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A new year, a new business: That is the motto of Roland Wöran, who is opening “his” Nah-und-Frisch branch in Ottensheim tomorrow, Wednesday. He succeeds Wolfgang Benischko, who has begun his well-deserved retirement.
Originally, Wöran had no intention of looking for another field of activity with a grocery store. Waldinger already runs two feed store locations for pet food and accessories, one in Perg and one in Walding (here with a postal partnership). After another round of discussions with those responsible for the university group, the 53-year-old changed his mind – also because the community had promised him support in the event of a takeover.
“If a local supplier closes once, it will probably never open again,” Wöran wants to contribute to the revitalization of the center with the takeover – he works as a self-employed businessman. He sees a lot of potential in the location and wants to leverage this with some innovations. A hybrid concept is to be implemented from February. In addition to the core opening hours with classic service and checkout operations, customers will also be able to shop in the store outside of these hours. Access is via debit card and payment is made at the self-service checkout. Apart from the goods in the fresh food counter and alcoholic drinks, the entire range should be available.
“Good frequency bringer”
With this offer (self-service is limited to 72 hours per week), shopping will also be possible during lunchtime and in the evenings. It is closed on Sunday.
In addition to the adaptations necessary for the hybrid concept, further modifications are planned during ongoing operations. Among other things, the lighting is to be changed to LED and a new bicycle rack is to be built in order to make it even more attractive for athletes traveling along the R1 cycle path.
Almost 20,000 euros were collected
At the suggestion of the university group, the restart will also be supported through a crowdfunding campaign. Until the end of December, customers had the opportunity to buy vouchers; the minimum purchase amount was 300 euros. One third of the vouchers in question can be redeemed in 2024, 2025 and 2026. “I’m happy about any support,” says Wöran.
But he didn’t want to rely on success; the basic financing was secured regardless of the crowdfunding campaign. In the end, almost 20,000 euros were raised through the voucher purchases, and Wöran hopes this will make an important contribution to good customer loyalty. “I hope that many Ottensheim residents come and don’t shop outside. Wanting a local supplier shouldn’t be lip service.”
In any case, Mayor Maria Hagenauer (VP) is happy that the location is secured; the closure would have meant a big loss for the center and especially for the older population. She is convinced that the local supplier is also a good source of footfall for the other small shops in town. The community promoted crowdfunding with two information evenings.
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Source: Nachrichten
