German retailers lose daily revenues of €700m during lockdown

Retailers in Germany lose revenues of around 700 million euros for every day that shops had to remain close, the German Retail Federation (HDE) said on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

More than one in two retailers in Germany affected by the COVID-19 lockdown saw their existence threatened without further government assistance, according to an HDE survey among 1,000 companies.

On Wednesday, chancellor Angela Merkel and the minister presidents of the federal states decided to extend the lockdown for another three weeks until at least March 7. HDE described the extension of the lockdown as "clear breach of promise."

Around 200,000 retail companies were affected by the lockdown in Germany and the decision to extend the lockdown and to tighten the conditions for a re-opening of shops was "inappropriate and incomprehensible," HDE noted.

The German and federal state governments agreed that further openings for example in retail trade could be allowed by federal states if the 7-day incidence rate remained stable at a maximum of 35, instead of 50, new infections per 100,000 inhabitants.

Retailers were calling for gradual procedures, even at higher COVID-19 infection numbers. Instead, the re-opening of shops should involve stricter hygiene requirements or purchasing by prior appointment.