No, not the pasta, but the toilet paper got it. Ironically, the German second major object of desire in the peak phase of the corona pandemic is now causing a well-known renovation case. Not long ago it was hoarded, hoarded and stacked. That should have been for the financial well-being of the manufacturer, one might have thought. But the world of sanitary paper is obviously quite confused. First the plague and the hoarding, which resulted in an acceleration of production. Then the cost explosion because of the Ukraine war and its aftermath.
In any case, the toilet manufacturer Hakle gives the latter on its home page as a reason for having applied for insolvency proceedings in self-administration at the District Court of Düsseldorf. Such insolvency proceedings are not the end of a company. Hakle will continue to exist, as will toilet paper and the Hakle Feucht and Servus brands. The management also remains in office, only a trustee is placed at his side. Above all, he looks at how the company can get its costs under control again.
And yet Hakle is the first major German consumer goods manufacturer to be forced by the consequences of the Ukraine war to initiate insolvency proceedings. The District Court of Düsseldorf approved it last week. The employees have been informed.
Hakle justifies the step with the drastic increase in energy prices. At the same time, the company regrets that it was not able to pass on the rising energy costs to retailers quickly enough. This can certainly be understood as a criticism. According to their own statements, supermarkets and discounters are currently carefully examining every manufacturer’s asking price because of the high inflation. In any case, Hakle was apparently unable to assert himself against the dealers.
Paper is one of the materials that has undeniably become more expensive due to rising gas and electricity costs. Paper production is very energy-intensive. Toilet paper manufacturers aren’t the only ones feeling this. The toilet paper obsessed Germans are already noticing this – not because it’s getting scarce, but because it’s a bit more expensive.