As of: 23.12.2021 6:00 a.m.
On average, 30 percent less sales than before the pandemic: Hamburg’s retail trade closes the Christmas business for the second year in a row with losses due to Corona. It was also a difficult year for the Christmas markets.
In the inner city, retail and Christmas markets are struggling with fewer people coming. Hardly any business at lunchtime because many work in the home office and tourists are absent in the evenings and on weekends.
If you are there, you still have a shopping mood and spend money, said Brigitte Engler from city management. Nonetheless, online trading is booming and clothing stores in particular are giving up. The mandatory 2G controls cause additional costs. The trade association Nord criticized that these got stuck with the operators and operating gutters.
AUDIO: Retail: On average 30 percent less sales than before the pandemic (1 min)
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Expensive security
Robert Kirchhecker incurs more than 100,000 euros extra for security. He runs two Christmas markets in the city – on Spitalerstraße and Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz. As an organizer, he closes the season with a six-figure minus. The showmen and women are also happy that they were allowed to set up at all, in spite of the heavy drop in sales in some cases – and, unlike other federal states, Hamburg did not cancel the Christmas markets at short notice.
Many Christmas markets are closing
for In many Hamburg Christmas markets, the day before Christmas Eve is already the last. Among other things, the Roncalli Christmas market on the Rathausmarkt and the Santa Pauli Christmas market on Spielbudenplatz put an end to mulled wine & Co. Petri.
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