Harry-Brot takes over REWE Group’s Glockenbrot plant in Munich and new building in Erlensee near Hanau. The company will take over the production site of the Glockenbrot bakery in Bergkirchen near Munich by the end of 2025. Germany’s biggest baker is also planning to build a new industrial bakery in Erlensee near Hanau. A meat plant will built on the site originally owned by REWE. From 2028, Harry-Brot will produce bread and baked goods there and sell them as a fresh concept – including for REWE Group as a customer. The project is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.
With the site in Bergkirchen near Munich, Harry is also taking over all of the approximately 320 employees currently working there. Harry-Brot has had good experience with taking over existing bakeries, including the acquisition of the Kronenbrot GmbH production site in Witten in 2019.
With the takeover of the Bergkirchen production site and the construction of the new plant in Erlensee, the family-owned company is continuing its expansion in the bread and baked goods segment towards the south. Harry products have been available in individual stores in southern Germany since 2017. A new logistics concept was set up in 2022. With increasing demand, the Hamburg-based company expanded its existing site in Troisdorf near Cologne, in 2024.
“Our two new locations in southern Germany now enable us to supply food retailers there, too, via the shortest route. This means we can offer our well-known Harry quality and freshness in the south close to sales, also in terms of sustainability,” says Frank Kleiner, Managing Director of Marketing and Sales. “With daily fresh deliveries, Harry is improving the quality of bread and bakery products in the retail sector for medium-term demand – and consumers are noticing this too.”
Hans-Jürgen Moog, member of the REWE Group Management Board responsible for merchandise and purchasing, explains the decision: “The Glockenbrot bakery has been an integral part of REWE Group for decades and has helped shape the development of the bread and baked goods division – for which I would like to express my sincere thanks. Nevertheless, we have taken the decision to part with both locations. The expansion in Frankfurt would only be possible as part of a new building project. It would not make sense for us to keep the Bergkirchen site as our only remaining location in the long term. The bread and baked goods segment is also represented by regional bakers, many of whom we have in the checkout areas of our stores. We consider this product group to be as important as ever for the further development of REWE Group. For us, however, this no longer necessarily means having our own production facility.” Hans-Jürgen Moog adds: “We are very pleased to have found a suitable partner for the takeover and further development of the two locations. From REWE Group’s point of view, the family-run traditional company Harry-Brot not only stands for long, synergy-rich and partnership-based cooperation, but also for the highest level of procurement expertise, product quality and understanding of technology.”
Harry-Brot GmbH works with over 5,000 employees who bake in 10 locations. Its product range includes both pre-baked and self-service packaged products. The pre-baked range for baking stations includes pre-baked loaf bread, frozen rolls and frozen baguettes. Self-service packaged products include fresh sliced bread, toast, sandwich bread, sweets and snacks as well as rolls and baguettes for pre-baking. The Harry Fresh service delivers these baked goods fresh every day from the nearest Harry bakery to food retailers via the associated distribution outlets. In line with the company claim “As fresh as Harry”, the products reach the shelves within a few hours. This makes the family business, founded in 1688, the largest German delivery bakery.
Photo: Harry-Brot social media