain has generated annual sales of up to 1.5 billion euros with approximately 6,000 employees [3]

Owner was Hugo Mann (and his wife Rosmarie, née Porst), who had also founded the furniture chain Mann Mobilia, from which value was later developed and then split off.

Sales

In 1997, the value-buying markets were sold to the American retail chain Walmart. After economic failure, the entire German business of Walmart was sold to the Metro Group in 2006, the former value-purchase centers are continued under the brand real and due to the ongoing dismantling reals (as of August 2021) to other competitors.

With retroactive effect from 1 July 2005, the furniture chain Mann Mobilia in Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Wiesbaden, Dreieich, Ludwigsburg, Freiburg and Eschborn was also taken over by the Austrian XXXLutz Group with headquarters in Wels. In the course of the takeover, the headquarters in Karlsruhe was dissolved.

Former Locations
  • Bremen, Duckwitzstraße 55 (dort später Einkaufspark Duckwitz[3] mit real, zukünftig Marktkauf[4][5])
  • Darmstadt, Eschollbrücker Straße (dort später real, zukünftig Marktkauf[4][6])
  • Dortmund-Oespel, Wulfshofstraße (im Einkaufszentrum und Gewerbegebiet "Indupark" mit real, zukünftig Kaufland[4])
  • Dreieich-Sprendlingen (Kreis Offenbach), Robert-Bosch-Straße (dort später real)
  • Freiburg, Gundelfinger Straße (dort später real)
  • Heidenau (bei Dresden), Hauptstraße 1–3 (dort später real)
  • Gießen, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße (dort später real, seit Oktober 2021 Kaufland)
  • Groß-Gerau, Mainzer Straße (dort später real)
  • Ingelheim, Nahe-Ring (dort später real)
  • Karlsruhe, Durlacher Allee (dort später Durlach Center mit real, zukünftig Kaufland[4])
  • Maintal-Dörnigheim (bei Frankfurt), Wingertstraße 39–43 (dort später real, Schließung zum 30. September 2021[4])
  • Mainz-Weisenau, Weberstraße (als real 2015 geschlossen, als Edeka Scheck-In Center 2016 wiedereröffnet)
  • Mannheim, Spreewaldallee (dort später EKZ Kurpfalz-Zentrum mit real, zukünftig Globus[4])
  • München, Euro-Industriepark (dort später V-Markt)
  • Oststeinbek (bei Hamburg), Willinghusener Weg (dort später real)
  • Raunheim, Flörsheimer Straße (dort später real, heute E center Haller)
  • Sulzbach, Main-Taunus-Zentrum
  • Siegen, Eiserfelder Straße (dort später real, zukünftig Globus[4])
  • Wetzlar, Südstadt, Hörnsheimer Eck (dort später real, Schließung zum 31. Januar 2022[4])
  • Wiesbaden, Äppelallee 69 (dort später real)
  • Wiesbaden, Mainzer Straße 110 (dort später real, Schließung zum 31. Januar 2022[4])
  • Würzburg, Nürnberger Straße (Eröffnung am 30. September 1976,[7] dort später real[4])

References
  1. "DPMAregister | Marken - Registerauskunft". Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  2. "How man makes millions", Time, July 23, 1971
  3. Einkaufspark Duckwitz Bremen
  4. "Standortabgaben". real-markt.de (in German). 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  5. Schwiegershausen, Florian (2021-06-02). "In Habenhausen and Duckwitzstrasse: Real becomes market purchase - WESER-KURIER" (in German). Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  6. Echo Zeitungen GmbH (2021-08-06). "Real in Darmstadt wird Marktkauf" (in German). Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  7. Gerald Langer, Reinhart Lutz: Aus einer Betriebserkundung der Klasse 11b im Rahmen des Erdkundeunterrichts. In: Josef Brecht (Hrsg.): Friedrich-Koenig-Gymnasium Würzburg. Jahresbericht 1976/77. Würzburg 1977, S. 54–56.
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