Replacement on the outskirts?

Supermarket has to say goodbye after 43 years

The Spar supermarket has been part of the Zwettl townscape since 1981. Now the store is closing at the end of the year.

(Bild: Einöder Horst/Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

A piece of Zwettl history comes to an end at the turn of the year. Joachim Ganglberger from the supermarket of the same name is drawing a line under the business after more than four decades. There will be no successor. Instead, there are plans for a new local supermarket on a greenfield site on the outskirts of the Mühlviertel municipality.

 "It just can't go on any longer. To be able to operate properly, you need a sales area of at least 600 square meters. We don't even have half that. And as we are located in the center of the village and are built up all around, we can't spread out to the back, left or right," says the businessman.

250,000 euros for cooling system
Due to the introduction of the deposit system for plastic bottles and aluminum cans, more storage space would be lost from 2025. "The main reason for the closure is the high cost of the cooling systems, which we would have had to replace. The investment is around 250,000 euros," Ganglberger continues.

Employees keep their jobs
A new business will no longer be moving into the premises, Ganglberger wants to expand his catering business and also seamlessly take on some of the Spar employees. "The rest of the staff will be employed by regional local suppliers. That's important to me."

Business near the sports field
The mayor of Zwettl, Roland Maureder, was also surprised by the closure of the local supplier: "It really happened very quickly. I'm already in talks with retail chains. However, we must be aware that larger spaces are needed to set up a new store." These are not available in the town center. The head of the village is currently looking at land near the sports field that has been designated as grassland. "These are within walking distance of the town center."