Suche
Mein Konto
Letter to Kurz: Shirak calls for all showrooms to be opened
From April 14, 2020, car dealership showrooms will also be allowed to reopen. However, only if their area is a maximum of 400 m2. Retail spokesman Josef Schirak therefore wrote an angry, yet factual and well-founded letter to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Letter to Kurz: Shirak calls for all showrooms to be opened
Read Shirak's letter to Chancellor Kurz in its original version:
Dear Mr. Federal Chancellor,
Like many of my colleagues from the vehicle trade sector who were affected by this, I too had to learn from television about the government's partially redefined regulations with regard to the reopening of businesses and, to my dismay, I discovered that the car trade, for reasons that were completely inexplicable to me, was included in the list of businesses authorized to remain open with more than 400 m2Sales space is missing! This despite the fact that stores are much more frequented by consumers, such as hardware stores, flower markets, etc. keeping it open is now possible! Quite apart from the previously authorized grocery and drugstores with x times the customer frequency and risk!
Due to its large premises, the vehicle trade would be very much in a position to keep its business open - of course in compliance with all currently applicable precautionary measures and regulations - as far as possible without any risk of infection of its employees and customers. However, it is certainly safer than is the case with pretty much all other businesses of this size that are authorized to stay open! Unfortunately, the situation can now be viewed as worrying for many of our member companies in terms of their liquidity, especially since the capital requirement in the automobile business is enormously high. Currently, this liquidity is being burdened primarily by new and used cars that have already been sold but not yet taken over by the buyer and are therefore unpaid for, as well as by the enormous inventory pressure of numerous new cars, demonstration cars and used cars.
Due to the closure of the business for an even longer period of time, there is also a need for significant devaluation of the entire inventory. I would like to point out that such problems involve hundreds of thousands of euros and, in more and more cases, even millions of euros.
A special note about the 400 m2-Restriction: Hardware stores, garden centers and garden centers are exempt from this restriction - no problem - but the vehicle trade is not, for completely inexplicable reasons! The 400 m2-Restriction also entails blatant unequal treatment or distortion of competition, which could possibly lead to legal repercussions. I would like to point out that no customer or car buyer would understand a car dealer up to 400 m away2Sales area to be able to buy/take over his vehicle at a much earlier point in time than if he were to buy it from a larger dealer with more than 400 m2would buy/take over.
How could this be argued?
The long story short: Because of the “danger of default” (danger of insolvency for many car dealerships), one should immediately expand the relevant provision to include “vehicle trading”, which would in no way negatively affect the health aspect. This would be possible at short notice and without any special effort and would be urgently needed.
So that the Easter peace in the vehicle industry and beyond is not jeopardized.
With that in mind, I wish you HAPPY EASTER!
Thank you very much for completing the matter in the interest of the vehicle trade and best regards
Her KR Ing. Josef SCHIRAK
“Practising car dealer in his 60th year of work”
“Stakeholders in the WK – Org. In their 53rd year of service”