Brandenburg's coalition is planning an exception for digital supermarkets!

Brandenburg's coalition is planning an exception for digital supermarkets!

The SPD/BSW coalition in Brandenburg is open to the idea of ​​allowing small digital supermarkets, also known as smart stores, on Sundays and public holidays. This initiative is supported by Occupational Safety and Health Minister Britta Müller, who points out the need for changes, especially in rural regions. As the Borken newspaper reports, smart stores could help prevent supply shortages. An exchange with the municipalities about fully automated sales points is planned for September.

Nadine Graßmel, deputy parliamentary group leader of the SPD, supports the exceptions for these modern sales boxes. In Brandenburg, six Sundays or public holidays per year are currently permitted for shops to open for special occasions, which has reignited the discussion about extending opening hours. The state parliament has rejected a request from the CDU to extend Sunday opening because Müller refers to the constitutional protection of work rest on Sundays and public holidays.

Political debate about opening times

While the CDU parliamentary group is calling for the number of permitted Sunday openings to be increased to ten days, AfD parliamentary group leader Hans-Christian Berndt is criticizing the CDU for its Christian claims. The CDU's economic policy spokesman, Frank Bommert, emphasizes the need to offer struggling retailers more options. The Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IHK) have already criticized that the existing shop opening law is antiquated and are calling for innovative business models that follow the example of other federal states.

In Hesse, for example, fully automated sales outlets are allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays after all parliamentary groups voted for a change in the law. This shows a trend towards more flexibility in opening times, which other federal states such as Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein are also following. In Schleswig-Holstein, they are also planning to approve fully automated shops and are thinking about extending opening hours, like this Evangelical site reported.

Comparison of the federal states

The regulations for opening shops vary greatly between the federal states. Here is an overview:

Brandenburg is following a trend that can be observed in several federal states. The idea of ​​smart stores could make a valuable contribution to supply, especially in smaller cities, while at the same time the debate about work rest and the tradition of Sunday closings continues.