Kiosk ban in Mönchengladbach: Sunday rest meets dealers hard!

Kiosk ban in Mönchengladbach: Sunday rest meets dealers hard!

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a recent ban causes excitement among kiosk owners. In Mönchengladbach, the popular small sales outlets were allowed to be open on Sundays by this year. But the regulatory office surprisingly prohibited the kioskiners on Sunday opening. This happened in the course of controls that were carried out in cooperation with the police, customs and the youth welfare office for five days. "> WDR reports that 100 kiosks have been checked in which kiosk owner Farman Schechkheder complains about the new restrictions for the sale of confectionery, food and toys.

in Mönchengladbach, the kiosks have been closed since the controls on Sundays, which certainly also affects the operators. These generate a large part of their sales, especially on the highest sales days, Sunday. On average, the sales of a kiosk are between 50,000 and 80,000 euros per month-not exactly lush, considering that the profit margins only throw cent amounts on paints such as cigarettes and sweets. This means that the operators are all the more dependent on the sale on Sundays.

The shop opening law in the focus

The shopping law in North Rhine -Westphalia, which has been in effect since 2006, only allows Sunday openings in a few exceptional cases, such as for flower dealers, bakeries or petrol stations. Normal businesses are only allowed to open their doors in the train station or at the airport, while the Ruhr area apparently has no problems with the kiosks open. In fact, it can be seen that the Cologne economy reports on Laxere controls in the cathedral city, which leads to the question: Is the regulatory office in Cologne too careless?

"We are increasingly complaints about violations of the Late Open Act," said Dirk Rütten from the city of Mönchengladbach and makes it clear that missing personnel in the regulatory office difficult. This could also have an impact on other cities. The city administration is therefore forced to think about stricter surveillance measures.

new perspectives for kiosks?

An interesting perspective offers the judgment of the Higher Administrative Court in Münster from February 2025, which determines that automatic kiosks can open on Sundays. However, these can also offer food and other forbidden goods. Kioske that are considered drinking halls and have two sales rooms could also open on Sundays, which could be a way for the operators to secure their income.

The trade associations have been advocating for a long time for a amendment to the shop opening law. In order to enable the kioskin doors to survive on the highest sales days, an adaptation of the existing regulations would have to be adapted. However, the advance comes across the resistance of churches and unions such as Verdi, which defend themselves against the abolition of the Sunday sales ban. So far there are no significant political signals that indicate an upcoming change.

in Cologne, the topic may be treated in the local time of Düsseldorf, since the WDR promises reporting for June 25, 2025. It remains exciting whether the kiosk operators will soon be able to open the doors again on Sundays or whether the regulations will remain. In any case, the excitement among the operators of the small retail is high, while the discussion about the shop opening times is in full speed.