Hofer, Spar and Co. now have to limit their range of goods
In the trade, the dispute about the sale of clothing, children’s toys or garden furniture in the food trade is intensifying. There are already initial complaints from retailers who are not allowed to sell their goods, while others sell products that are not part of the basic supply.
Law prohibits sales
The Ministry of Economic Affairs is now appealing to solidarity. “We appeal to the solidarity of everyone in the coming weeks to buy only those products that are absolutely necessary for daily use,” says the ministry.
According to the Covid 19 Act, however, retail chains are clearly prohibited from selling goods that do not serve basic needs. The office of the Vorarlberg state government clarified this after a local toy dealer filed a complaint. He felt disadvantaged that grocery stores continued to offer toys, but had to close his shop. The Ministry of Health also says that the legal opinion should be interpreted restrictively.
© APA / HELMUT FOHRINGER
–
–
Only partially implemented
Some dealers have already separated their sub-range. The drugstore chain Müller, for example, has closed the toy department. Hofer handles it differently: “Hofer’s product range has always included food as well as non-food products. Changing something in the current range at short notice would unsettle customers on the one hand and would mean additional logistical effort that cannot currently be managed” , it says in a statement of the discount company on APA request.
In current brochures, Hofer advertises clothing, children’s toys, sporting goods, garden furniture or lawnmowers and thus causes resentment on social media, but also among retailers. “We very much regret that many shops are currently closed and welcome all initiatives that make it possible to sell regional products online,” said Hofer. With “SNOOOP” and “Kaufdaheim”, the Chamber of Commerce is currently bundling two online platforms to make them more easily accessible to domestic traders. “An online shop can at least cushion the consequences of the blocks in brick-and-mortar retail,” said Iris Thalbauer, managing director of the federal retail division in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, according to a press release.
© APA / HELMUT FOHRINGER
–
–
Would unsettle customers
The Salzburg retail group Spar is appealing to look through the glasses of consumers. Sealing off products severely unsettles them. “We also cannot build walls in the branches,” spokeswoman Nicole Berkmann is quoted in the “Standard”. It is unacceptable for employees to debate with customers who do not abide by the restrictions. A sales ban for non-food assortment also led to large parts of the consumption shifting to the web trade.
–
