Bonn store closing “Mambo” furniture stores to close
Bonn · The “Mambo” furniture and home accessory store will be going out of business soon. Bonn businessman Peter Kopprasch spoke about closing down the family company that has been open for decades.
It’s not easy for Peter Kopprasch (47) to talk about it. He is closing down “Mambo”, the furniture and home accessory store which has been run by his family for more than five decades. In April, they will begin with a going-out-of-business sale, which is expected to go until the end of June depending on how much inventory is left.
“Mambo” has four branches, two in Cologne and two in Bonn, with around 70 employees altogether. A further store is run by a franchiser in Trier and that will stay open for now. A store in Wuppertal was closed down in 2015.
“In the best of times, we had still 180,000 customers. That number was cut in half in the last years,” said Kopprasch. More competition means that the smaller stores close while the big stores grow even bigger. He emphasized that “Mambo” was not bankrupt, however.
Kopprasch has observed a change in consumer habits, “For the customers, things like going out to eat and traveling become more and more important.” He said he had spoken to colleagues in the fashion branch and they are experiencing the same problems.
For the “Mambo” owner, it is important to him that his employees are not left out on the street. He has been trying to find them jobs with competitors. And some have even called him to enquire.
Orig. text. Nadine Klees
