Is it over after almost 40 years? The Ritz family bakery from Upper Palatinate has filed for bankruptcy. The owner cites weak sales and high costs as reasons.
The Ritz Bakery has filed for bankruptcy. Both the owner Christoph Ritz and the provisional insolvency administrator confirmed this to Oberpfalz-Medien. Ritz explained that without this step he would have been insolvent within three months at the latest. That's why he decided to pull the “emergency brake”. The 28-year-old baker emphasized that he had tried several times to increase income, but ultimately failed due to competitive pressure from supermarkets and suppliers of cheap baked goods.
“Sales figures have declined, which is mainly due to people’s purchasing behavior,” Ritz continued. Despite loyal regular customers, he was unable to make up for the losses. In a video on the bakery's Instagram account, Ritz explained: “The raw material costs are blowing up in our faces.”
The Ritz bakery, which has its headquarters in Stulln in Upper Palatinate, operates primarily in the Schwandorf district. It operates four branches in Stulln, Nabburg, Dürnsricht and Schwarzenfeld. The company also has three sales vehicles that travel throughout the region. The company also includes a company canteen in Schwandorf and the “Schmankerlwirt” bistro in the Rieden outdoor pool.
In April, Ritz added new branches to the family business – by taking over the Götz bakery in Weiden (Upper Palatinate). The 115-year-old family bakery operated two branches in the small eastern Bavarian town. Ritz speaks to Oberpfalz-Medien of a “short stint” – he sold the branches again over the summer.
The Ritz Bakery says it employs 46 people. Their wages should be secured until at least the end of November, and the bakery's business should also continue to operate. And then? He cannot give a serious answer to this, explains insolvency administrator Jochen Zaremba Oberpfalz-Medien.
Their goal is for the family business to continue, say Zaremba and Ritz. “Anyone who knows me knows: This is my life,” explains Ritz on Instagram. The Ritz bakery was founded in 1988 by Georg and Martina Ritz in Stulln in the Schwandorf district and was taken over by Christoph Ritz and his partner in 2022.
