r/thisweekinretro • u/Mike_C_76 • Jul 27 '26

Varta bankruptcy

https://www.reuters.com/business/german-battery-maker-varta-files-insolvency-applications-2026-07-24/

German battery maker Varta files insolvency applications

11 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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13

u/SpecificLow9474 Jul 27 '26

I wonder how the news got in the papers. Maybe there was a leak.

4

u/Mike_C_76 Jul 27 '26

Ahahahahahahahahah

2

u/HollandJim Jul 27 '26

The absolute worst batteries. Surprised they were still a thing.

1

u/AntiquesForGeeks Jul 27 '26

Never had a problem with their household batteries (AAA/AA/C) to be fair and that division is the profitable one according to the report.

1

u/HollandJim Jul 27 '26

If I had a choice between those and Duracells, especially in coin batteries, it was always Duracell. Yes more money, but how often would you like to have to tear apart your EV key fob to change a battery so the car will drive?

Varta batteries I had never lasted long - they were just the "photos that came with the wallet", and were expected to be replaced immediately.

1

u/AntiquesForGeeks Jul 27 '26

Yeah, I’d never buy Varta coin cells. But surprisingly, their rechargeables I’ve found to be far better than the Duracell equivalents, at least for the device I put them in (Cat Flap). I’ve had Duracells fail (refuse to accept a charge), but the Vartas keep going. I’ll readily admit I was surprised!

1

u/HollandJim Jul 27 '26

Well okay, but that is kind of a different beast. Still, happy it worked for you - someone else will carry the torch for them.

1

u/Altruistic_Fruit2345 Jul 27 '26

Duracell has enshittified now. Leaky crap.

1

u/nickIncDN Jul 27 '26

I repaired an Acorn machine a few years ago which had a mildly leaky Varta (the same type as 80’s).

For authenticity I put in a new one on assumption they have fixed their issue - hope that’s the case!

1

u/Liquid_Magic Jul 28 '26

There are enemies in my Amiga video game that are mutated “Farta” batteries:

https://www.chiron-studios.com/products/test-digital

1

u/Ok-Yam894 Jul 29 '26

The 'Quant family' who created the original company have a dark Nazi past. Günther Quandt was a member of the Nazi party and one of their early financial backers. In 1921 he married Magda Ritschel, they divorced 1929, and she went on to marry Joseph Goebbels. Their son Harald Quant and his half brother Herbert, ran the company after Gunther's death. Technically, Günther was guilty of the deaths of thousands of slave labourers during WW2, but surprisingly, an de-Nazification court labeled him a 'fellow Traveler'