Munich – At the very beginning of Sendlinger Strasse, just a few meters from Marienplatz, a few shops still have the traditional closing time: 8 p.m. The Tretter shoe store, for example, or the “Superdry” fashion store.
But no sooner have you walked a few steps into the street than the opening hours suddenly become shorter and shorter. “John & Audrey”: 6 p.m. Tommy Jeans: 7 p.m. G-Star RAW Store: 7pm.
“Hardly anyone comes after 6 p.m.”: Shops in Munich are closing earlier and earlier
The closing time at 8 p.m., it seems, has now practically been abolished for most of Sendlinger Strasse. What’s going on there? “It’s just not worth staying open longer,” says Teresa Uhlig. Uhlig is 37 years old and runs the candy store “Bears & Friends” at Sendlinger Strasse 19. For many years, the candy store that Uhlig took over from her mother was open until 8 p.m.
But as of late, shopping ends here at 7 p.m. “It started during the corona pandemic,” says Uhlig. “Back then the opening hours fluctuated a lot, at times I was only open until 5 p.m. And since then it just wasn’t worth opening until 8 p.m..” Many people simply switched to online trading with the pandemic. The result: “Actually, hardly anyone comes after 6 p.m..”
“People no longer have money to shop”: Domino effect in downtown Munich
There is also a domino effect. “Of course, some shops tried and said we wanted to stay open until 8 p.m.,” says Uhlig. “But nobody notices that this one shop is open longer. So there are no more customers.” In the meantime, almost all tradespeople on Sendlinger Strasse have given up and accepted the shorter opening times.
“I think the main problem is the crisis,” says Norbert Winhart (63), who runs the business “Grandma’s Delights” directly at Sendlinger Tor. “First the pandemic, then the crisis – people just don’t have the money to go shopping anymore.” Winhart has been working here on Sendlinger Strasse for 22 years and has experienced many crises. “But now,” he says, “it’s getting really tight.”
Rent, electricity costs, inflation: Many Munich residents no longer have enough money to go shopping
This certainly has something to do with the construction site blocking direct access to Winhart’s shop. But: “The problem that fewer customers come is not just me, but everyone here on the street.” Rising rents, rising electricity costs – and fewer customers than before.
“If nobody comes in here for a quarter of an hour, then I turn off the lights until the next customer arrives,” says Winhart. So closing at 7 p.m. was a logical step for him.
Changed opening hours in Munich city center: severe staff shortage
“It is certainly true for many small, owner-managed shops that longer opening hours are simply no longer worthwhile,” says Stephan Kippes. “But for most larger stores, the main problem is the lack of staff.”
The people of Munich like to go shopping again on Neuhauser Strasse. But the shops there lack staff. © IMAGO/Wolfgang Maria Weber The people of Munich like to go shopping again on Neuhauser Strasse. But the shops there lack staff.
by IMAGO/Wolfgang Maria Weber
“}”>
Kippes is the managing director of the market research institute of the Real Estate Association South (IVD). Once a year, he and his colleagues examine retail developments in central inner-city locations.
“The lack of staff is currently a general problem in retail,” says Kippes. “But you don’t notice it as much in shopping centers, for example, because many shops there are obliged to stay open until 8 p.m. – and they face contractual penalties if they close earlier.”
Downtown in Munich: Every business can close when it wants
It’s different downtown. “On Kaufingerstrasse or Sendlinger Strasse, the owners can decide for themselves how long their business should be open,” says Kippes. “That’s why there are now frequent attempts to reduce the times given the lack of staff.”
From the landlord’s point of view, this is an unpleasant decision, says Kippes from the real estate association: “In retail, turnover rents are relatively common, where the rent is linked to sales. So if the tenant closes earlier, the landlord loses income.”
High energy prices: the burden on tenants in Munich has doubled
X
You have added the item to the watch list.
to the watch list
Downtown hosts in Munich are demanding: VAT should be at seven percent…
X
You have added the item to the watch list.
to the watch list
KVR boss Hanna Sammüller-Gradl: “We need more welcoming culture” in …
X
You have added the item to the watch list.
to the watch list
In Munich’s Kaufingerstraße, sellers are being sought at every second shop
In any case, the lack of staff on Kaufingerstraße cannot be overlooked. Every second shop has signs advertising for workers. The TK Maxx fashion store advertises with the slogan “Work where you like to shop!”, the Läderach chocolate shop offers a “dream job for all chocolate fans”, and the Dr. Martens advertises on a sign on his door: “We’re hiring. Join the team!”
The branch manager of a fashion store in Kaufingerstraße, which has also reduced its opening hours to 7 p.m., confirmed to the AZ on request that the lack of staff forced them to take the step. “We just can’t find any more sellers,” says the woman, who doesn’t want her name to be in the newspaper. She does not want to say how much money the salespeople in her branch are currently making. Unlike on Sendlinger Strasse, however, most of the shops on Kaufingerstrasse have so far been open until 8 p.m. At least: still.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window,document,’script’,
‘
fbq(‘init’, ‘2523508247947799’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
2023-07-02 15:01:02
#Lack #staff #shops #downtown #Munich #closing #earlier
