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Photo: DPA

Austrian promises new life for Schlecker shops

Published: 1 Dec 12 11:01 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20121201-46501.html

An Austrian businessman is promising jobs for thousands of staff who worked at the bankrupt Schlecker drugstore chain – he plans to reopen 600 of the old shops as all-round corner stores.

Investor Rudolf Haberleitner said on Friday he would take over hundreds of one-time Schlecker branches closed when the drugstore chain collapsed earlier this year.

He has, since August, converted 1,350 former Schlecker branches in Austria and other European countries into such all-round shops under the chain name Dayli.

At the time of insolvency Schlecker still had 5,000 branches in Germany and more than 25,000 employees lost their jobs.

“I expect to employ up to 3,000 workers in Germany by the end of next year, depending on how quickly we expand,” Haberleitner told the Handelsblatt newspaper on Friday.

The new shops will be part drugstore, part grocery shop, and also offer a range of services such as dry cleaning, photocopying and an online order service, a combination Haberleitner was confident would fill a gap in the market.

“In Germany there are really no corner shops any more; no matter whether Rewe or Edeka, you have to drive your car to get to them,” Haberleitner told the paper. “Just by being nearer we offer a bit more in living standards.”

Habnerleitner said he had already chosen 484 former Schlecker branches in southern Germany and Rhineland Palatinate and was in negotiations over premises in Berlin, Brandenburg and Thuringia.

Receiver Arndt Geiwitz, who presided over the Schlecker bankruptcy, is so far not involved in Haberleitner's plans, but a spokesman confirmed that he would actively support the bid to reopen the branches as all-round shops. “He thinks it's a solid concept,” said the spokesman.

The first 50 to 60 shops would be set up in January, said the investor, and he expected them to open their doors to customers in mid-February.

DAPD/The Local/jlb

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

17:33 December 1, 2012 by pepsionice
This business model is dead. You might run the 600 for five to six years, but I doubt that they can clear any real profit. Plus you have to remember the huge amount of negative feelings amongst former employees. There is still anger and hostility in some of the smaller villages where these were located.
17:51 December 1, 2012 by raandy
You can be sure wages and bennys will be different.
05:18 December 2, 2012 by CoolBlueIce
It's a little strange that these are called "drug stores" when no drugs are available in them. Try buying a simple bottle of aspirin, for example.

The powerful drug lobby limits purchase of even over-the-counter medicines to closely regulated drug stores where you will pay €10 for 30 tables. Contrast that with the US where you can buy aspirin in any drugstore (or grocery store or gas station). You can buy a bottle of 500 aspirin in Target, for example, for US$5.

There's a lot I love about Germany, but these state sanctioned oligopolies are not among them.
15:00 December 2, 2012 by raandy
Walmart tried a run here but pharmaceuticals are a large part of their revenue, that and a few other problems (labor for example) sent them on to India where they are now mired in corruption.
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