Unimarkt closes: now dozens of branches are threatened with closure

As of December 20th, it will affect 4 branches in Upper Austria, 3 in Styria and 1 in Lower Austria. It is not yet possible to say in detail how many locations in total will ultimately be discontinued, but it is said that the figure is around a third. Closings will occur gradually in the first quarter of 2026. The awarding of the contract to the large supermarket chains has largely been completed. However, both the transaction with Spar and the one with Rewe are still subject to approval by the Federal Competition Authority (BWB). The handovers are planned for the first months of 2026. The locations taken over from the two major competitors should remain open during the handover period.

The grocery retailer Unimarkt, based in Traun, announced in September that it would be withdrawing from the market and would sell or close its 90 locations – franchises and its own – by the end of the year. 120 employees at the headquarters and 500 in the branches have been registered with the AMS early warning system. How many of them will keep their jobs is unclear.