After twelve years, a bed store in downtown Frankfurt has closed, ending its clearance sale on 16 August. Customers were able to purchase mattresses, box spring beds, pillows, and other bedding products with discounts of up to 80 percent.
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The closure leaves only Auping bed store's flagship store in Berlin operating in Germany, following earlier shutdowns in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Stuttgart. A spokesperson cited rising rents, higher labour costs, and reduced consumer spending, saying that "operating profitably with premium products in one's own speciality stores is virtually impossible."
Auping, a Dutch family-owned company, produces exclusively in the Netherlands and plans to continue selling its products through other specialist bed and mattress retailers.
The closure reflects broader challenges in the German furniture sector. Sales of domestic furniture manufacturers fell by 7.4 percent in 2024, while furniture retailers reported declines between six and eight percent. Analysts attribute the slump to both the rising cost of living and the fact that many consumers replaced furniture during the coronavirus pandemic, reducing current demand. Recently, the Bochum-based mattress manufacturer Schlaraffia also filed for bankruptcy, highlighting ongoing pressures across the industry.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
