Seitz has been advising Karstadt and Kaufhof for many years on all employment law issues, including collective bargaining negotiations and extensive restructurings. In the context of the merger as Signa Retail Group, Seitz provided employment law advice on the merger of Karstadt and Kaufhof and the further post-merger integration. The merger created the second largest department stores group in Europe. A milestone of the merger was the agreement with labor union ver.di on an integration and transitional collective agreement in December 2019.

The department stores group also relied on Seitz in the big and protective shield proceedings in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and in 2022/23 due to the Ukraine crisis. Both insolvencies involved extensive personnel measures at Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof and its subsidiaries as well as the closure of about 40 stores.

Seitz is also one of the strategic advisors to the insolvency administrator Stefan Denkhaus on the change of ownership to a consortium of investors led by the German entrepreneur Bernd Beetz. The advice also includes the far-reaching restructuring and relocation of Galeria's service center as well as further store closures. Seitz is in charge of the negotiations with the general works council and ver.di.

The mandate demonstrates the firm's experience and excellence in major crisis-related restructurings as well as in complex corporate mergers including post-merger integration and distressed M&A processes.