ENERGY costs in German shops have risen 150 percent since the beginning of the year. In a survey by the German Retail Association (HDE), every second company considers its existence threatened, writes Deutsche Welle.

Retailers are now using energy-saving measures to somehow get through the winter. For example, shops are heated less. “Every degree less can reduce energy consumption by up to six percent,” says Patrick Schütz from the German Retail Association. The first supermarkets are even considering shortening opening hours.

Voluntary measures are one thing. But the federal government is also relying on compulsory measures. It adopted a regulation that has been in force since September 1 – retail sales areas may be heated to a maximum of 19 degrees. Illuminated outdoor advertisements must be switched off from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and shop doors may no longer remain constantly open.

“Doors closed, shop open”

Carina Peretzke from the Retail Association of North Rhine-Westphalia is very critical of closed entrance doors: “If the doors are closed, fewer customers come in.” Psychologically, she says, closed doors are perceived as a barrier.

In order to still attract people into shops, the HDE climate offensive, at the initiative of the retail association of North Rhine-Westphalia, launched a campaign whose posters say “Doors closed, shop open”. These posters are meant to show customers that the shops are open despite the closed doors. So far, the campaign has been very well received, says Patrick Schütz.

Most customers also show understanding for all these measures, for whom the topic of saving energy is becoming increasingly important in private life as well. This is shown by a DW survey in the center of Bonn: “It is the right thing for saving energy. It makes the city center a little sadder. But I think we do not have too much choice to think about it,” says one passerby.

Purchasing power at an “all-time low”

But the main problem of retail at the moment lies elsewhere, Carina Peretzke believes. Namely, after more than two years of the coronavirus pandemic and rising costs, purchasing power, she says, is currently at a “historic low”. Retail is suffering particularly from this: “There are basically no reserves left, they have been used up. Now we have higher costs, and customers also have those costs, so they are holding back on purchases,” says Peretzke.

This also becomes clear when you talk to people in the center of Bonn. Many are now paying more attention to what they buy and asking themselves whether they really need it. And when it comes to groceries, people are increasingly turning to special offers and going more and more to discount stores.

Lighting and safety

Dortmund urban planner Stefan Kruse sees another important aspect: city centers are becoming darker because of less lighting, especially now in autumn, when the days are getting shorter. This is also, says Krause, a matter of safety.

For example, if I am going home after visiting a restaurant, then next time I might think twice about walking through dark alleys, says Kruse. An employee of a textile shop near the main railway station shares that opinion. “It makes me feel a little uneasy,” says this woman.

The number of small shops in city centers has already been declining for years. The trend, which had already intensified due to lockdowns during the pandemic and the associated loss of revenue, will now probably continue because of energy-saving measures.

Identical retail chains can be found almost everywhere in the central parts of German cities. Because of this, Kruse believes, city centers are “boring” and “interchangeable”.

But it is not only small shops that are withdrawing. Since the pandemic, large chains have increasingly relied on online retail. Therefore, more and more large spaces in the city center are standing empty. For Kruse, it is clear that the concept of the city center must be thought about differently in the long term. When large department store chains vacate their locations, huge empty spaces arise which, Kruse believes, should be turned into multifunctional areas.

Source: index.hr