Weimar says Ade: Michael's Toy's Land closes after 33 years

Weimar says Ade: Michael's Toy's Land closes after 33 years

In a worrying development for the retail landscape, toy transactions are increasingly closing in Germany. A prominent example is the toy shop "Michael’s Toy Land" in the "Atrium" shopping center in Weimar, which closes his doors after 33 years. This decision is a direct result of the returns that occurred during Corona pandemic, paired with the growing influence of online trading. According to Thüringen24 can benefit from a long-term sales with a discount until the end of December, while Owner Michael Rott is already plans for a possible donation of unsuccessful articles on kindergartens in the region.

But Weimar is not alone. Tanja Steinhaus in Bodenfelde also has to close her toy business at the end of the year. She explains that the pressure from online trading has grown steadily. A troubling anecdote describes a mother who came into the store to pick up a Lego game station that she had already ordered online. These experience reports illustrate the challenges that many inpatient business faces. Steinhaus, which has been running the family business for 12 years, has found that the business now only seems like a hobby because the income is not enough to cover the minimum wage. The detailed reporting on hna shows that the industry suffers from the growing trend of online shopping.

The consequences of pandemic

The closures of retail stores are not just a local affair. Corona pandemic has had a massive impact on the entire retail in Germany. As early as March 2020, the first Lockdowns were decided to temporarily close many shops. The trade association Germany (HDE) estimated the daily losses in non-food retail during this phase at around one billion euros. Many retailers could not recover from these blows, especially in the catering and cultural areas. The forecasters of the crisis also included delivery bottlenecks and a new preference of consumers for online purchases that continued long after the end of the lockdowns, as from the analysis on Statista emerged.

While the inner cities remained empty during the lockdowns, the trend towards online trading was not to be stopped. Many retailers who were once local contact points for toys are now faced with the question of whether they have to take their way to digital sales or close their business. The fate of "Michael’s Toy Land" and the business of Steinhaus is only the tip of the iceberg, because it looks similar in many cities.