Rewe Austria seeks to extend retail opening hours to 78 per week

Rewe Austria is advocating for an extension of weekly retail opening hours from 72 to 78 hours. Marcel Haraszti, head of Rewe Austria, argues that current regulations are too restrictive for brands including Billa, Penny, and Adeg.

A central part of the demand involves unmanned, automated convenience stores. Following a Constitutional Court ruling that limited these containers to the same 72-hour weekly limit as traditional supermarkets, Rewe halted expansion plans for its Billa-Box concept. However, a company survey of approximately 1,000 people indicated that nearly 73% support allowing unmanned markets to operate after 8:00 PM, on Sundays, and on public holidays.

Political support for deregulation is emerging. The NEOS party has proposed legislative models to expand hours for owner-operated shops and digital smart stores to improve food accessibility in rural areas. Government officials have noted that exempting fully digital or hybrid markets from current opening hour laws is part of the existing government program, though specific implementation details remain pending. Labor unions, such as the GPA, have expressed opposition to these changes, citing potential negative impacts on workers.