Desperation is growing in retail because of the month-long lockdown.
More and more companies no longer want to accept the situation without complaint - and are suing in court.
The Stuttgart fashion house Breuninger is one of the largest fashion houses in Germany with eleven branches and 5500 employees.
In order to protect employees and customers from Corona, the company has invested heavily in hygiene and safety concepts.
But because of the lockdown, the shops remain closed.
Now the company is going to court.
Despair is also great at other companies.
More and more dealers are complaining.
Stuttgart - They are pissed off at the Stuttgart fashion retailer Breuninger because of the renewed lockdown.
The company operates eleven clothing stores and an online store nationwide.
But because of the lockdown, the stores in Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Leipzig have been closed for weeks.
Group spokesman Christian Witt sums up Merkur.de * on Friday that the situation is “a disaster for the entire German retail sector”.
For the past year alone, the fashion house has to cope with a "drop in sales in the three-digit million range" in the stationary trade.
The revenues in the web store also increased in the three-digit million range.
But the bottom line is that there is “a big drop in sales”.
Corona lockdown: Breuninger is suing in six federal states
Now the Swabians are going to the barricades.
In six federal states, the industry heavyweight with its 5,500 employees has submitted urgent applications for reopening.
In Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, the urgent applications were initially rejected.
A possible main proceedings is still pending.
In the proceedings in Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia and Saxony, the administrative courts could give an initial assessment as early as next week.
The current restrictions, according to Breuninger, are "deep encroachments on property rights and occupational freedom".
Hundreds of thousands of euros have been invested in hygiene standards and a sophisticated traffic light system for health protection.
In pre-lockdown times, employees presented masks at the entrance.
Crossing routes are marked and the cleaning team does their rounds more often than usual.
But that doesn't help against the lockdown either.
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Traffic light control: The Breuninger fashion house had invested several hundred thousand euros in corona protection for employees and consumers.
© Marijan Murat / dpa
Corona lockdown: Other fashion houses are also pulling in front of the Kadi
Breuninger is not alone in walking to the Kadi.
The industry is making legal mobility nationwide.
The family business Riani from the Swabian Schorndorf is also moving in front of the Kadi.
The daughter of the company's founders Martina and Jürgen Buckenmaier told the
Handelsblatt that
they were suing “for equality with the hairdressing businesses”, which should open
.
One can “no longer understand” the decision of the governments.
Riani has powerful advocates.
A good 150 fashion companies, including industry giants such as Gerry Weber, Seidensticker or the Mannheim fashion giant Engelhorn support the initiative.
Corona lockdown: trade association shows understanding for displeasure
The trade association HDE also shows understanding for the procedure.
"As HDE we are pushing for the shops to be reopened quickly and we have great understanding for these lawsuits, which we naturally support as part of our legal services, including through our local trade associations," said an association spokesman on Friday evening on request.
The mood in the industry is explosive.
Many dealers are already up to their necks.
The situation worsens with each lockdown day.
There are also practical problems.
Many retailers without their own online shop would hardly have been able to sell their winter goods so far.
In some cases, according to the industry, retailers could not have stored the new spring goods because the warehouses were "still full of winter clothing".
Breuninger: "If necessary also by other authorities"
Breuninger no longer wants to accept the forced closings without complaint.
“We finally want a clear opening perspective so that we can plan,” demands company spokesman Witt.
You will fight for yourself and the industry - "if necessary also through other bodies".
* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen Digital editorial network.
