Bread and baked goods: Frankfurt Glockenbrot bakery closes – 480 jobs threatened

The Glockenbrot large bakery in Frankfurt am Main will close in the next three to five years. This was announced by the Rewe Group, which owns the company. The jobs of the 480 employees at the site are therefore threatened.

Negotiations with the works council will begin in the coming weeks, according to a statement from Rewe. The aim is to advise on operational changes, including a reconciliation of interests and a social plan, in order to find socially acceptable solutions for the employees.

The Frankfurt factory was maxed out in terms of capacity and space; a new building with high investments would have been unavoidable. This is how the Rewe Group justified the decision.

Harry-Brot wants to buy the plant in Bergkirchen and the Rewe area

The trading company wants to withdraw from the production of bread and baked goods. The second Glockenbrot production site in the Bavarian municipality of Bergkirchen is to be sold to the large bakery Harry-Brot by the end of 2025, as both companies explained. Harry-Brot, based in Schenefeld near Hamburg, says it would like to take on all of its 320 employees. According to a spokeswoman, it is still unclear whether the name Glockenbrot will remain.

Harry-Brot also wants to take over a Rewe property in Erlensee near Frankfurt am Main. A new large bakery is to be built there. However, both projects will only come about if the antitrust authorities agree. The companies did not want to comment on the purchase price.

Harry-Brot supplies grocers like Rewe across Germany with goods. The company currently has ten locations and 5,000 employees in this country and, according to its own information, is the market leader for bread and baked goods.

The Glockenbrot bakery was founded in 1904, it has been part of the Rewe group since 1986, the location in Bavaria since 2010. The bakeries have produced exclusively for Rewe and Penny.