Where people in Austria live without local suppliers

Although there were 23 fewer towns than in the previous year, rural areas in particular are increasingly affected by business closures. Up to 20 percent of peripheral rural grocery stores went out of business between 2011 and 2022.

Burgenland was particularly badly affected

Burgenland is particularly badly affected. In almost a third of the communities there is no local supplier. This affects almost 15 percent of the Burgenland population. There are also supply gaps in Tyrol and Upper Austria: the residents of 24 and 22 percent of the communities cannot go shopping in their own town. Close behind is Lower Austria with 19 percent.

According to the study, large urban centers, such as state capitals, have again experienced an increase in local suppliers in recent years. Local supplies are available across the board, especially in Vienna.

For these differences there are loud Christian PrauchnerChairman of the Federal Food Trade Committee in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), several reasons. Grocery stores are often not economically viable, especially in small communities. For this reason, they close as soon as the operators retire because no successors can be found, explains Prauchner.

Small communities are at risk

According to figures from the Federal Food Trade Committee, which also commissioned the study on local supplies, the threshold above which a grocery store is worthwhile is a population of between 1,000 and 2,000 residents. That’s why very small communities and towns in particular that are affected by a strong migration are at risk of losing their buyer.

The mobility of residents also has a direct impact on whether a business can survive in an area. “If commuters do their shopping in the large supermarket in the neighboring town on the way home, it becomes rather difficult for a small local supplier,” says Prauchner.

The Greißler death is particularly problematic because of the important role that businesses play in the quality of life in the country. They are crucial for whether young families migrate to or from areas. In addition to providing care, they also fulfill an interpersonal function. For older people in particular, shopping together is often a “social meeting place for exchange,” says Prauchner.

Self-service is not an alternative

This is precisely why Prauchner is skeptical about self-service containers without staff present. In more and more communities, local supplies are provided via such “boxes” that are placed at junctions and in which food and other everyday products are offered. For Prauchner, they are not an alternative to traditional grocery stores.

The container handlers were not depicted in the study, nor were gas station shops, drugstores or pharmacies. The data also does not take into account further developments after 2022 and thus the energy and inflation crisis, which had a significant impact on trade like all other sectors.