Vorarlberg has 14 municipalities without full-range food shops
Tuesday 10th November 2026 on 22:01 in
Austria
Fourteen municipalities in Vorarlberg now have no local shop with a full range of goods, up from eight two years ago, ORF reported, citing a response by state councillor Marco Tittler to an inquiry from the SPÖ. Tittler said the decline in shops had stabilised and that Vorarlberg was better supplied than other regions.
The number of grocery shops in Vorarlberg has halved since 1970, while their total retail space has doubled, according to Tittler’s response. He said the region had managed to slow the loss of shops, unlike other areas.
A study by KMU Forschung Austria found that 5 per cent of people across Austria live in municipalities without a local food supplier, compared with 2 per cent in Vorarlberg. Vorarlberg also had the country’s highest share of single-location businesses in food retail, at 49 per cent, against a national average of 38 per cent. Tittler said these small shops played a significant role in providing local supplies.
The SPÖ inquiry asked how the number of local food suppliers and state support for them had changed, and what measures were being taken to strengthen them. Tittler said public operating-cost grants, investment support and delivery subsidies had helped stabilise the sector, alongside the efforts of local businesses.
Last year, the state provided just under one million euros in subsidies. Support is available to food shops that offer a full range, have annual net sales of no more than 2.5 million euros and occupy no more than 400 square metres of retail space.
Maintaining a full range can be difficult for small shops, Tittler’s response said. Some places do not have a full-range shop but still have a basic regional supply of food. Since the summer, local food shops in 65 Vorarlberg municipalities have been allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., subject to certain conditions.
Tittler said local shops also shorten journeys, support the independence of municipalities and provide sales opportunities for regional producers. In rural areas, they can be particularly important to people with limited mobility, provide additional services and serve as social meeting places.