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Magdeburg (dpa / sa) - The Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts has warned of another lockdown.

“Should there be renewed closings in the region, some companies with shops will close their doors forever.

Many small businesses can no longer hold out, ”said Chamber President Hagen Mauer on Wednesday.

In order to get companies out of the crisis and give the economy new momentum, targeted demand and investment impulses are required.

This included more public investment.

The expectations of the companies for the otherwise busy summer quarter are cautious.

According to its own information, the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts represents around 11,900 companies with around 66,000 employees and 1,300 trainees in northern Saxony-Anhalt. In 2020, the companies reported sales of around 7.3 billion euros.

According to the Chamber's latest economic survey for the first quarter of 2021, in view of the Corona crisis, only one in four craft businesses in the north of the country expects an increase in sales in the second quarter.

The months April to June are usually very busy, it said with a view to a seasonal upswing.

Supply bottlenecks and price increases for materials and raw materials would also burden the companies.

In the motor vehicle trade, half of the companies reported a poor business situation.

The background to this is the reduced mobility and vehicle use during the pandemic and the reluctance of customers to buy.

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In the economic report, half of the craft businesses surveyed in the north of the country stated that sales in the first quarter were lower than in the previous quarter (October to December 2020).

The exception was the construction industry, where it was mostly possible to work.

According to the information, the losses were drastic in the craft for personal needs, where 86 percent of the companies had to cope with a slump in sales.

Hairdressers and cosmetic studios, for example, were closed for weeks because of the federal and state corona containment regulations.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210421-99-294015 / 3

Economic report of the Magdbeurg Chamber of Crafts for the first quarter of 2021