Following the bankruptcy of the furniture and decoration store Sichel, another well-established company in Luxembourg is closing. Nearly 100 years after it first opened, Meubles Mich-Gillen announced this week via their social media channels that they are closing their store, and family business, in Hollerich.
The building, with its distinctive blue façade at the corner of Boulevard Dr Charles Marx and Rue Jean-Baptiste Merkels, is a striking landmark – and is listed as a protected historical monument.
“We are currently in liquidation ahead of the shop’s closure”, explained Camille Mich, who has managed the store since 1988 and represents the third generation of the family business.
His grandparents, Jos Mich and Justine Gillen, founded a carpentry workshop nearly a century ago, specialising in furniture production. Today, Meubles Mich-Gillen displays its products across a 3,000 m² showroom – though notably, the store has no dedicated customer parking.
The liquidation process is expected to take some time – probably “until the end of the summer”, Camille Mich added.
Five employees are affected by the closure. The doors are closing simply because there is no buyer.
The owner’s children “are pursuing different careers,” said the 61-year-old father, who is preparing for retirement, in an interview with RTL Infos.
He also admitted that in recent years, the sale of furniture and decorations has undergone major changes. In the digital age, not only have shopping habits evolved, but competition online has intensified. Camille Mich increasingly witnessed customers visiting the showroom to view furniture “only to then search online for who could offer it a few euros cheaper.”
