Stores close
The Unimarkt lights have finally gone out
Four branches of the supermarket chain have been closed since Saturday, but 18 others are to be taken over - the "Krone" provides an overview of how things will continue with the local suppliers. In the meantime, the first redundancies have also been announced.
While the Christmas lights came on in many places on Saturday evening, the lights were finally switched off in four Unimarkt stores in Upper Austria: The Altheim, Linz-Zeppelinstraße, Peuerbach and Vöcklamarkt locations have closed - a consequence of the Traun-based food retailer reportedly pulling out of the store business completely. Branches have also closed in Styria and Lower Austria.
Negotiations have been going on for months as to who could take over which Unimarkt stores. The "Krone" newspaper provides an overview - see graphic above: The Rewe Group wants to buy 13 stores in Upper Austria and convert them mainly into Adeg stores. Spar wants to take over five Unimarkt stores. Buyers are still being sought for the remaining stores, but a large number of them will probably have to close.
Especially before Christmas, it's even more emotional when you know you've been given notice or if you don't know whether you'll be taken over.
Wolfgang Gerstmayer, GPA Oberösterreich
Takeovers not yet fixed
The takeovers that have been notified so far are also not quite fixed yet: the Federal Competition Authority is reviewing the deals until 14 January. The issue is the increasing concentration in the food retail sector. The "big four" - Spar, Rewe, Hofer and Lidl - already have a nationwide market share of 94 percent.
There have already been redundancies at Unimarkt itself. The company is not revealing how many of the 500 employees in the stores and the 120 at the head office in Traun have lost their jobs. Only this much: there is a social plan, and the remaining companies in the Unimarkt Group will still need staff and a head office. According to Wolfgang Gerstmayer, Managing Director of the GPA trade union in Upper Austria, there is still uncertainty: "Especially before Christmas, it's even more emotional when you don't know whether you'll be kept on."
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