German Kochhaus files for bankruptcy

German food chain Kochhaus, which provided the inspiration for similar concepts Bilder & De Clercq and HNGRY in the Benelux, has filed for bankruptcy. Work is continuing for the time being.

End near?

Kochhaus, based in Berlin, filed for bankruptcy. The news has been confirmed by CEO Ramin Goo, although the activities will be continued for the time being. “We want to redesign Kochhaus and, based on our concept, maintain all branches in the long term. Kochhaus is popular with customers and has a viable business concept for the future.”
 

Ramin Goo founded Kochhaus in 2008 together with Max Renneberg and Dorothée Karsch. Today Kochhaus operates nine branches nationwide, in 2017 there were twelve. Three branches, which it ran together with franchisees, have already been closed. The company grew by five percent last year and achieved a turnover of 8.4 million euros, but it is not profitable.

Recipe shop

In the Kochhaus stores, everything is arranged according to recipes and not based on product categories, as in a traditional food store. The required ingredients for a dish have already been weighed and packaged. You can also buy cookware, there is a bistro room and you can find inspiration. Cooking classes take place after closing time.
 

Kochhaus has always had a difficult time online: although the company also dispatches “ready-made cooking boxes”, Marley Spoon and especially HelloFresh are dominant in this market. In recent years, Ramin Goo has therefore focused on partnerships with larger players such as Edeka and Amazon Fresh. Kochhaus makes about twenty percent of its sales online.
 

The concept of Kochhaus was also followed in Belgium and the Netherlands with the opening of Bilder & De Clercq in Amsterdam and HNGRY in Antwerp. But both stores have been closed again.