Apple retailer Gravis is being liquidated - 38 stores and around 400 employees affected

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Gravis shop in Berlin: in the red since 2022

Photo:

Schöning / IMAGO

Aside from the stylish Apple stores, the Gravis stores have long been considered the first port of call for many of the brand's users.

Not only did the branches sell goods, the computer dealer founded by two Berlin students in the late 1980s was also considered by some to be a reliable service partner.

Devices could be brought in for repair relatively easily here.

Now the Mac specialty stores that were bought by the telecommunications group Freenet in 2013 are closing.

"We hoped for a long time and negotiated with our Austrian partner McShark, who operates 18 branches, until late Tuesday evening," Freenet boss Christoph Vilanek told SPIEGEL.

»But even a merger wouldn't have saved the business.

We have to acknowledge that it’s no longer worth it.”

Gravis had already wanted to sell shares to McShark's parent, the Austrian Anatara Holding, and the Federal Cartel Office had initiated control proceedings due to the possible merger since the end of 2023.

These plans are now off the table.

Do Apple products last too long?

It is not yet clear exactly how the current 38 Gravis branches in Germany will be managed.

Up to 400 employees are potentially affected, including around 100 at the headquarters.

The situation varies from place to place.

Rental contracts last for different lengths; some shops may receive interest sooner than others.

»The only thing that is clear is that the markets will no longer exist on December 31st.

We informed the employees about this on Wednesday,” said Freenet boss Vilanek.

The step is obviously difficult for him.

He reports that he has spoken to Apple on the phone again and again, but the hoped-for support for the Gravis stores, which are exclusively focused on this brand, has not materialized.

The iPhone manufacturer's conditions model was apparently too strict for the medium-sized retail chain.

"It's no secret that Apple also has demand problems; the lifespan of its products is getting longer and longer." Common problems in stationary retail such as the pandemic or increasing online business also played a role.

Gravis recently tried to reposition itself on the market with a redesign and increased advertising.

The chain also banned cash from its stores; even small accessory products could no longer be paid for with notes and coins.

But all attempts at modernization failed.

“However, Gravis has been struggling with a negative result since 2022,” the “ComputerBase” portal quotes from a statement from the company.

The losses therefore increase “more or less every quarter”.

What the closure of the Gravis shops means for consumers will be decided in the next few weeks.

“At the moment nothing is changing for customers,” says Vilanek.

However, plans are already being made for how long repair orders can still be accepted.

He promises Gravis employees: "All employees are entitled to severance pay and termination agreements, and this year everyone will also receive the full bonus and bonuses." It is still unclear whether and to what extent there will be redundancies for operational reasons.