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.
Krëfel, a Belgian electronics retailer, announced the dismissal of 180 employees in its restructuring plan, which will affect staff at its stores, head office, and logistics platforms across Belgium. The first layoffs are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026, following the information and consultation phase with employee representatives in accordance with the wet Renault procedure. ??The company is restructuring primarily due to ongoing financial difficulties, intense competition, and shrinking profit margins, which have made previous cost control and sales stimulating measures insufficient to restore profitability.
Five stores in Izegem, Schoten, Oudenaarde, Oostakker, and Borgworm (Waremme) will close. Four stores and two logistics platforms in Flanders are affected. The cuts include 65 white collar employees and 115 blue collar workers, with shop warehouse roles hit hardest as these functions disappear. Job losses may be mitigated through internal mobility, reassignments, and voluntary departures. Logistics will be concentrated in four platforms and two hubs, with possible further closures.
Trade union ACV Puls has expressed shock and concerns over the plan, describing it as a significant blow to workers. The union has called for clear information and has indicated that it will monitor the consultation process. Krëfel currently employs roughly 1,100 people in Belgium.
Eurofound (2026), Krëfel, Closure in Belgium, factsheet number 204192, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/204192.
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...
