40 percent losses

Ruin: Viennese retailers suffer from Signa fiasco

Wolfgang Chroma, Pelzhaus- Fussl in conversation with krone.tv.(Bild: krone.tv)

From prestige project to nightmare: following the collapse of René Benko's Signa companies, the abandoned Lamarr department store construction site looks like an eyesore on Mariahilfer Strasse and has plunged local business owners into existential fears. krone.tv spoke to the business people affected.

"We're talking about 30 to 40 percent losses here, you can't see our side because of this eyesore! It doesn't just affect us, but also our neighbors, like the pharmacy or the tobacconist. Everyone sees it the same way," says Wolfgang Chroma, owner of Pelzhaus-Fuss on Mariahilfer Strasse.

(Bild: krone.tv)

Michael Reiter from the traditional business Südwind goes one step further: "The building site hangs over us like a sword of Damocles. The sidewalk is closed and walk-in customers are changing sides of the street. We have around 100 fewer people a month, we need a solution." 

"The building site hangs over us like a sword of Damocles," says Michael Reiter from the traditional Südwind business.(Bild: krone.tv)

Future of Lamarr uncertain
A sad look at the reality shows: It is not only the entrepreneurs themselves who are facing this dilemma, but also their dedicated employees. The opening of the Lamarr department store, planned for the beginning of 2025, is moving into the distant future due to current developments. When asked when construction workers were last seen on the abandoned site, everyone agreed: "Sometime in November, but they were just picking up their tools."

Watch the full interviews in the video above!