Is the end looming?

Traditional company Gössl with financial problems

Mark Mateschitz recently bought the Gwandhaus, Gössl's company headquarters.

(Bild: Honorar)

The traditional costume company Gössl is in financial difficulties. Bridging loans from the coronavirus era are now due to fall due, further exacerbating the situation. Managing Director Maximilian Gössl will appear before the media on Monday.

The Salzburg-based traditional costume company Gössl is apparently struggling with difficulties. Managing Director Maximilian Gössl has invited the media to a press conference in Vienna on Monday. The title: "Traditional Salzburg company on the brink of collapse". The company did not comment on the content when asked. Overdue bridging loans from the Covid period are said to be exacerbating the financial situation at Gössl.

The company is therefore likely to consider easing the conditions for repaying the loans - or receiving further support from the state. After all, the economic slump in the textile trade is said not to have spared dirndls, jackets and lederhosen. According to "Krone" information, company employees are probably also currently waiting for salary payments.

Gössl was founded in 1947 and operates at the top end of the market in terms of quality and price. The specialist for traditional costume fashion has around 80 locations in Europe with its own branches and franchisees. The cuts of the traditional costumes are made in Salzburg. According to the company register, Gössl employs around 75 people (as of 2022). The most recently published balance sheet - also from 2022 - shows a net loss of three million euros. Liabilities amounting to 8.2 million euros are also recorded.

According to the federal government's transparency portal, the Gössl companies received 5.5 million euros during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft (aws), the development and financing bank of the Republic of Austria, stepped in with guarantees for bridging loans.

Gössl's company headquarters is the listed Gwandhaus in Salzburg, which was recently purchased by Red Bull heir Mark Mateschitz. The existing lease is due to expire in 2029. Gössl once owned the historic building ensemble itself. However, he sold it in 2019 for 24 million euros to a group led by real estate developer Planquadrat.