Dispute over deodorant and rinse aid: Planned drugstore causes discussion

Created: 07/27/2022, 11:57 am

By: Michael Seeholzer

A new drugstore is to be built in the large Aldi car park in Grafing.

© Stefan Rossmann

The city of Grafing wants an additional drugstore on the outskirts of the Aldi car park.

But not everyone is for it.

Grafing - There would have been an outcry years ago, not only because customer parking spaces are disappearing: without much resistance, the Grafinger building committee set the first course for a new drugstore on the outskirts at Aldi on its own parking spaces.

Worried about the shops in the center?

That was once.

Times have changed: Little by little, gastronomy has taken over the city center and thus prevented the trend towards desertion.

It looks very similar in Ebersberg.

The people of Grafing are thus taking another step in the direction of the "new market place" as a meeting place.

Fears of retail evictions have not materialized so far

Retrospective: There used to be several grocery stores in the center.

Aldi was also still to be found on the market square back then.

It took almost decades for the discounter to leave the city center.

Planning began in 1989, and in 2006 the store was expanded at its current location on Glonner Strasse, although there was resistance.

Now another 800 square meters of drugstores are to be added.

"In Grafing, retail trade evictions were always controversial," reminded building authority manager Josef Niedermaier.

But: "The fears have not been fulfilled in any way." At the time, the local retailers in the center were very concerned that the full-range suppliers on the green field could pose a threat to their existence.

Local businesses such as bakeries or the brewery feared disadvantages because their products were not offered in discount markets.

The plans for the Rewemarkt on Leonhardstraße initially met with some fierce criticism.

Even a citizens' initiative was requested at the time, but unsuccessfully.

In the meantime, this central shopping facility is valued by all customers as an anchor for the city center.

The market is also easily accessible by bike and on foot.

Competition for Rossmann

But now a new drugstore, even though the “Rossmann” already exists?

This led to a fundamental debate.

Josef Biesenberger (Greens) said: "I don't see the potential." To which Claus Eimer (FDP) replied: "Efficiency is not our business." That would be the responsibility of the companies themselves. Ottilie Eberl (Greens) said analogously whether not there were already enough shops offering shampoo and washing-up liquid, after all, all that was also available in the supermarket.

Walter Schmidtke (Bavarian Party) had a clear opinion on this: "We will not prevent someone from buying a deodorant or a rinse aid just because we say: We don't need that!" Josef Fritz (CSU), on the other hand, is convinced: "The residential area tolerates that for sure", moreover, where there are building land reserves on the Aiblinger Anger,

Of course, the favorite topic of some city councilors was also discussed.

It was about the parking space.

Since, however, Elli Huber (CSU) was able to contribute her own observations: "Even at peak times, the parking lot was always half empty." The fact is, however, that the new drugstore really should sacrifice space.

Niedermaier informed that there are 121 parking spaces and that 98 will remain after the redesign of the area and the construction of the drugstore.

“67 would be required by law,” the head of the building authority informed.

You can read more news from the Ebersberg region here.

By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter.