Ingrid and Franz Koch are closing down their university market in Waltendorf on Saturday. The reason is the explosion in rental costs. But you already have new plans.
The term supermarket doesn’t do justice to what the Koch family has achieved on Waltendorfer Hauptstrasse in recent years. Their market was a real Grätzel meeting place. Here we discussed, laughed and also cried together. “We were the first and often only point of contact for many of our customers,” says Ingrid Koch with somewhat glassy eyes. Tears are flowing again these days. Regular customers say goodbye sobbing. “We have been overwhelmed with gifts and thank-you letters, it’s all very emotional.” Today, after ten years, the two are closing their store forever. New contract “would be far too risky” “The new contract with Unimarkt is easy for us for cost reasons not to be signed – that would be far too risky. In addition to the rent, personnel costs have also increased recently,” says Franz Koch. They employed up to 25 people – Unimarkt will be running the branch itself from next Wednesday (including postal partners), but many of the Kochs’ employees are leaving with their bosses. The two people from Graz themselves are now on holiday: “For the last ten years we have been Only out of business for three days, including Sundays.” After that, they want to start their own business again with a small, fine delicatessen. Where? “Of course in Waltendorf.”
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