In the future there will probably be two fewer shoe shops on the Mannheimer Planken: The two shops “Gero” and “Gero Mure” of the Leone shoe salon have no prospects as things stand. Owner Alexander Seppel confirms this to schuhkurier. “Mannheimer Morgen” first reported on the situation.
At the end of July, the Leone shoe salon filed for insolvency. Business operations initially continued at two locations in Mannheim and Baden-Baden as well as in one store each in Heidelberg and Karlsruhe. The shops are now closed. The insolvency proceedings were opened on October 4th.
As the insolvency administrator Sandra Wirtz explains in a media report, it was not possible to find a solution for the two Mannheim branches. Although there are potential interested parties, no continuation method has yet been found. The ideas about the rent level differed too widely.
According to Alexander Seppel, a solution is emerging at the other locations: the two branches in Baden-Baden will continue to be managed by the Düsseldorf-based Schuhhaus Prange. Its owner Paul Prange took over the business operations as part of a transferred restructuring. Prange also took over the employees in the two stores.
The business in Karlsruhe was taken over by the newly founded Gero Mure GmbH, which is run by Alexander Seppel’s wife and son. It is possible that this company will also remain active in Heidelberg. According to a media report, space is currently being sought there. Discussions with the previous landlord are ongoing. A lot is still unclear at the moment, Alexander Seppel told schuhkurier.
A large proportion of the around 40 employees at the time of the bankruptcy have apparently now signed termination agreements.
As the company explained in July when it filed for bankruptcy, it was affected by the consequences of the corona pandemic, rising prices and online trading. “The reluctance of consumers and the corresponding lower demand from retail customers, in addition to the months-long plank renovation (the planks are the main shopping street in Mannheim, editor’s note), had a significant impact on sales and liquidity,” said owner Alexander Seppel at the time.
In an interview with schuhkurier in 2022, Alexander Seppel explained that the offerings in his stores consisted of 70 to 80% Italian brands. “The unusual models for women are manufactured specifically according to our specifications in small factories in Italy,” explained the entrepreneur. The shoe chain consciously works with small, unknown brands that have their own factories in the area of Naples, Veneto and the Marche.
In 1979, Claus Seppel opened the first Leone shoe salon in Heidelberg, laying the foundation for today’s company. The company expanded. Alexander Seppel took over the shoe chain from his father Claus after his death in 2016.
