Innovative concepts

Battle for village stores: Nine Lungau villages supplied

Karoline and Rosalinde in the village store "Unser Kroma" in St. Margarethen

(Bild: Roland Holitzky/ROLAND_HOLITZKY)

Can the grocer's stores of yesteryear still survive today? Various concepts are successful in Lungau - from the municipality as a cooperative to the self-service box.

In six of Lungau's 15 villages, residents have to travel long distances to do their shopping: 9 communities - above all, of course, the centers of St. Michael and Tamsweg - are supplied. Innovative ideas have prevented a further thinning out of the village infrastructure in many places.

St. Margarethen: a local community saved a grocer's shop
Two and a half years ago, the survival of the village store in St. Margarethen was once again on the brink of collapse. The shopkeeper had to give up shortly after taking over. Corona was a huge blow at the time. "We didn't want to let the business die," explains Mayor Johann Lüftenegger (ÖVP).

We have a lot of business. The store is well received by locals.

Karoline Knar, Verkäuferin in „Unser Kroma“ St. Margarethen

Without help from the municipality, however, it would not have been possible to keep the grocer's store open. The municipality founded a cooperative. 240 locals subscribed to share certificates and thus strengthened the basis. The chairman is the mayor himself. "Every receipt counts," he appeals to the people of St. Margarethen to shop at home. The development is good: "With net sales of 650,000 euros in 2023, we are in the black."

In his Ackerbox in Unternberg, Johann Lüftenegger focuses on regionality: a legal dispute is currently hampering his business.

(Bild: Roland Holitzky/ROLAND_HOLITZKY)

Innovative ideas from Muhr to Unternberg
The municipality also took action in Muhr. It has been running the business in-house since 2020. In Ramingstein, the Tamsweg business association is behind the village store. The store in the multi-purpose building combined with care for the elderly and affordable housing is well received. The municipality is accommodating with the rent. "The average purchase is going up," says Heimo Prodinger, pleased that it's not just the forgotten milk or snacks that are being bought in Ramingstein.

The solution in Unternberg is innovative: shopping can be done around the clock at Johann Lüftenegger and his self-service farm box. However, a legal dispute over opening hours is currently hampering operations. It is unclear whether the store should be classified as a vending machine.