On December 8, St. Mary’s Day, drugstores and supermarkets in Austria have the choice of whether to open or not. The majority of local supermarkets and drugstores will be closed on this day this year, including the majority of Bipa branches for the first time. Only locations of the drugstore chain with a so-called operating obligation, such as in shopping centers or train stations, remain open, the Rewe Group said in a broadcast today.
Only 44 of the 574 Bipa branches will remain open on December 8 due to the operator obligation, according to the group, which includes Billa, Penny, Adeg and Sutterlüty in Austria. Billa, Billa Plus and Penny branches will also remain closed with the exception of locations with mandatory operations. Adeg and Sutterlüty branches in Austria are run by independent merchants who can decide for themselves whether they want to close on December 8, a spokeswoman for the Rewe Group told APA.
The discounters Hofer and Lidl had already announced that they would close all branches in Austria that day. The drugstore chain dm is closing most of its locations, with the exception of branches with a contractual obligation to operate, for example in shopping centers. It’s different with Spar. According to a spokeswoman, “all Interspar stores” and “selected locations” of the supermarket chain will remain open on the holiday.
Supplements and time off in lieu for employees are due for public holidays. According to the Chamber of Commerce, employees must be informed one month in advance if they are to be deployed on December 8th. You have the right to refuse employment on December 8 within one week of being informed. And they must not be disadvantaged because of this.
Source: Nachrichten
