Last Friday, the court declared the bankruptcy of Hotel Schimmelpenninck Huys and the associated bakery Broodhuys in Groningen. Nearly 50 employees have received a dismissal letter. The hotel is burdened by corona debts.
Last Friday all the staff had to come to the hotel. There they were told that the hotel and the bakery had been placed under receivership and bankruptcy had been declared.
“There were people from the UWV and, among other things, an employment lawyer present. Everyone received a dismissal letter and was asked to continue working until the end of May,” says one of the employees.
‘People get into trouble’
That gives a bitter feeling. “It is extra difficult that this happens just before the salary is paid. The UWV will now take over this, but that will not be done until the second or third week of May at the earliest. That gets people into trouble.”
The Schimmelpenninck Huys has been in the hands of the Karistinos family for many years. They are not available for comment and have put Bart Reints Bok forward as spokesperson and regulator. Reints Bok is from Charme Hotels, the umbrella organization to which Schimmelpenninck Huys is affiliated to, among other things, make joint purchases.
Corona debts
According to the spokesperson, the bankruptcy was indeed declared last Friday. The hotel is struggling with corona debts, says Bart. “We have been working on a whoa procedure for some time to find a solution with all creditors so that the hotel could continue. We are writing positive figures for this year. That seemed to go well, but on Wednesday the tax authorities indicated that they did not want to cooperate with the scheme. The result of the hotel would be too poor, meaning that Schimmelpenninck Huys could not cope with a new setback.”
Jan Pieter Dijstelberge has been appointed as curator. He also says he aimed for an agreement with the creditors until the end. “We therefore applied for an extension of the suspension of payments on Thursday. We also received that, but we were unable to get all parties on the same page. That is why bankruptcy was filed with the court in Groningen on Friday and was pronounced.”
Good hope for a restart
According to the curator, there is good hope that a suitable takeover candidate will be found in the foreseeable future. “Two parties have already reported in the past period and I assume that more will be added. The hotel is quite booked for the coming period and that is also the reason that the staff has to work for at least a month. I think there is a good chance that we will be able to find a new owner during that period.”
It is not yet clear what the consequences will be for wine café Merlot, which rents space in the Schimmelpenninck Huys.
Tags: Hotel Schimmelpenninck Huys Broodhuys Groningen bankrupt
