Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Wanzl, a German manufacturer of retail and logistics equipment, announced the closure of two production sites in Leipheim and Kirchheim, Bavaria. The plan will eliminate roughly 650 jobs, with cuts beginning in 2027 and expected to be implemented by 2030. The company is a global supplier of shopping trolleys, shop fittings, entrance systems, refrigeration as well as transport trolleys and logistics solutions.
The restructuring is driven by external pressures such as the Iran war and the new oil crisis. Digital transformation, through automated warehouse technology and streamlined transport processes, will underpin the modernisation of the remaining facilities. The reduction will be implemented through natural attrition, the expiration of temporary contracts, planned retirements, and internal relocations. Negotiations have already been concluded with employee representatives, and the company has outlined a social plan that includes severance packages and relocation support for affected workers.
Wanzl has around 2,150 employees and will retain approximately 1,500 employees after the restructuring.
Eurofound (2026), Wanzl, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 300409, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/300409.
Eurofound’s ERM restructuring legislation database offers an overview of key restructuring-related regulations in the EU Member States and Norway. Its content is continuously updated to reflect any changes made by national legislators in response to, for instance, policy shifts, legal...
Can Europe still achieve its ambitions for battery manufacturing? To answer this, the article looks at data from Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor and explores what recent large-scale restructuring events reveal about the state of play in the EU battery sector.
This working paper offers a comprehensive methodological overview of the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) databases. Even though the methodology has not changed over time, new categories have been added, and the way it has been used by researchers and policymakers...
This Eurofound research paper explores key trends in restructuring in recent years, highlighting the companies that announced the largest job losses and job gains in the EU. It builds on an analysis of company announcements recorded in Eurofound’s European Restructuring...
In 2023, thousands of workers in big tech lost their jobs. Meta, Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Salesforce had been considered to offer good and secure jobs up to this point. Giants of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector,...
In 2024, the automotive sector in the EU came to the fore in public and policy discussions. The focus was on the slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales, rising global competition, belated investments in new technologies, and the potential closure...
