New Rewe market in Sohland: opportunities and concerns of the residents!

New Rewe market in Sohland: opportunities and concerns of the residents!

In the idyllic community of Sohland on the Spree, something exciting is happening: The discounter Rewe plans to open a new supermarket right next to the existing penny market. Around 37,000 people live within a radius of ten kilometers, and for many of them, the new purchase offer could be a welcome expansion of local supply. But the burgeoning joy is overshadowed by skepticism. This reports sächsische.de .

A spokeswoman for the company confirmed the plans and emphasized that this location in the Bautzen district and the municipality of Sohland/Spree are considered attractive. The new market is to be built on Bahnhofstrasse and is planned as an energy -efficient “Rewe Green Building”, which consumes over 40 % less energy than conventional supermarkets. For this purpose, natural, low-pollutant building materials are used, including sustainable wooden elements, which is entirely in the sense of climate protection ( Wochurier ).

A citizens' forum brings different opinions

Last week there was a citizens' forum to clarify the expansion plans, in which around 100 inhabitants and guests took part. Moderated by ex-District Administrator Michael Harig, the concerns of the residents were discussed. Uwe Krause, expansion manager at Penny, made it clear that modernization of the existing market was not profitable, which was supported by the councilor Marlen Martin. However, she pointed out that the shopping area in Sohland is currently 580 square meters per 1000 inhabitants - well above the Saxony -wide average. With the new REWE, this number would increase to 850 square meters, which some residents get.

The concern for possible sales losses for existing markets such as Penny, Netto and Edeka was expressed loudly. Representatives of Edeka express concerns about the possible relocation of customers and the consequences for in -depth retail. The Saxony trade association sees the settlement critically and speaks of a "arms arm" in the food retail trade. Only the board said that they see positive aspects in the opening of the new market ( Sächsische.de ).

The next steps and future of local supply

The local council of Sohland is now faced with the decision on the development plan. The first votes are already expected in the next meeting on August 21. The topic of local supply is not only important in Saxony, but also shows how challenging it is for rural regions in Austria to secure your food service. A study emphasizes that the density of food retailers decreases in rural areas and often has existential effects for the communities. Local local suppliers are indispensable for basic care and quality of life in smaller places. 3

The project of REWE could therefore play an important role in the future of local supply in Sohland, but it remains exciting to observe which decisions the local council will make and how the residents react to the changes.