New initiative in the opening debate: Christoph Andexlinger, head of the domestic market leader in shopping centers SES (including Europark Salzburg, Huma Eleven in Vienna, Murpark Graz), is campaigning to open stores on several Sundays a year.
“We do not need a general Sunday opening, but I demand six to eight open Sundays a year – not only for shopping centers, but for all retailers in Austria,” says Christoph Andexlinger.
The top manager also has a reason for this: “There are Sundays when a lot of turnover flows abroad. We should rather keep the money in the country.” As examples he cites the time before Christmas, before school starts and at the beginning of the spring and fall seasons.
On Saturdays at 6 p.m. the frequencies are often very high
Andexlinger would also like to see a change in the opening hours law for Saturdays, so that the doors only have to close at 7 p.m. instead of at 6 p.m.: “On Saturdays, the frequencies at 6 p.m. are often very high. It’s a shame we can no longer use it.”
Andexlinger denies that this would be at the expense of store employees: “With an extra hour on Saturday, jobs can be created. There are many young people who would like to work on Saturday afternoons because they get paid extra.”
Relaxation is important for stationary retail: “What we always forget: online retail is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Stationary retail is really not having an easy time and we know what it looks like in city centers when the shops close. We all want lively city centers. Retailers employ staff, pay taxes and you really have to look at how you can relieve that burden.”
At Spar subsidiary SES, which operates 28 shopping centers in Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, business went well again in 2023: retailers and restaurateurs were able to increase their turnover by 5.1 percent to 3.32 billion euros. A total of 112 million visitors came, 5.2 percent more than in 2022 – and a record number. In addition, the space is well rented and the vacancy rate is less than one percent.
The development in Austria was also gratifying for Andexlinger: “We had a turnover increase of 4.9 percent, which corresponds to just over 2.2 billion euros. This means that we are clearly ahead of market developments, because according to Statistics Austria, retail sales in Austria increased by only 3.6 percent in 2023.”
The Europark Salzburg will be expanded by 8,500 square meters
Austria’s largest SES shopping centre, Europark Salzburg, is being expanded. The state’s confirmation of the zoning plan is only a formality, says Andexlinger: “I expect construction to start in 2025 and be completed by the end of 2026. The retail area would increase by 8,500 square meters from the current 51,000.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
