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Hanover (dpa / lni) - According to a survey, downtown Hanover has noticeably suffered from the Corona crisis.
47.2 percent of those surveyed said they had visited them less often since the beginning of the crisis, said the scientific director of the market research company IFH Cologne, Markus Preißner, on Friday.
55.9 percent would have spent less money on goods, restaurants and services, and 39.7 percent used online trading more.
"Corona works like a fire accelerator," said Hanover's mayor Belit Onay (Greens).
"There is a need for action."
For the study in 107 German city centers, almost 58,000 people nationwide were surveyed in September and October 2020;
in Hanover it was a little more than 2000. Lower Saxony's state capital has improved compared to the 2018 survey, said Preißner.
The attractiveness of the retail trade was rated worse.
This also has to do with the fact that during the Corona period “the importance of local supply in smaller cities, district centers and neighborhoods has increased in people's consciousness”.
In the past year, the flow of pedestrians also decreased significantly between the two lockdown phases - the decline was particularly noticeable on the last Friday and Saturday in November, the expert explained: minus 42 percent on the Friday and minus 54 percent on the Saturday before first advent.
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Onay emphasized that the lockdown was affecting retailers hard and that the trend towards online trading had intensified again.
"A big problem is the vacancy of real estate."
The owners are primarily responsible for fast re-letting.
If “key properties” remain vacant for a long time, municipalities should have better access and more leeway, demanded the city governor.
The most important reason why people come to the city center is still shopping, as 71.9 percent of those surveyed stated.
With 39.1 percent, gastronomy came in second place among the reasons to visit the city of Hanover.
The general manager of the Hanover Trade Association, Monika Dürrer, warned: "If the lockdown for trade continues for a long time, things will get serious."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210212-99-415856 / 2