- Title: GERMANY: GERMANY LIBERALISES OPENING HOURS FOR SHOPS.
- Date: 31st October 1996
- Summary: BERLIN AND DUSSELDORF, GERMANY (OCTOBER 31, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) DUSSELDORF 1. LV/GV: EXTERIOR OF HBV UNION (SHOP CLERKS/SALESPEOPLE) BUILDING (2 SHOTS) 0.14 2. GV: WIDE VIEW NEWS CONFERENCE (2 SHOTS) 0.19 3. MCU: FRANZISKA WIETHOLD, REPRESENTATIVE OF HBV UNION SAYING "THE EMPLOYEES ARE VERY CONCERNED AND UPSET ABOUT WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. (THE LONGER HOURS). THEY WILL HAVE TO GET USED TO THE NEW HOURS WITHOUT EXTRA PERSONNEL, THE PERSONNEL WILL LOSE OUT." (GERMAN) 0.40 4. GV: NEWS CONFERENCE 0.43 BERLIN 5. LV: EXTERIOR VIEWS OF KADEWE (KAUFHAUS DES WESTENS) DEPARTMENT STORE 0.48 6. GV: PEOPLE OUTSIDE. 0.53 7. MV/TILT: SHOP 1.00 8. MCU: UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING: I FIND IT NICE THAT ONE WILL BE ABLE TO SHOP LONGER IN THE EVENINGS. THIS WAY I WILL BE ABLE TO SHOP WITH MY HUSBAND WHICH IS NICE. (GERMAN) 1.10 9. MCU: UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING: IT WILL BE A BIG CHANGE FOR THE SALESPEOPLE. OTHERWISE, WELL - I WILL NOT CHANGE MY SHOPPING HABITS (GERMAN) 1.18 10. MCU: UNIDENTIFIED MAN (WHO OWNS SMALL SHOP HIMSELF) SAYING: WELL, MY WORK HOURS WILL CHANGE DRASTICALLY. I LIVE PRETTY FAR OUT OF TOWN AND IT WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. I WILL NEVER BE HOME BEFORE 9:30 OR 10:00 PM WHICH OF COURSE IS NOT NICE. (GERMAN) 1.30 11. MV/CU/ZOOM/MV: SIGN IN THE ENTRANCE OF KADEWE DEPARTMENT STORE READING: NEW OPENING HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 9:30-20:00 (GERMAN) (2 SHOTS) 1.41 12. GV/MV/CU: INTERIOR VIEWS OF KADEWE/ PEOPLE SHOPPING AND GOODS/ CASH REGISTER (7 SHOTS) 2.09 14. GV: INTERIOR "KING'S TEAGARDEN" TEA SHOP 2.17 15. MV: WERNER SCHMITT, OWNER OF TEA SHOP, SPEAKING: THE QUANTITY AND THE QUALITY OF THE GOODS THAT I OFFER MY CUSTOMERS AT THE MOMENT WITH THE EXISTING OPENING HOURS IS SO GOOD THAT I WILL NOT HAVE TO KEEP MY SHOP OPEN LONGER (GERMAN)/ VARIOUS OF TEA SHOP (3 SHOTS) 2.43 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 15th November 1996 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: DUSSELDORF AND BERLIN, GERMANY
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA8NRE2QDGXWIC86O5H7Y8MMDY0
- Story Text: INTRO: Germany's shops will at last be able to stay open longer. On November 1, a liberalised shop hours law replaces tight restrictions left over from the 1950s.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Both retailers and shop unions had long opposed the change, saying it would wipe out traditional corner shops, spoil workers' free time and upset family life.
But now surveys show about three-quarters of shops will take the chance to open until 8 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The old weekday closing time was 6.30 p.m., with late closings on Thursday, and 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
However, retailers hold only modest hopes of boosting their turnover with longer hours. Most think big store chains that lobbied for the change will end up taking a larger slice of the retail market from local shops.
In more service-oriented countries like the United States and Britain with competitive retail sectors, posters would likely be plastered on storefronts to lure shoppers during later hours.
But not so in most German cities. Germany's largest department store, Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDaWe) in Berlin revealed only a few small notices advertising the new hours.
Franzsika Wiethold of the shop union, HBV, said shop workers would have to work longer hours with no extra personnel.
Most Germans welcomed the reformed hours, but some expressed concern for shop workers.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None