Closed department stores, barricaded shop windows - retail in Munich is dying. Corona accelerates this massively. In a BA meeting, a new bankruptcy became known.
- Closed department stores, barricaded shop windows - retail in Munich is struggling.
- And not just since Corona *. More and more shops have to close, and free spaces are empty longer than before.
- According to experts, the peak phase of shop dying will not come until autumn.
Worries in Munich's old town: the business world is evidently facing permanent change
Update from August 25, 2020: The economic situation of the restaurants and dealers in the old town is also driving the district committee Altstadt-Lehel (BA). The politicians of the district committee are observing the slowly increasing numbers of guests and customers, especially in the shops in the city center, with concern.
The BA chairwoman Andrea Stadler-Bachmaier (Greens) reported at the meeting that the innkeepers in the old town are currently generating between 15 and 20 percent less turnover. In the case of retailers, the losses in sales were in some cases significantly higher. In addition, the BA members learned from a citizen during the meeting that the clothing company Jeans Kaltenbach with two shops in the city center may be about to end . The company has now filed for bankruptcy.
The members of the district committee therefore hope that additional approved bar areas for innkeepers and the “Summer in the City” project will provide the retailers with additional sources of income. Stadler-Bachmaier was convinced that this could at least temporarily provide a remedy. Even though it became clear at the meeting that the current economic problems will continue for a long time - and that the business world in the old town may change permanently. - Sebastian Schlenker
First report from July 27th, 2020: Munich * - Ines Hackman has been running her shoe store "Step by Step" at Klenzestraße 37 for 33 years. She has had tough months. So far she can still stay afloat. "Business has started again," says the shop manager. But that took a lot of work. Hackman started a small online shop. Now she can again serve her customers personally - but the purchasing power has decreased. Autumn becomes critical again, she says, when new goods have to be bought. How exactly your business will get out of the crisis remains to be seen. But Ines Hackman is certain: "Some shops will not survive the next few months."
Others have already lost the battle for their existence . The pedestrian zone in Neuhauser Strasse in particular is emptying. The Spanish fashion brand Desigual is out, and the branches of S.Oliver and Esprit are also about to end . And Mickey Mouse and Co. could not save the Disney store. The store has been closed since last week - the Disney sign isn't even hanging anymore. The closure is said to have come as a surprise even for employees. Not to forget: After the failed negotiations, the end of the Galeria branch at Stachus is a done deal.
Munich / Coronavirus: is Ikea coming to the city center?
Corona sweeps streets and shops empty. The question arises: what comes after? According to Dominik Datz from Verdi, the Swedish furniture giant Ikea has been wanting to move into downtown Munich for a long time; there are several concepts from pop-up stores to 16,000 square meters. "There will be significant changes," Datz sums up. Large chains would in future rely on premium stores, so-called flagship stores. "These are primarily about the staging, " says Datz. “The retail business is increasingly concentrating on online.” This also means that there will be even fewer walk-ins in the city center, which should result in further closures. After all, the retail sector has long been fighting against this structural change and competition from the Internet. Corona exacerbates this trend.
How many stores have fallen victim to the virus crisis so far is difficult to say. Too much movement is currently still in the situation, says the spokesman for the Association of City Partners, Wolfgang Fischer. The peak phase has not yet been reached. “We fear that the right wave could come in autumn,” explains Fischer. After all: Until the end of September, a number of subsidy programs will take effect, which represent real support for dealers in settling fixed costs. In addition, many rents are currently deferred. "We now have to do everything we can to increase the number of customers in the city center again," said Fischer. If sales don't improve soon, things will look dark in autumn. (Lisa-Marie Birnbeck - * tz.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network.)
Many customers have long got used to it - and now have to adapt. Ikea is planning a change. Because of the environment. And maybe because of Corona.
At a press conference in Munich, Prime Minister Markus Söder made a clear statement on the subject of Corona. The "annoying party topic" was also highlighted.