Vienna International Retail and Consumer Industry News

Read the latest headlines about developments in the international retail and consumer industry in Vienna and Austria

Danube Ports in Ukraine in Focus of Russian Attacks

International tensions over Ukraine are having an increasing impact on Danube ports in the region. The Vienna-based International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) expressed concern about repeated Russian aggression against Ukrainian ports along the river, particularly in Reni and Izmail.

September 3, 2023

Austrian Museum of Applied Arts Presents New Exhibition "Critical Consumption"

The fashion industry is characterized by constantly changing trends, rapid production under often precarious conditions, and the flood of new collections. At the same time, this leads to a massive waste of resources and a threat to ecosystems through textile waste. In light of these issues, the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) exhibits "CRITICAL CONSUMPTION" (Aug. 30, 2023-Sept. 8, 2024) focuses on the fashion industry and its influence on consumer behavior, manufacturing processes, and sustainability efforts.

August 7, 2023

Ukraine Secures Grain Export through Croatian Adriatic Ports

Ukraine has reached an agreement with Croatia to export grain through ports on the Adriatic Sea. The agricultural goods are to be shipped to Croatia via the Danube and from there they will be transported further to the Adriatic coast.

August 1, 2023

"Wiener Gusto" in the Final for the EU Organic Awards 2023

Vienna is a proud finalist in this year's EU Organic Awards in the category "Best Organic City" thanks to its city-owned food brand "Wiener Gusto".

July 25, 2023

Saving the Historical Habsburg Clothing Brand

The insolvency of the renowned Salzburg-based clothing manufacturer Habsburg in May came as a shock to lovers of the fine label of down-to-earth solidity. Two experienced entrepreneurs from the fashion and lifestyle industry have made the rescue of Habsburg their personal affair of the heart and have thus committed themselves to the continuation of the brand.

July 12, 2023

Wealth of the Richest Austrians Grows Despite Global Trends

In its latest issue, the business magazine "trend" publishes its annual ranking of the "100 richest Austrians". In contrast to some global studies, which show a slight decline in the ownership of the super-rich, Austria shows a different development. The assets of the 100 wealthiest individuals and families increased by five percent to a total of around 210 billion euros.

July 11, 2023

Preliminary Presentation in Vienna of UN Study Results on Fast Fashion and Old Clothes

The Austrian-based foundation COMÚN and the Chilean study author, Beatriz O'Brien, exclusively show the disastrous consequences of "waste colonialism" in research ordered by the UN in the run-up to the "Austrian Consumer Dialogues: Textiles".

June 19, 2023

Waiting Time for Appointments for Citizenship in Vienna Reduced by 50%

Despite the challenges in the area of citizenship, such as the restrictive legal situation and the enormous increase in demand for Austrian citizenship in Vienna, the city has taken various measures to facilitate improvements and faster procedures.

May 23, 2023

Austrian Business Leaders and Government Officials Discuss Economic Ties with South Korea

The President of Austrian Chamber of Commerce Harald Mahrer welcomed South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. South Korea will be a global hotspot for future technologies of central importance for Austria.

May 14, 2023

Vienna Will Have a Population of Two Million People Soon

Vienna will reach a population of two million people sooner than expected. This was predicted to happen by the year 2027 however, a new wave of migration is boosting the population number.

April 11, 2023

EU Approves 2 Billion Euros in State Aid for Wien Energie

The European Commission has approved 2 Billion Euros in state aid for Austrian energy supplier Wien Energie. This was done to accelerate the energy transition and reduce fuel dependency in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian war, according to the EU Commission.

April 5, 2023

Customs at Vienna Airport Seized 44,830 Counterfeit Branded Products from China

At Vienna Airport, customs officers made a brilliant bust during the inspection of an air cargo in mid-January. In 73 cartons, which should have been transported from China via Austria to Poland, the customs authorities found 44,830 counterfeit products of various product groups and brands.

March 5, 2023

City of Vienna Pushes for Rent Cap

The City of Vienna has called for an Austrian-wide rent price cap since it does not want to implement these regulations on its own. The rent price cap is heavily debated in Austria at this moment because the guideline value for rents might increase too much in April.

March 2, 2023

Austrian National Council Ends Brokerage Fees

A long debate will end on Wednesday as the Austrian national council will end the fee for brokers in the real estate market. Until now, new tenants used to pay the brokerage fee when they moved into their new apartment. The situation has changed now.

February 28, 2023

Vienna Sends More Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

The City of Vienna is continuing to assist Ukrainians during these tough times. This week, three trucks of relief supplies were loaded and sent to Ukraine, which contained hospital beds, medical devices, etc.

January 22, 2023

ViennaUP'22 - Event in Vienna Excites Thousands of People

The Vienna International Business Festival ViennaUP'22 attracted 10,000 participants from all over the world this year. With the attention-grabbing event, the City of Vienna hits the bull's eye for international visibility and positioning in the startup scene.

