DElectronics retail chain Conrad is looking to close most of its existing eleven branches. In the future, private customers will shop online, and new branches will be opened exclusively for business customers. The company announced this on Wednesday.

A branch in Harth, North Rhine-Westphalia, already serves business customers exclusively. Of the others, only one is to be kept, namely in Wernberg-Köblitz – like the company headquarters in Hirschchau in the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria. Private customer branches are mainly located in large cities including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.

Conrad is looking for locations for new business customer branches

The announcement did not say how many employees were affected by the branch closure, and the company did not wish to answer any further questions. “Of course, this step is very difficult for us,” said Ralph Bühler, CEO of Conrad Electronic. The company is in talks to find socially acceptable rules.

According to the announcement, the reason for the closure of the branch is the move of retail towards the Internet. At the same time, the company is currently looking for a location for a new business customer branch.