Survey on local supply

For many people, a well-functioning local supply system is a part of their quality of life and can make an important contribution to their satisfaction with their current housing situation. The focus here is on being able to buy everyday necessities such as food, drugstore goods, magazines, cut flowers or pet food close to home.

Shopping for everyday necessities is an everyday activity. Sometimes it is associated with pleasure, because the shop around the corner also offers the opportunity for a chat with neighbours, sometimes shopping is perceived as a chore because, for example, there are no shopping facilities for miles around.

In November 2020, the city of Chemnitz called on citizens to take part in an online survey on local amenities. Over 2,400 Chemnitz residents took part in the survey from 13 November 2020 to 1 January 2021.

One key result of the survey is that the answers to the local supply situation varied greatly depending on the district. This is not surprising, as there are neighbourhoods that are very well equipped with local suppliers, as well as areas where there are hardly any or only a few local supply options.

Some of the results of the survey are outlined here:

• The first choice when deciding where to shop for groceries is one's own neighbourhood. Other locations are also visited if necessary. People are particularly willing to travel further to buy drugstore products.
  
• While almost 70 per cent of respondents visit grocery stores several times a week, only three per cent do so for drugstores. Almost 76 per cent only buy drugstore products a few times a month.
  
• Shopping for groceries online is also relatively rare. Only 7.5 per cent of respondents stated that they occasionally buy groceries online.
  
• Drugstore products, on the other hand, are ordered online more frequently. Here, the proportion of those who buy drugstore products online at least occasionally is 18.2 per cent. Slightly more than half of respondents (53.6 per cent) stated that they never buy drugstore products online.
  
• 65.6 per cent of respondents stated that they regularly visit at least four different types of shops. Only 3.1 per cent of respondents get by with just one provider. Supermarkets, grocery stores - such as bakeries and butchers - and discount grocery stores are visited particularly frequently. Organic markets, for example, are only used regularly by 11.3 per cent of respondents.
  
• A high proportion of 51 per cent of respondents at least frequently go shopping on foot. In some neighbourhoods, the proportion of pedestrians is even higher. The highest proportion of pedestrians shopping for everyday items is found in the Kaßberg district at 75 per cent. At the same time, 72.8 per cent of respondents often (49.7 per cent of them always) use their car to buy groceries.
  
• In the city of Chemnitz as a whole, 37.9 per cent of all respondents stated that they did not miss anything in terms of local supply ranges. Drugstore goods (29.2 per cent), groceries (23.5 per cent) and food and luxury foods (19.1 per cent) were most frequently missed. Here, the wishes are concentrated in individual neighbourhoods. In the districts of Reichenhain (85 per cent), Kapellenberg (78.4 per cent) and Reichenbrand (66.7 per cent), the desire for additional food outlets is particularly high.
  

The insights gained from the survey are very helpful and suitable for rounding off the current analysis of local supply structures and identifying important fields and areas of action for the desired improvement in local supply. The results will be incorporated into the update of the City of Chemnitz's retail and centre concept. The concept should be available by the end of 2021.