Mercedes-Benz sells Neu-Ulm: What will change for the employees?

Mercedes-Benz sells Neu-Ulm: What will change for the employees?

Mercedes-Benz is going through an exciting change: On December 1, 2025, the branch in Neu-Ulm will be handed over to new hands. The car dealers Kreuter Medele Schäfer and Abel+Ruf are taking over the business and have founded a new company for it. This acquisition is part of a broader plan by Mercedes to sell its group-owned car dealerships in Germany. At a works meeting, around 200 employees were informed about the change in ownership, with Mercedes assuring that everything would remain the same for the employees, at least for the time being. It was agreed not to disclose the sales price, which is not unusual in such cases, but always creates a bit of tension in such transactions.

As [Augsburger Allgemeine](https://www.augsburger- Allgemeine.de/wirtschaft/mercedes-benz-verkauft-die-niederlassen-ulm-neu-ulm-an-zwei-haendler-110171029) mentions, Mercedes began auditing its car dealerships in January 2024 in order to promote social change in this area. These considerations are not just about sales, but also about adapting to changing markets. The conclusion is: Over 8,000 people in Germany are affected by this major restructuring, spread across around 80 companies. Mercedes ensures that the locations are not sold to financial investors, but only to buyers with a solid entrepreneurial background.

Agreement with the works councils

But that's not all: as Tagesschau reports, the sales process was delayed due to intensive negotiations with employee representatives. An agreement was reached to ensure that there will be no redundancies for operational reasons by the end of 2029. The employees also receive a one-off payment of an average of 85,000 euros, which consists of a base amount and a variable payment. In all decisions, the collectively agreed working conditions, such as salaries, vacation days and working hours, remain unchanged.

Mercedes demands that buyers must demonstrate commercial expertise, economic strength and willingness to invest. They should also be open to the concerns of employee representatives. These fundamental agreements are intended to secure jobs in the German branches in the long term. Could this perhaps herald a new era for automobile sales in Germany? A potential buyer should be willing to invest in the future to maintain the jobs and know-how.

Looking to the future

Mercedes has already taken similar steps internationally, and while in the USA and Asia it largely works with external partners, current developments in Germany show that the group needs to rethink there too. n-tv emphasizes that the profitable branches must become more efficient and flexible in order to survive in the competition. This change has already become apparent in the last three years when showrooms were sold in other European countries.

It remains to be seen whether the two new operators of Kreuter Medele Schäfer and Abel+Ruf with their star group can master this challenge. Without the Neu-Ulm branch, they already operate 15 locations in an affluent market area from Nördlingen to the Austrian border and will have achieved sales of over 575 million euros in 2024. This means they are well positioned to help shape the future of automotive sales.

The next few weeks should be interesting - more transactions are imminent and we will see how the car dealership landscape in Germany changes!