June 3, 2022 · Updated: January 7, 2023; 14:40

Austria Promotes Energy Research with 17 Million Euros

The Climate and Energy Fund promotes innovations for clean, affordable and reliable energy supply. The aim is to strengthen Austria as a location for innovation and to improve export opportunities for the domestic economy. A total of 17 million euros is available for the program, endowed from the funds of the Ministry of Climate Protection (BMK).

December 29, 2022

Austria Increases Fund for International Food Aid

The Austrian Ministry of Agriculture will increase funding for international food aid significantly. The Austrian Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig traveled to Libanon to observe the situation.

December 23, 2022

City of Vienna Names Parental Work and Promotion for German Language as Key Points for Integration

Education is a key element for a successful integration in society. That is why the City of Vienna has presented recommendations regarding the challenges of Education in the city. The focus lies more on parental work and promotion of learning the German language.

December 19, 2022

Qatar Celebrates National Day Same Day as World Cup Final

Qatar celebrates its most important holiday of the year through a bunch of events annually. This time, it is more of a special occasion, since on the same day as the national day the Fifa World Cup Final is also held in Qatar, which boosts the celebratory atmosphere in the country.

December 18, 2022

Austria Still Declines the Schengen Expansion

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer confirmed Austria’s negative position towards the Schengen expansion today. At the Western Balkan meeting today in the Albanian capital Tirana, Nehammer declined further Schengen expansions for now.

December 7, 2022

Austria Awards State Prize for Innovation

The State Prize Innovation 2022 from the Austrian Ministry of Labor and Economy goes to the Lower Austrian company DSM Austria GmbH. With their innovation, they make an important contribution to the safe and healthy nutrition of animals and humans.

November 16, 2022

What is the Alps-Adriatic Economic Network?

Since 2007, the Network of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts, Agriculture and Economy of the New Alpe Adria (NAAN) has been working to deepen economic relations. It now comprises - with the new addition of Bolzano - ten chambers from Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. According to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, with one million member businesses, NAAN is making rapid progress toward becoming an EU Alps-Adriatic macroregion. Read more to find out about the project.

November 7, 2022

Austria's Best Wines Are Awarded

One of the most famous Austrian wine competitions has tested 275 wines this year. SALON as the competition is called has chosen 21 of them as winners. For the first time, the wines were tasted and evaluated according to their origin and not by grape variety.

September 12, 2022

Worldwide Awards for Austria's Wines

In international trade magazines and at renowned wine competitions, Austrian wines generated enthusiastic voices and won top ratings, gold medals and coveted trophies.

August 9, 2022

Virtual Economic Forum between Tunisia and Austria

A Virtual Economic Forum titled "Tunisia & Austria - Promoting Business & Investment Cooperation", was held online by the Tunisian Embassy in Vienna and the Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC) in collaboration with the Tunisian Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA Tunisia).

August 7, 2022

Earth Overshoot Day: World has Already Used Up Resources

The Earth's natural resources for this year will have been depleted by tomorrow. By tomorrow, ecosystems would need about a year to replenish their resources. According to the Global Footprint Network, which is based in the United States and Switzerland, Earth Overshoot Day is slightly earlier this year than last.

July 27, 2022

European Forum Alpbach Will be Opened by Moldovan President Maia Sandu

The Moldovan President, Maia Sandu, will attend the opening of this year's European Forum Alpbach (EFA) together with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen on August 22. At the start of the event, they will jointly address the EFA's annual theme, The New Europe, and discuss what consequences, in light of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, Europe must draw from its current weakness and its inaction in the past.

July 27, 2022

Austria has the Highest Share of Female Startups in the EU

The Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy (BMAW) had surveyed the financing situation of female startups for Austria and Europe and discussed it at a startup breakfast together with representatives of the startup community at the BMAW. At 36 percent, Austria currently has the highest proportion of female startups in the EU.

July 20, 2022

Austria Supports Women From Ukraine With Their Integration Into Austrian Working Life

The 100 Women - 100 Opportunities program supports Ukrainian women with their integration into the Austrian labor market. This New COMPASS Support Program was initiated by Austrian Federal Minister for Women, Family, Youth and Integration Susanne Raab, the Austrian Integration Fund, LEA and private businesses.

June 7, 2022

6.8% Inflation: How Private Households are Affected by Rising Prices

Inflation in Austria remains historically high and is pushing many households to their limits. Whether it's high gasoline prices or horrendous living costs, everyone is feeling the inflation. How the average household is affected by these problems and what impact they have on lower-income households, read here.

April 20, 2022

No More Masks in Retail: New Covid Rules in Vienna

Recently, the Ministry of Health announced a significant relaxation of Covid-19 measures in Austria. The mask requirement in stores will be dropped, and the green passport for triple vaccinated people will also be extended. Read on if you want to know what will change for you and in which stores you still can't do without the mask.

April 15, 2022

Russo-Ukrainian War - EU Adopts Fifth Sanctions Package to Put Pressure on Russia

Recently, new sanctions against the Russian state were published. The EU is trying to put economic pressure on the Kremlin and cut off the sources of financing for the invasion of Ukraine. What new measures are taken, you can read here.

