Local supply in the Amberg-Sulzbach district: opportunities and challenges!

Local supply in the Amberg-Sulzbach district: opportunities and challenges!

In the Amberg-Sulzbach district, local supply is up for debate. On July 9, 2025, an information evening took place in the Gasthaus Kopf in Altmannshof, organized by regional manager Katharina Schenk. A comprehensive local supply study by the Society for Market and Sales Research (GMA) was presented here, which is intended to show how the nationwide supply of the population can be improved. According to this study, all residents can reach an efficient local supplier within 15 minutes. Nevertheless, there are serious supply bottlenecks in several communities, particularly on the eastern and western edges of the district, where numerous places lack sufficient local supplies.

There are 20 discounters and 13 supermarkets in the district, but the concentration of offers is in the larger towns such as Sulzbach-Rosenberg and Kümmersbruck. 51.4% of citizens do their shopping in their place of residence, while 33.2% shop in neighboring communities. 88% of purchases are made by car, which increases the problem of accessibility in rural areas. Beyond their own mobility, 42% of those surveyed clearly see a need for improvement in local amenities.

The situation on site

The study also shows that 86% of citizens in Sulzbach-Rosenberg are satisfied overall, while in Ebermannsdorf only 15% of the population can draw a positive conclusion. Particularly alarming are the closures of bakeries, butchers, pharmacies and inns, which are noticeably weakening local supplies. Despite overall good basic medical care, some communities have to struggle with deficits in care facilities.

As part of the information evening, various innovative concepts for improving local supplies were presented. These include:

• **Marktladen-Konzept in Hohenburg**: Ein lokal verwurzeltes Engagement für regionale Produkte und soziale Treffpunkte.
• **Hutzelhof in Weißenberg**: Ein Verbindungskonzept zwischen Erzeugern und Verbrauchern mit 70 Mitarbeitern und 20 Hektar Anbaufläche.
• **Dorfladenbox**: In dieser begehbaren Box werden regionale Produkte angeboten – bereits an 36 Standorten in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz.
• **Mobiler Dorfladen der ILE Steinwald-Allianz**: Ein Supermarkt auf Rädern, der beinahe alles bietet, was der tägliche Bedarf verlangt.
• **Supermarkt ohne Personal (Tante-M)**: Hier können Kunden in einem rund um die Uhr geöffneten Selbstbedienungsladen aus einem regionalen Sortiment wählen.

A look ahead

District Administrator Richard Reisinger emphasizes that identifying problems is not enough; argued solutions are needed. The holistic approach to local supply will become increasingly important in the future, especially in structurally weak regions. Concepts such as smart shopping centers, in which there are no checkout staff and which are open around the clock, could be the key to modern local supplies. These new ideas, as well as the models that have been tried and tested for years, could determine whether the villages remain vibrant in the future.

The information evening offered citizens, as well as mayors, district councils and regional initiatives the opportunity to actively participate in the discussion. It is already clear: the development of these supply routes is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity for the Amberg-Sulzbach district.

For further information about local supply in the region, the detailed results of the studies and the concepts are available online: oberpfalzecho.de, [oberpfalz24.de].