The Marlo's shoe store chain is closing, unable to overcome the pandemic and the strong competition from the internet.
The family company, founded 40 years ago in Badalona, entered bankruptcy last May with a debt that today amounts to 6.3 million euros. “The situation was unsustainable and there was no other option than to liquidate the business,” says lawyer Jordi Albiol, from the RCD firm, appointed as bankruptcy administrator by commercial court number 1 of Barcelona.
Marlo's had had 40 of its own stores in its heyday, fifteen years ago. The establishments were located in Catalonia, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and Castilla y León. The Rodríguez family, owners of the business, made a strong commitment to opening stores in commercial hubs and department stores, but competition from online sales and the pandemic crisis put their plan in check.
In 2022, the property tried without success to apply a debt restructuring plan that it had agreed upon with its creditors, but finally this spring it was forced to file for bankruptcy. “In July the five stores that were still open were closed and now we are working on selling the few assets that remain, mainly a stock of shoes valued at 300,000 euros,” says Albiol.
Taking into account that the liability is 6.3 million euros, this means that creditors will have little chance of collecting. Among them, the Institut Català de Finances, the Ministry of Economy – which granted them an ICO loan during the pandemic – and above all the workers, to whom the company owes six months of salaries, stand out. In fact, in April, the union CC.OO. He mobilized to protest against the “abandonment suffered by the 75 workers” on staff.
Once the liquidation of the assets is completed, the liability of the bankruptcy will be determined. The administrator requests that he be guilty because he considers that the filing of the bankruptcy was late – and caused harm to creditors – and because he has found irregular operations between several family companies. For this reason, the administrator requests a disqualification of eight years and the payment of compensation of 1.7 million euros for the damages caused. The responsibility would fall on Ángel and Xavier Rodríguez, first and second generation at the head of the family business.
