Austria debates expansion of retail opening hours

A political debate has resurfaced in Austria regarding the liberalization of retail opening hours, driven by proposals from NEOS State Secretary Josef Schellhorn and Rewe Austria CEO Marcel Haraszti. Haraszti has called for extended hours for unmanned local supply boxes, which are currently limited to 72 hours per week, suggesting they should be allowed to operate after 8:00 PM and on Sundays and holidays. Additionally, he proposed increasing the weekly operating hours for regular Billa, Bipa, and Penny branches from 72 to 78 hours on weekdays, though he noted that Sunday openings are not a specific demand for Rewe.

The SPÖ, represented by State Secretary Michaela Schmidt, has rejected proposals that involve the presence of staff, maintaining that the government program only supports liberalization for digital or unmanned retail services. Schmidt argued that expanding hours for staffed shops would contradict the current government program and lead to widespread Sunday openings. Meanwhile, Economy Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer has expressed support for exempting all businesses without employees from current opening hour regulations.

Industry reactions remain divided. While gas station operators like Orlen Austria report high demand for food products on Sundays, other retailers, such as XXXLutz, argue that Sunday openings do not generate additional revenue but merely redistribute existing sales across seven days instead of six.