Supermarket chains split over longer hours and Sunday opening

A debate over longer supermarket hours and Sunday opening has resurfaced in Austria, with retailers divided, ORF reported after visiting Vösendorf in Mödling district.

A sign outside the Billa Box in Vösendorf advertises Sunday opening. The unmanned supermarket can be entered with a debit card, and customers pay at a self-service checkout. A special rule in Lower Austria allows it to open on Sundays, but it remains subject to Austria’s nationwide opening-hours law. It is open for 72 hours a week, the same as the regular supermarket opposite.

Rewe Austria chief executive Marcel Haraszti recently called for opening hours to be extended to 78 hours a week, particularly for stores without staff. Lidl Austria said it considers the current rules sufficient and sees no need for an extension.

Hofer said selected stores in tourist hotspots open on Sundays and public holidays, but it has no plans for a nationwide rollout. The company declined to comment on the political debate. Spar did not respond.

In a non-representative survey by ORF at the neighbouring supermarket, customers expressed differing views. Florian Köpper, from Schwechat, said Sunday opening could help in emergencies. Irina Beyl, from Vienna, also favoured the option, saying a small shop would not be enough and that many people who work on Sundays have days off later in the week.

Others raised concerns about the burden on staff. Andrea Herzog, from Vienna, said Sunday work could be difficult to organise for women with children, adding that she could not have imagined doing it herself as a mother.

Sunday supermarket opening remains an exception in Lower Austria. Apart from the small store in Vösendorf, the shops permitted to open are mostly supermarkets at airports, railway stations and petrol stations.