After three years of intensive getting to know each other within the framework of the cooperation, a vote was held on the eve of Hometex: With an overwhelming majority, the ABK shareholders voted to dissolve the ABK association and merge into Garant Gutes Schlafen.
In June 2021, the cooperation was approved, from January 2022 all ABK shareholders were also Garant members, and one year later the joint central settlement began. Looking back over the last three years, there has been a remarkable development in the cooperation between ABK and Garant Gutes Schlafen, which, despite the initially very different structures, can be seen above all in the continuous cooperation between the two associations and their members in day-to-day business.
Content after the vote. From left to right: Thomas Ochmann, Stefan Wieselhuber, Jens Hölper en Thomas Fehr.
'We have grown very close together both in terms of content and personally,' say Thomas Fehr (ABK management) and Thomas Ochmann (ABK supervisory board chairman) on the one hand, as well as Jens Hölper (Garant Group managing director) and Stefan Wieselhuber (Garant Gutes Schlafen association manager) on the other. The next step will intensify this cooperation even further, because as planned, ABK will now be dissolved at the earliest possible date in accordance with the cooperation agreement. The ABK shareholders will then be members exclusively of the Garant association.
A decision that was made almost unanimously at the shareholders' meeting on the eve of the Hometex trade fair in Bad Salzuflen. ABK Supervisory Board Chairman Thomas Ochmann is delighted with the very positive result: 'After a long process, our vision has now reached its climax with the clear voting result. For us, this is confirmation that our members see our work as the right path. I am convinced that this is the way forward.' ABK shareholder Julio Muñoz Gerteis, Betten Gerteis, commented: 'The bed landscape itself consists of relatively small retailers. This makes it all the more important that if you want to survive in today's market, you need a strong cooperation partner. Although I was sceptical at first, I am now one of the biggest supporters. This is due to what both cooperation partners are doing - you can meet on an equal footing.'
Garant's trading partners are also happy with the decision. Steffen Köller, Köller Bettenstudio, explained at the pre-opening for the trade fair: 'I generally like the exchange between the members of both associations. We can benefit a lot from the cooperation, especially in the committee work.'
More information:
Garant Gruppe
www.garant-gruppe.de