Online competition

Retailers warn: “Then the local supplier is gone”

One institution less! In September, "Beyerl" in Landstraße in Linz closed its doors after 124 years. The number of paper and toy retailers is declining throughout Upper Austria. However, shopping at Temu is very popular with consumers.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Horst Einöder, Markus Wenzel)

One traditional store closes here, another there - anyone who walks through city centers has long since become accustomed to empty stores. The picture is bleak. Paper and toy retailers are also suffering more and more from the growing online competition and are now sounding the alarm.

Until Saturday, October 19, local paper retailers are still celebrating the week of the calendar, which heralds the sale of annual planners for 2025.

However, retailers are not really in the mood to celebrate. The price rises that are dampening consumer sentiment, combined with the ever-increasing competition from online retailers such as Temu and Shein, are making things difficult.

Suppliers like Temu sell products at incredibly low prices. The environment and retailers in Austria are losing out.

Georg Obereder, Obmann des Papier- und Spielwarenhandels in der Wirtschaftskammer OÖ

Bild: Einöder Horst

Georg Obereder, Chairman of the Paper and Toy Trade in the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce, calls the situation a "toxic mix". "The entire trade in Europe is under threat," the Mühlviertel native is alarmed.

How can we counter this? "We offer top quality, brands and branded products. What comes from China is almost exclusively no-name."

However, the price advantage makes these no-name items highly attractive to consumers: "I'm aware that people need to save money, but if you don't shop at local retailers, you lose them. At some point, the local supplier will be gone."