German kitchen manufacturer Bax Küchen has filed for insolvency, according to reports in the German trade press.
Kbbreview was told by the Detmold district court that Bax Küchenmanufaktur GmbH & Co KG filed for insolvency yesterday (January 26). The court has appointed a preliminary insolvency administrator. It will decide in due course whether or not to open formal insolvency proceedings, dependent on the findings of the insolvency administrator’s report.
Bax Küchen owner Josef Wiese was unavailable for comment.
Bax, which started out as Tischlerei Bax + Hellweg in 1890, produces handcrafted and hand-finished kitchens from its factory in Detmold, with a wide offering of more than 600 wood veneers, 30 ceramic finishes, and a range of solid wood, slate and concrete.
It was taken over by Josef Wiese in 2011 after the company became insolvent and the financial crisis led to a restructuring and the formation of a new shareholder group. It then continued under the management of Wiese and Roman Schneider. Staffing levels were reduced from 63 to 45.
Bax teamed up with retailer Haus of Design to exhibit at the kbb Birmingham show in 2020 as until that time it only had a small number of UK retailers. The company reported an influx of enquiries from retailers following its presence at the show.
This is just the latest in a string of high-profile German kitchen companies that have had to file for insolvency.
Neue Alno filed for provisional insolvency in July last year as part of its plan for financial restructuring, leading to it finally closing its doors and ceasing operation in September that year.
In 2020, Poggenpohl filed for insolvency, blaming the coronavirus pandemic for a significant drop in business. The company was rescued, however, by Jomoo Germany, a subsidiary of the Chinese Jomoo Group.
In March 2019, Warendorf filed for insolvency citing liquidity problems, but in July that year was rescued by an Asian investor based in Hong Kong.