When the food comes out of the container

And Mayer is not the only one trying to solve this problem. field square or Village store box These are the names of other service providers who are also bringing self-service containers to cities in order to improve food supply.

whole group

Mayer values ​​regionalism. Meanwhile, all Kastlgreissler locations should offer the full range. “It's important to me that customers can find everything they need every day with us and that we're not just a bacon and cheese shack,” Meyer says in an interview with KURIER.

The company gives the Greisslern group, as Mayer calls its franchisees, the scope as if it were in a typesetting box. Merchants then look for products they can source from their area.

At least 50 percent of items must come from a maximum range of 40 kilometers. The remaining products can be bought cheaply from wholesalers through the company's framework agreements, explains Mayer, who also runs four sites himself.

No alcoholic drinks

Alcoholic beverages are not part of this full package. In Austria, they can only be sold with a personal age check, which is why self-service stores cannot offer them.

Otherwise, Kastlgreissler relies on trust – and video surveillance. Customers scan the products they want to buy themselves at checkout. Payment can be made using an ATM card or by inserting cash.

Self-service shops don't have a big problem with theft. Shrinkage is even less than in a regular supermarket, says Meyer.

Planned access systems for cities

This is also because most of the containers are in rural communities where people know each other. But they want to open a location in Wiener Neustadt soon. “In the city, theft can of course become a problem due to the anonymity of customers. But there are access systems for that,” says Mayer.

Customers must then call a phone number to open the store's front door. The caller's number is then stored by Kastlgreissler. In case of theft, the company sends a payment reminder via SMS.

Strict working hours

Although self-service stores do not have in-store employees, they are not considered vending machines. The Constitutional Court decided this in December 2023. That's why the opening times of classic supermarkets also apply to Kastlgreissler locations.

Mayer has no understanding of this: “Gas stations are also allowed to open if you forget to fill up your car. But if you forget to buy milk, you also have to go to the gas station because self-service shops must close. This is ridiculous,” Mayer says angrily.

“hypocrite”

That too Roy-president Marcel Haraszty Meyer recently spoke out against Sunday's opening, calling it a “hypocrite.” “The Rewe Group has stores in almost all gas stations. This means they can keep almost as many locations open on Sundays as Bella branches,” says Mayer.

Several sites

When asked if it was possible to make a living running a Kastlgreissler store, Mayer said: “Some of our merchants only run one location, but they do it in addition to another business they already have. But if running Kastlgreissler is the only source of income, it makes sense.” Open multiple sites.

The franchisee, which has been there longer, is currently preparing its eighth location.

80,000 euros annually

With Kastlgreissler, you can achieve average net sales of around €80,000 per year, says Mayer. But there are also sites worth up to 250 thousand euros.

Between January 2023 and January 2024, the company was able to increase average store sales by 16 percent. “Our company is also growing in individual stores and not just through expansion,” says Mayer. However, his goal is to increase the number of locations – from the current 24 to 40 by the end of the year.