Wahl Gruppe files for insolvency, risking 1,000 jobs

The Wahl-Gruppe — by its own account the world's oldest still-operating BMW dealer (founded 1898) — filed for self-administered insolvency at Siegen district court on 3 September 2026 for six group companies with 31 sites in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate; around 1,000 jobs are affected. The company cites rising costs, falling sales and customer purchasing restraint; operations continue, and wages are secured via insolvency benefit until at least the end of November 2026 according to restructuring adviser Schultze & Braun (Siegener Zeitung, 3 September 2026). The figure represents jobs at risk; no cuts have been decided yet.