“Everything was tried to preserve the Delka/Salamander locations and a supposedly reliable partner in Germany was found in the form of Görtz,” explains Rainer Schrems, Managing Director of Schuhquadrat GmbH, in a statement from the law firm Singer, Kessler & Partner. Görtz did take over old Delka/Salamander branches and opened shops there. However, the agreed purchase price for these branches was never paid, nor was the rent due. In addition to the restructuring proceedings in which Delka/Salamander is represented by Paul Kessler, criminal charges against Görtz and his representatives are also to be investigated. “We, the creditors of Delka/Salamander and many employees, are stunned,” explains Rainer Schrems in the statement, adding: “I have been in the restructuring business for many years, but I have never experienced anything like this before.”
Last summer, Langenfelder-based Ara AG sold the Salamander and Delka shoe chains in Austria to Rainer Schrems. 37 stores were to be closed after the takeover, affecting 300 employees, including 200 Salamander and 100 Delka employees. Schrems is the manager of Salomo Company Solutions GmbH, a company that specializes in the restructuring of retail companies.
In autumn last year, the last Salamander branch closed in Vienna. Delka also left the market as a retailer. The brand was taken over by Leder & Schuh AG, which now sells it as its own brand in the comfortable shoe sector.
Bolko Kissling’s company CK Technology Solutions took over up to twelve former Salamander locations in Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, Graz, Tulln and Krems from Rainer Schrems. According to media reports, Görtz pop-up stores were initially set up in eight of these stores. New concepts were announced for spring this year.