April 8, 2022

Housing in Austria: Average Monthly Rents Remain Above Inflation Rate

Rental prices are not spared from the persistently high inflation. On the contrary - according to a recent study, rental prices remain above the current inflation rate. If you want to know how expensive rent is and how much the average tenant pays, read on.

March 30, 2022

Sony DADC Austria AG Tightens Production Program

The decline in the production program of optical storage media (CDs and DVDs) forces Sony DADC Austria to terminate and redeploy towards BioSciences and digital services.

February 22, 2022

Vienna's Mayor Ludwig: "Pandemic has not yet been mastered"

Mayor Ludwig announced that Vienna will keep some of the COVID-19 measures in place despite the federal government lifting many of them. Read which measures still apply in Vienna and what the mayor and health experts said about it.

February 21, 2022

Indian Edtech Giant Byju's Acquires Austrian Math App GeoGebra in €100 Million Deal

India's most valuable startup Byju's is buying Linz-based Geogebra, it has now been announced. Neither company disclosed the purchase price, but insiders say the deal is worth about 100 million euros and includes both cash and stock.

February 21, 2022

Vienna is Becoming the Start-up Capital of Austria

Vienna's start-ups generated an added value of 3.9 billion euros in 2021, making it the most popular place in Austria for start-ups. Read more about the start-up environment in Vienna and what it has done for the Austrian economy.

February 9, 2022

Lunar New Year 2022: Austria's Chinese Community Welcomes the Year of the Tiger

People around the world recently celebrated the ushering in of the Year of the Tiger. Read more about the Lunar New Year, one of the most important Chinese holidays.

February 3, 2022

Tourism in Austria: Number of Overnight Stays at the Level of 1970

Corona-related business closures and international travel restrictions continued to hit tourism in Austria hard in 2021. The number of arrivals by foreign guests fell by a further 15.6% in 2021 compared with the first pandemic year of 2020. Germans stayed 16.6% less, Dutch 41.4%, and Swiss and Liechtensteiners 36.6% less.

February 1, 2022

Austrian Airlines Relaunches Non-stop Flights to Los Angeles in Summer 2022

Starting in mid-May, Austrian Airlines will once again offer a direct flight between Vienna and Los Angeles to the U.S. West Coast. From 20 May, Austrian Airlines will fly five times a week to L.A.

January 31, 2022

"National Carrier" in German Ownership is Proud to Fly the Austrian Olympic Team to Beijing

The "Austrian Airlines" aircraft with flight number OS63, chartered by the Austrian Olympic Team, took off from Vienna Airport to bring athletes including comprehensive equipment non-stop to Beijing.

January 28, 2022

Austria First EU Country to Implement Mandatory Corona Vaccination

Austria has become the first EU country to implement mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for all adults. Read about the new law, as well as the new incentives the Austrian government is offering for vaccination.

January 21, 2022

Vienna - Perhaps the Best Place to Go in 2022

Vienna was ranked one of the top travel destinations for 2022 by multiple international media outlets. Read more about this positive development for Vienna's tourism industry.

January 19, 2022

FDI in Austria: German Chocolate Group a "Success Story" Just One Year After Mars Takeover

Foreign direct investment is on a downward trend in Austria relative to GDP. It is therefore all the more gratifying that the Baden-Württemberg family-owned company Alfred Ritter is ranked as one of the "success stories" in the ABA ranking barely one year after the Mars takeover and start of production in Breitenbrunn, Burgenland.

January 14, 2022

Vienna Tourism: November Overnight Stays Plus 494% - "Only Arithmetically"

Despite a lockdown for part of the month, Vienna saw a stark increase in the number of overnight stays in November 2021 compared to November 2020. Read how this compares to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 and how accommodation providers in Vienna have fared so far this year.

December 23, 2021

OECD: "Austria Is Set to Overcome the COVID-19 Shock and Its Economic Scars"

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released its latest Economic Survey of Austria. Read what the Survey says about the Austrian economy coming out of the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 20, 2021

"Golden Sunday" Returns: Austrian Non-Food Retailers Allowed to Remain Open on December 19

In an attempt to recoup some of the billions of euros retailers lost out on due to the lockdown in the middle of the holiday season, the Austrian government has announced that non-food retailers will be allowed to remain open on Sunday, December 19 for what is known as "Golden Sunday." Learn which stores the exception applies to and when you can do some last-minute Christmas shopping on Sunday.

December 17, 2021

These Covid Rules Apply After the Lockdown for Vienna and Surroundings

The Austria-wide lockdown ended yesterday and applies to vaccinated and recovered individuals (2G). For the unvaccinated, the lockdown continues to be in effect. What new rules now apply at the federal level and in Vienna and the province of Lower Austria (Wien und Umgebung)?

December 13, 2021

Inaugural Statement of Austria's New Chancellor: "We Want to Reconcile with History"

Newly appointed Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer delivered his inaugural statement to the National Council. Read what the new chancellor said are some of the key issues his government will focus on.

December 10, 2021