title: Overwhelming Exhaustion
German Retail and Hospitality Industries Shift Focus from COVID-19 Restrictions to Recovery
In a welcome development, the President of IHK NRW, Ralf Stoffels, has praised the NRW state government's decision to allow openings in combination with up-to-date tests, rather than waiting until April 18. This decision, Stoffels believes, will provide a further perspective for businesses in retail, gastronomy, and tourism, and can contribute to improving healthcare.
However, Stoffels also expressed concerns about the rescinded "Easter break" decision, stating that it will negatively impact businesses in these sectors. His sentiments were echoed by Dr. Peter Achten, CEO of the German Retail Association NRW, who emphasized the importance of gaining momentum in vaccination and further expanding test capacities.
Achten expects a corresponding boost on the municipal level and offered the association's support. The decision allows retail to remain open in municipalities with incidences above 100, provided that tests are presented. The German Retail Association NRW is initially pleased with the decision to use the regional infection situation as a benchmark instead of a state average.
Herbert Schulte from the Federal Association of Medium-Sized Businesses demands a testing strategy that allows schools, retail, and gastronomy to continue in a controlled operating mode. He also criticizes the centralistic vaccination concept and calls for the involvement of doctor's practices and company doctors in the distribution of vaccines.
Michael Radau, President of the Düsseldorf Retail Association NRW, praised the Chancellor for admitting a mistake and withdrawing the wrong decision. However, he demands a change of perspective for affected retail companies, as they had made investments in hygiene measures and were hoping for the next step towards outdoor gastronomy.
The NRW state government plans to test how areas of public life can be opened with strict protective measures and a testing concept in temporarily limited model projects after Easter. The incidence value in Düsseldorf has risen again to over 80, and the German Retail Association NRW is seeking further support on the municipal level.
Looking beyond the current pandemic situation, the German retail and hospitality industries have largely moved beyond strict COVID-19 restrictions and are focused more on recovery, regulatory compliance, and policy changes rather than ongoing reopening demands. Instead, current demands and concerns involve compliance with other regulatory frameworks such as energy efficiency audits under the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), which affects hospitality assets due to their energy use. Non-compliance risks substantial fines, and this has become a priority for the sector in 2025.
Regarding labor and tax issues, recent US legislation affecting hospitality and retail industries includes provisions like “No Tax on Tips” and “No Tax on Overtime,” which have implications for employee compensation and administrative burdens. While this is US legislation, it reflects broader industry trends about managing labor costs and regulatory compliance.
The hospitality sector in Germany is recovering from the pandemic-related restrictions experienced in previous years, with revenue growth seen between 2021 and 2023 as travel and accommodation restrictions eased. This indicates that reopening strategies have largely been implemented, and businesses are now focusing on growth and innovation.
However, the German hotel industry still faces challenges related to recovery and adapting to market demands, such as maintaining quality and competing for tourist activity, but this is not directly tied to COVID-19 policy debates in the latest data.
In the broader scope, the German retail and hospitality industries are transitioning from focusing on COVID-19 restrictions to recovery, regulatory compliance, and policy changes. This shift encompasses matters such as energy efficiency audits under the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) for hospitality assets.
Meanwhile, discussions in the political and general news arena revolve around labor and tax issues, like the "No Tax on Tips" and "No Tax on Overtime" provisions in recent US legislation, which have implications for employee compensation and administrative burdens in the hospitality and retail industries, reflecting broader industry trends.
