More than one in four municipalities (28 percent) in Austria does not have a large supermarket such as Spar, Hofer, Billa or Lidl. This is evident from research by RegioData. This mainly concerns rural areas.
In Lower and Upper Austria, around 155 communities each do not have a comprehensive food supplier, while in Tyrol this is around 90. The market research institute defines a full range as a basic range of dry assortments and the fresh range of fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy products, meat and sausage products, bread and pastries and drinks.
In Austria, the four supermarket chains Spar, Rewe (Billa), Hofer and Lidl control more than 90 percent of the market. They are mainly located in the largest cities Vienna, Graz and Linz, as well as in the so-called “Speck Belt”. In 28 percent of all communities there is no complete supermarket.
Vending machine stores are experiencing a revival
In these areas, subsegments such as petrol station shops, direct farmer marketers and vending machines are experiencing a revival. According to market researchers, however, the self-service boxes of Billa or Unimarkt have not been successful – probably because, like shops, they also have opening hours. The desired parity with the petrol station law was not achieved.
As more and more conventional supermarkets in rural communities close, RegioData recommends more staffless shopping malls and a mix of restaurants and retail. “In both strategies, legislators and stakeholders are required to achieve an improvement in the local supply situation through more liberal provisions,” the report says.
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.
