Everything must Go. The bargain hunter’s motto is currently to be taken literally at “Eisen-Liebler” in Erlenbach. Because on December 19th it is over. When Ludwig Franz, Heribert Schneider and Lothar Rummel close the door behind them, it’s that specialty shop for hardware, household and garden tools.
You are the shareholders of the GmbH, which today stands behind the traditional name. Franz says that the Liebler brothers founded the company in Marktheidenfeld around 1920, which can no longer be determined exactly. In 1966 Walter Pfeifer took over, once as an apprentice at the Lieblers and then head of Franz, Schneider and Rummel, who followed in 1993. “That way we could distribute the work on three shoulders,” says Schneider. “We complemented each other well. We discussed most of the things in passing,” added Franz.
The traditional company had several locations in Marktheidenfeld
The first shop was in Mitteltorstraße, later the “Eisen-Liebler” moved to the market square. From the street only the entrance and a shop window could be seen, but the rooms extended almost to today’s bookstore on Bronnbacher Straße. A narrow corridor led past the counter, up a narrow flight of stairs.
One disadvantage at the market square was that large trucks could not deliver directly to the company, Franz remembers. “We used to get a lot of nails. We had to unload them in Erlenbach with a wheel loader, drive them to the market square in a Sprinter and take them with us bring the wheelbarrow to the shop. ”
Because the construction of a new building was delayed, the company moved temporarily to the Marktheidenfelder Dillberg in 1998 and has been in the Erlenbach industrial park “Dürre Wiese” since 2002. In 2009 the building was expanded.
<!–
The basic range has hardly changed despite the relocation, says Franz. Most of the time, products only dropped out of the range when they were no longer in demand: smoking cabinets, washing kettles and galvanized dishes are no longer available. Franz does not get nostalgic: “I enjoy the things much more today than the ones we sold earlier.”
No chance of keeping up with the tough price war on the Internet
But not only the goods, but also the customer have changed. The relationship with him has become more difficult, Franz thinks. Some people come into business with what appears to be knowledge that they have gathered in advance on the Internet: “Then you first have to explain to him that everything he has seen on YouTube is like this not true at all. ”
The experience, advice and service that a specialist dealer could offer often no longer counted. Often it is only the price that decides and the specialist market can no longer keep up with the competition from the Internet: “At first we only had the competitor on site, later the stores from Würzburg were added and now we have to assert ourselves worldwide.” And that is simply not possible.
For the first time five or six years ago, the three partners had openly thought about how long the “iron darling” could still exist. The numbers were already falling back then. When a large DIY store opened in Marktheidenfeld three years ago, local competition also intensified. About a year ago it was clear to them: Now is the end.
Company owners wanted to be able to decide for themselves when to stop
It used to be her plan to find a long-term successor for herself and then slowly withdraw from the business. They also had conversations with interested parties, but always poured them “pure wine”: “We didn’t want to let anyone fall into the open,” says Franz.
The Corona crisis did not influence your decision, Franz explains: “I am reluctant that a lot is currently being blamed on Corona. This year was of course not easy for retailers, but we had already made our decision before that.”
How it should end was clear to the owners. The most important thing for her is: “At the moment we can decide for ourselves how and when to close the store,” says Franz. Neither the bank nor the creditors would force them to take this step. “We can stop with our heads held high because we haven’t owed anyone anything,” added Schneider.
Real estate should not be sold but rented out
Around 20 apprentices completed their apprenticeship as retail salesmen at “Eisen-Liebler” over the past 27 years. The company had twelve employees when the three bosses decided to close the shop at the end of the year. According to Franz, some have already found a new job. “We still have very good relationships with many of them. In terms of our size and structure, we are actually like a family business.”
The three owners are likely to be employed for a few more months to conduct their business. In addition, the building has to be renovated for a new tenant. At this point the Corona crisis gets in their way: “We could have concluded a rental agreement, but everyone is waiting to see how things go from here.”
The reactions of loyal customers to the end of the “Eisen-Liebler”: it’s a shame, bad, doesn’t work. “A customer came to the store especially because he wanted to ask me personally whether what he had heard was true,” reports Franz. He admits the conversations in the store that he will probably miss.
Schneider remembers a customer who stood on the gallery on the railing and looked for minutes at the shelves from above: “There’s no such shop in the whole of Würzburg,” he said when asked what he was looking for. In just a few days there will no longer be a shop like this in Erlenbach.
–
