Traffic circle for chance and defeat in oerlenbach

A town is changing: while the people of oerlenbach are happy that their thoroughfare is finally finished, others are worried about the consequences of the year-long renovation: the tegut store will close at the end of march.Of the nine employees, six will lose their jobs, the others will be "distributed." and since the tegut is home to the rhonmetzgerei arnold, this also becomes homeless with the business closure and closed. This was confirmed by owner klaus arnold when asked by our newspaper.

"Fortunately, I don't have to lay off the staff", says the boss "we can distribute them – they are all good people – to our other locations. But the turnover in oerlenbach we can certainly not absorb."
Tegut spokeswoman andrea rehnert from the fulda head office explains the decision by saying that "we were not exactly wooed, not to say hindered." meant: the long construction phase of the local thoroughfare and the associated drop in sales. It still bothers her today "that, for example, before whitsun 2012, our parking lot was so full of construction vehicles that no one could get to us – for a construction site that didn't start until after whitsun." she does not hide: "we had hoped for more support from the local authorities, including the mayor."

Relocation in the middle of the year
The changes are not only experienced by the local butcher, but also by the baker martin karch, who lives in eltingshausen. The craftsman in the good old sense of the word currently still sells his baked goods in the nearby edeka market on hegler-strabe. It has short distances, which also makes sense from an ecological point of view. But edeka will probably move to the new commercial area at the traffic circle around the middle of the year, according to mayor siegfried erhard and the people at the construction site. There, the food market will then have a huge 1800 square meters of sales area and over 100 parking spaces in front of the door. But master baker karch will then no longer be there. He regrets this very much, because: "I had also applied to edeka for the new location."

Without talking
He was confident that it would work out, especially since he had worked well with the market and with market manager jochen scherf. But the market owner has apparently decided otherwise "without a conversation with me." karch finds this bitter, not least for his customers. "We have introduced them to this location, fulfilled their wishes, often delivered fresh bread in the evening." and actually there was no reason to end the business relationship, as you may well understand him to mean. It hurts him that things turned out differently. And it will cost the one or other saleswoman her job.

Of course, in a market economy, everyone can decide with whom they want to make contracts. This is "due to the system, says local chief erhard. But customers believe to know that "the market manager in her other business in oberthulba already has the kissinger grobbacker schmitt inside", and "he makes the store in the future also at the new location in oerlenbach." the self-confessed local patriot who says that argues that the local baker did not get a chance: "the other one has long enough branches all over the region." edeka market operator jana straub could not be reached "on vacation" after our inquiry, hieb it.

Cafe and snack bar
Johannes Schmitt, junior manager of the peter schmitt coarse bakery in kissingen, confirms that he will operate a bakery, cafe and snack bar in the checkout area of the new edeka. "We were approached", he says "and that means a lot of work and movement for us every day in the future." and: "if we did not do it, someone else did it", he says. The contract is limited, but he hopes to be able to keep it with quality. Because: "edeka itself is the largest baking company in germany", female schmitt "and we have to be better." because he could not compete with the giant in terms of price.

Butcher klaus arnold and baker martin karch, meanwhile, would both – and gladly together – remain present in oerlenbach. "But there is no free store on the main street", says arnold. The tegut building would be too large for the two of them alone, even if they still ran a cafe or snack bar. But they continue to look for opportunities.

More partners are being sought
Tegut spokeswoman rehnert confirms: "we are interested in keeping the butcher and the baker on the premises, respectively. Accommodation. But i understand that the unclear perspective at hegler-strabe makes an investment decision for a small business difficult." the best thing would be to find one or more partners to be part of the tegut building: "we are open to it", she says. And what you mean by "unclear perspective"? Thinks: that a discounter will move into the old edeka building – a rumor, however, that has not yet been verified. Vacancy, however, was also a concern for the other businesses on hegler-strabe. "We have to wait and see", says julia buttner from the flower shop.
And how does mayor erhard like the fact that the redevelopment of the local thoroughfare and the designation of the new commercial area on the green meadow will have such sad consequences for local craft enterprises?? That companies are being left behind? "Personally and as a mayor, I am concerned about this", he says "but the municipality has no means of exerting influence." he had "thought it would be good if backer karch had made even more business in the future more demanding edeka", he affirms.
The intention to develop the "am kreisel" business park the decision to designate the site was nevertheless correct, even from today's point of view, he emphasizes. "We wanted to offer new opportunities to the local retail trade and craftsmen." the municipality has sold the land on which the new food market will be built, and the seller is leasing it to edeka. This and a second plot of land have been built on this year, a third has been sold, and a fourth is currently under negotiation. "One thing at a time will also include trade, says erhard.
Jurgen mohr relocated his automotive business at the beginning of the year and has employed one more man since the conquest. He thinks the municipality is on the right track with the new business park. A car wash will also be opened as early as this spring. He thinks this is good, and also that the new food market is coming.