Dialogue with traditional company Plücker: Working together for a strong location
District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst recently visited the Plücker bakery at its headquarters in Waldeck-Alraft to discuss the current challenges and future prospects of one of the region's most important employers. He was accompanied by the Managing Director of the Waldeck-Frankenberg Economic Development Agency, Dimitrij Schmalz, and the Mayor of Waldeck, Nicolas Havel. The aim of the meeting was to have an open exchange on topics that concern the family business.
112 years ago, great-grandfather Plücker founded the company in Alraft. A lot has happened since then. The two managing directors Malte and Christian Plücker now employ around 350 people and operate 45 branch locations in Waldeck-Frankenberg, Kassel and neighbouring towns in North Rhine-Westphalia. "We are deeply rooted here and want to continue our success story. However, the lack of affordable housing and the location of vocational schools for prospective bakers are challenging. At the moment, we can only train junior staff in administration. However, to ensure that we can continue to attract young skilled workers from the region to the bakery trade in the future, we need the right framework conditions, from affordable housing to an accessible vocational school," explain Malte and Christian Plücker.
Since the 2026/27 school year, aspiring bakers have had to travel to Giessen to attend vocational school there. District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst explains: "Companies like Plücker are the backbone of our local economy. It is our job to listen and develop pragmatic solutions. The shortage of skilled labour and housing are issues that concern many companies in Waldeck-Frankenberg. We are in dialogue with housing cooperatives in this regard and are thinking about further offers that simplify training at the location. For example, it would be conceivable to establish a regional campus with other companies or to create a boarding school solution."
Whether renewable energies, the use of electric vehicles where possible or other technically sophisticated additions - the Plücker bakery is already well positioned here. However, according to the brothers, lengthy and bureaucratic procedures when applying for funding often slow down innovation, which is why these are rarely utilised. This is where Dimitrij Schmalz from the business development organisation offered stronger, unbureaucratic support. Formats such as the business breakfast are an ideal platform for discussing such issues and finding quick solutions.
Other topics of discussion included the removal of language barriers for employees from Ukraine, the mobility of young people to the workplace and the expansion of fibre optics. "The Plücker bakery is a key economic factor. We are therefore consistently driving forward the development of Alraft with fibre optics and remain in direct contact in order to continuously improve the framework conditions," emphasised Mayor Nicolas Havel. Initial solutions have already been developed during the talks and common points for further development have been established. District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst emphasised the importance of close cooperation between companies, the town or municipality and the district in order to strengthen Waldeck-Frankenberg as a business location in the long term. The business development organisation is also an important point of contact here.
Caption: In dialogue for a strong business location: Representatives of the district, economic development agency and city in dialogue with the management of the Plücker bakery. (from left) Joel Landgrebe, trainee at the economic development agency, Mayor Nicolas Havel, Managing Director of the economic development agency Dimitrij Schmalz, hosts Christian and Malte Plücker and District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst. Photo: District of Waldeck-Frankenberg