Local supply: 24-hour shops: Saviors of rural local supply?

Jens Kaufmann has lived in Judenbach all his life. In the village of 200 inhabitants, a district of the municipality of Föritztal in the far south of Thuringia , the situation was similar to that of many rural communities: Most local shops had closed. The nearest supermarket and gas station are in neighboring Sonneberg, difficult to reach for many older people. The entrepreneur quickly changed this and opened a village shop in 2023. However, it was only by extending opening hours to 24 hours and offering a delivery service that the business became viable.

"We can't compete directly with a supermarket for one simple reason: We're far too expensive," says the 41-year-old. Instead, his village shop fills a gap in rural areas. His shop is one of two local suppliers in the municipality's 19 districts. When the sales staff finishes work, customers are automatically granted access using a customer card.

Only economical in 24-hour operation

The idea has been so successful that Kaufmann has also been offering his concept as a franchise since the turn of the year. But he fears this success could now be dampened by a new shop opening law in Thuringia. A first draft of the law, which has not yet passed the cabinet, proposes limiting the size of so-called digital micro-sales outlets open around the clock and without staff to 150 square meters, as Thuringia's Labor Minister Katharina Schenk told the dpa. There should also be restrictions on the product range. "These are essentially food and beverages, or household items, and hygiene products for everyday use," said the SPD politician.

Such businesses contribute to ensuring the quality of life in rural areas. Therefore, the new shop opening law should allow 24-hour operations throughout Thuringia. However, the purpose of the law also remains to protect Sunday rest days. If numerous people do their weekly shopping on the weekend, "then Sunday is no longer different from the rest of the week," said the SPD politician.

Exceptions for shop operators so far

Until now, it was the districts that granted individual shop owners special permits to operate around the clock. This procedure was perfectly acceptable, says village shop owner Kaufmann. The restrictions under discussion would hit him and his customers hard: "We have no other option. There's no gas station here. Getting anything from anywhere on a Sunday is simply not possible here."

Criticism also comes from the largest company in the industry: Tante Enso. The Bremen-based start-up supplies 60 branches throughout Germany, which are operated as a cooperative by its members – one of them in the Wartburg district of Thuringia. More are planned.

"This means that we will have to temporarily, during or after the prescribed opening hours, separate the store, as is already the case in Bavaria, at two locations," says Jessica Renziehausen, spokesperson for Tante Enso. The company will now seek dialogue with Thuringian politicians.