Would you buy from an insolvent kitchen manufacturer?

On the subject of spare parts: In my experience, you cannot rely on being able to get the same front delivered in a few years, even with expensive branded furniture. And white is not the same as white. Everything else (carcass, fittings) can be repaired anyway without the kitchen manufacturer. Therefore, from my point of view, this is not an argument.

You can agree on a delivery date with the kitchen studio in writing(!) and you can also agree on contractual penalties in writing(!) for what happens if this date is not met (price reduction xy, provision of a provisional minimal kitchen, ...). I would simply talk to them about that.

A brief note on the subject of down payments. This is not an issue for us because none of the studios we have been to required a down payment, but here I see it similarly to above: I make a down payment to the kitchen studio (my contracting partner) and not to the insolvent manufacturer. Thus, I am definitely on the safe side there.

I would not rule that out categorically. After all, money often flows in the background; and if the studio is too small, too focused, or simply has a too thin capital base, the kitchen studio can also get into trouble.

Personally, I would no longer buy a kitchen from them. Companies and their employees often have a different mindset (regarding motivation/care/quality) when the company has gotten into such a stressful situation.

Of course, I feel sorry for the employees, but such a kitchen doesn’t cost €2.50 either. And I earned that with hard work.

So we have a furniture store with a kitchen studio. Manufacturers are currently going bankrupt almost one per month. This initially does not affect the customer at all. Of course, you might then possibly not be able to buy parts of the kitchen afterward - the seller has apparently already pointed this out specifically. That should be considered. Normally, the manufacturers are immediately removed and another takes their place. In this respect, I don't see why the kitchen studio should be affected.

Thanks first of all for the initial responses. So it’s indeed similar to what I suspected. The contractual partner is my kitchen studio, so first of all their problem (regarding warranty).

The warranty is provided by the retailer, 24 months, although effectively only 12 months apply due to the reversal of the burden of proof.
Guarantees (3, 5, 10 years commonly found in the furniture sector) are provided by the manufacturer. Manufacturer gone, guarantee gone, unless there is a legal successor.

A brief note on the topic of down payment. It’s not an issue for us because none of the studios we visited requested a down payment, but here I see it similarly to above: I make a down payment to the kitchen studio (my contractual partner) and not to the insolvent manufacturer. So I am definitely on the safe side here.

Safe side, well. At least you seem to be right about that, I would say. But you will discuss that with the judge then, if the studio perhaps has a different opinion on it. Who likes to write off thousands of euros anyway.

I would definitely not buy an Alno kitchen in that situation. Never. Of course, it is simply the case that you never really have a guarantee of getting parts after many years. In 2007, we had a (relatively expensive) Poggenpohl kitchen installed in our house. After 10 years, we had to replace 2 fronts: This went completely smoothly - right front, right color, simply perfect. My advice: Choose another manufacturer (there are so many of them).

Alno will not go under. The company is too big and too well positioned for that. There will be layoffs and cheaper production. Debt out, new investor in, and off we go,