From the Post Second World War period to the present
After the Second World War the firm was left with damaged factories and much of its manufacturing equipment expropriated as reparations. It restarted production in 1949 and fared moderately in the face of intense competition in the 1950s and 1960s. Its finances worsened until 1972, when Hans Imhoff bought the company[18] and guided it to great success as a chocolate manufacturer with plants in West Germany and abroad, directly competing with long-established brands such as Sarotti. Over the next 30 years, Stollwerck became one of the largest chocolate manufacturers with factories in Germany and abroad as well as taking over traditional brands such as Sprengel, Sarotti and Chocolaterie Jacques in Eupen.[19][20][21] In 1969 Imhoff took over the Hildebrand chocolate factory, with the Waldbaur factory following in 1976, which both were later incorporated into Stollwerck.[19][22][23] The concentration of production led to the traditional Cologne factory in the Severinsviertel being abandoned in the mid-1970s. This was helped by a 10 million DM subsidy from the city of Cologne and a 25 million DM purchase price for the site, which was occupied by demonstrators for 47 days in 1980.[24][25][26] After the reunification of Germany, Stollwerck quickly invested in the former East Germany, buying the Thuringian Chocolate Factory GmbH in Saalfeld,[27] makers of Rotstern brand chocolate and the German Democratic Republic's largest chocolate producer.
In 1993 the Imhoff-Stollwerck chocolate museum was built for 53 million DM and opened in Rheinauhafen, Cologne to exhibit items from Stollwerck's history and the history and science of chocolate making.[28][29]
Stollwerck opened a chocolate factory in Székesfehérvár, Hungary in 1995 and became the market leader. It achieved similar success in Poland and Russia.
In 2001 Hans Imhoff retired and Stollwerck sold its Eastern European subsidiaries to Kraft Foods.[30]
In 2002 Stollwerck was sold to Barry Callebaut AG, the world's largest chocolate company, which is majority owned by the Jacobs family.[31] Barry Callebaut then bought back its public shares and ceased production at the parent factory in Cologne, just leaving administrative functions there.
In 2006, Barry Callebaut's management ended its collaboration with the Imhoff-Stollwerck chocolate museum and Lindt & Sprüngli became the museum's new partner.[32] The museum's name was changed to Imhoff chocolate museum and many Stollwerck exhibits were removed.[33]
In October 2011 Barry Callebaut sold Stollwerck to the Baronie Group of Veurne, Belgium.[34][35] At that time, Stollwerck had five factories in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland; it employed 1700 staff and its annual production was around 100,000 tonnes of chocolate.[36] In 2016, after 177 years, the remaining parts of the company were moved from Cologne to Norderstedt.[37]
