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Trade Association expects the end of 9000 shops

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Trade Association expects the end of 9000 shops

Berlin (dpa) Closed shop doors, taped shop windows and dismantled neon signs: In more and more shopping streets in Germany, the dying of shops is leaving unmistakable traces. And the future prospects are also rather bleak. According to a forecast published on Monday by the German Retail Association (HDE), around 9,000 more shops will be closed this year alone. Often because people’s declining purchasing power and rising costs make it unattractive to continue. According to the HDE, there are still 311,000 shops left nationwide – apart from the smallest businesses. For comparison: in 2015 it was almost 373,000.

“In view of the figures from the last few years, all the alarm bells must be ringing in all inner cities and in politics. Because without successful retail, the city centers have hardly any future prospects,” warned HDE President Alexander von Preen on Monday. “If trade dies, the city dies.”

The fact is: the number of shops in Germany has been shrinking for some time. The decline was particularly sharp in the years 2020 to 2022, which were shaped by the corona pandemic, when the number of shops per year fell by 11,000. But even in the pre-crisis years from 2015 to 2019, an average of 5,000 shops closed every year.

Galeria, Goertz and Gerry Weber

Above all, the branch closures of well-known chains receive public attention: the planned closure of 47 Galeria-Karstadt-Kaufhof department stores, the liquidation of numerous branches of the shoe retail chain Görtz or the announced reduction of the branch network of the fashion chain Gerry Weber. However, according to the HDE, most of the closures are attributable to smaller specialist retailers – fashion boutiques, shoe shops and bakeries.

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