2023-06-09 13:00:00
A wave of closures is rolling in at Kika/Leiner, around half of the branches and staff are being cut. The total sale started today, Friday, at the affected locations. At the end of July, for example, all four Leiner stores and one of three Kika branches in Upper Austria will close. The furniture store in Steyr was literally overrun on Friday morning. Bargain hunters were out and regarding, as were unsettled customers. At noon, there was already block processing at the entrance. Similar scenes took place in Judenburg in Upper Styria. There are also reports of block processing and waiting times at the entrance and cash desk of up to 45 minutes.
The desire to use vouchers that were still available is likely to have exacerbated the rush. Because of the announced bankruptcy filing, the Association for Consumer Information (VKI) advised in the middle of the week to redeem vouchers quickly. Kika/Leiner, on the other hand, promises that all vouchers will remain valid. This should be possible because the new owner, Hermann Wieser, will assume liability for it through his companies, a Kika/Leiner spokesman said on Friday to the APA. Because within the framework of the insolvency estate, vouchers must not be better off than other claims, as lawyer Michael Poduschka recalled in an interview with APA.
In fact, in Steyr, for example, just over an hour following the shop opened, cars were already backing up towards Leiner. The customer car park was hopelessly overcrowded and inside the building people were snaking their way towards the checkout. The saleswoman from the bed department explained that the waiting time at the checkouts is currently around 1.5 hours. Reason enough for some to turn back. However, many who still had a voucher to redeem stayed.
“There are more customers than allowed”
At 11.30 a.m. the Leiner was closed due to overcrowding. “There are more customers than allowed in the shop,” an employee asked for understanding at an APA local inspection that no one would be allowed into the house in the next 30 minutes and that block processing would apply.
A saleswoman in the kitchen department assured customers seeking advice that all goods already ordered would be delivered. There is currently a 30 percent discount on items in stock or on display. Even though she learned from the head office that vouchers might be redeemed in other Leiner branches that should remain in place, she advised a couple to use theirs now. Because in Upper Austria no house stays open.
The friendly saleswoman is one of 263 people affected in Upper Austria who will lose their jobs. She has not yet had time to think regarding her professional future. She does not think she will accept one of the numerous job offers from grocers, she would rather work in a kitchen studio.
The Kika branch in Horn, which was affected by the closure, also experienced a rush of customers on Friday morning, which had hardly ever happened since it opened in the mid-1990s. Countless bargain hunters fought their way through the traffic jam with their cars as soon as they arrived. The final sale with discounts of up to minus 77 percent, which was visible from afar, seemed to work like a magnet.
“They stand up to the back”
Anyone who managed to get hold of one of the few parking spaces saw crowds of people inside the store and long queues at the cash registers. “Are you smart, they’re standing right up to the back,” said an older gentleman, quite aptly to acquaintances, in view of this scenery.
A total of more than 40 people are employed in the Horner Kika branch. Those who were on duty on “window day Friday” were literally bombarded with all sorts of customer inquiries. The topic of voucher redemption was much discussed. The range of products did not go far enough for some hunters, as shown by a man’s urgent question regarding the availability of washing machines on the market, which was ultimately clearly answered in the negative. The department for garden furniture proved to be particularly popular.
On Tuesday, neo-owner Wieser announced that he would close 23 of 40 locations across Austria by the end of July and lay off 1,900 of 3,900 employees. Specifically, according to the company, the Leiner locations in Judenburg, Wels, Linz, Steyr, Amstetten, Vöcklabruck, Villach and Vienna-North as well as the Kika locations in Lienz, Mistelbach, Liezen, Ried, Feldbach, Leoben, Saalfelden, Horn, Unterwart , St. Johann, Wörgl, Stockerau, Imst, Eisenstadt and Vienna-Ottakring close. Sales with price reductions will start immediately at these locations.
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