BSH announces closure of two plants affecting 1,400 employees

BSH Hausgeräte GmbH has announced plans to cease production at its Nauen and Bretten sites, blaming 'persistently declining market trend, stagnating real estate markets, changing purchasing behavior, and increased demand for lower-priced appliances'. The Bretten site in Baden-Württemberg is set to close by early 2028 and washing machine production at its Nauen site in Brandenburg will end by mid-2027.

A total of approximately 1,400 employees are affected, including around 440 in Nauen and 980 in Bretten. The company says the relevant employee representatives have been informed, and discussions will begin as soon as possible with the aim of finding acceptable solutions. "We are aware that such a step is fraught with concern and uncertainty. We are not making this decision lightly. It is the result of intensive, careful, and comprehensive review. This step is necessary to safeguard our future viability and competitiveness," said Matthias Metz, chairman of the BSH board of management.

Thorsten Lücke, member of the management board and director of human resources at BSH, added: “We are aware of our responsibility towards our employees and are determined to work with employee representatives to find socially acceptable solutions for the affected employees.”

In the future, BSH will continue to operate factories, product development and sales centers, logistics, its own customer service organisation, and the group-wide headquarters in Germany.

In the past 3 years, BSH said it has invested approximately €300million in its German sites – particularly in its product range, production modernisation, digitalisation and automation, and research and development. It added that further investments are planned in the coming years to specifically strengthen competitiveness and innovative strength in Germany.