Survey shows:

28 percent of municipalities without a large supermarket

Woman in a supermarket(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

More than one in four municipalities (28 percent) in Austria does not have a large supermarket such as Spar, Hofer, Billa or Lidl. This is the result of a survey by RegioData. Rural regions are particularly affected.

In Lower Austria and Upper Austria, around 155 municipalities each do not have a full-range grocery supplier, while in Tyrol this applies to around 90. The market research institute defines a full range as a basic range of dry goods and the fresh ranges of fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy products, meat and sausage products, bread and pastries as well as beverages.

In Austria, the four supermarket chains Spar, Rewe (Billa), Hofer and Lidl dominate over 90 percent of the market. They are mainly present in the largest cities of Vienna, Graz and Linz as well as the so-called "bacon belt." In 28 percent of all municipalities, there is no full-range grocery store.

Vending machine stores are experiencing an upswing
In these areas, partial assortment stores such as petrol station stores, farmers' direct marketers and vending machine stores are experiencing an upswing. According to the market researchers, however, the self-service boxes from Billa or Unimarkt have not caught on - presumably because they would also have opening hours like stores. The desired equality with the petrol station law was not achieved.

As more and more conventional supermarkets are closing in rural communities, RegioData recommends more shopping outlets without staff and a mix between food service and retail. "In both strategies, legislators and stakeholders are called upon to achieve an improvement in the local supply situation through more liberal regulations," it said.