Düsseldorf / Hanover (dpa) – The retailers in Germany entered the last big sales weekend before Christmas with subdued expectations. Above all, the ban on entry for unvaccinated people in large parts worried the business owners.
Nevertheless, there were a relatively large number of buyers in city centers on Saturday. The trade associations want to draw a conclusion on the course of business on Sunday. “After a cautious approach in the morning, the dealers are now reporting a higher frequency of customers in at least some cities compared to the first weekend in Advent,” said Björn Musiol from the Rhineland Trade Association on Saturday of the German press agency. In smaller cities with Christmas markets canceled at short notice, customer response is poor.
The mood among dealers and customers ranged from “quite okay” to mediocre, according to the trade association. At the entrances to the shops there were mostly no discussions about the 2G corona rule, according to which only vaccinated or convalescent have access.
Lawsuits also in Berlin and Brandenburg
For Lower Saxony, the local higher administrative court overturned the 2G rule in retail on Thursday after a lawsuit from the department store chain Woolworth. The court justified this with the fact that the measure to further contain the coronavirus was not necessary and not compatible with the general principle of equality.
The state government reacted on Saturday: From Tuesday, an FFP2 mask requirement for the entire retail trade will apply in Lower Saxony. A corresponding change to the Corona regulation will be made on Monday and will come into effect on Tuesday, announced the Ministry of Health in Hanover. There should be no distinction between shops for everyday needs and other retail shops.
Retailers also want to take legal action against the 2G rule when shopping in Berlin and Brandenburg. “A lawsuit is already pending in Berlin,” said the chief executive of the regional trade association, Nils Busch-Petersen, on Saturday. “In Brandenburg it will happen next week,” he added. The “Märkische Allgemeine” had previously reported on the plans in Brandenburg. In Berlin, several media had reported on an urgent application from Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof to the Berlin administrative court.
Trade: respect controls
At the same time, the industry asked its customers to show respect when dealing with the employees who review the 2G regulation. “Customers should treat the employees of the retail trade who carry out the 2G tests with the necessary respect and refrain from insulting them,” said the general manager of the textile shoes and leather goods trade association (BTE), Rolf Pangels, of the dpa.
“We hope that consumers have meanwhile familiarized themselves with the 2G tests in retail and do not see them as an obstacle to making their fashion purchases in city centers,” said Pangels. However, the industry insider assumed that sales this weekend will definitely be below those in the pre-crisis winter of 2019.