Especially for those in the event sector, times are tough. Shops have reopened, Luxembourg City’s "Groussgaass" is buzzing with life again, and face masks have become the new norm.
RTL visited Luxembourg’s oldest butcher’s shop. Both butchers and bakeries were allowed to remain open throughout the lockdown. According to the speaker of the confederation of artisanal food producers, Anne Kaiffer, open shops did however not automatically lead to a stable level of profits: "Bakers also had losses of 50 to 70% because they couldn’t offer a big part of their services like serving coffee, sandwiches, or lunch menus"
There are also fewer people in Luxembourg City because many work from home, and those who are working in their offices don’t necessarily feel like going out to get something. Party services are hit especially hard by the corona crisis as their main income source are events, which are not allowed to take place.
"People used to going out and delivering their goods now have to deal with a severe stagnation of their businesses. Drivers are also not necessarily needed at the moment. For some of them the situation is very dire"
Kaiffer stressed that these people especially would require further aids from the government as their activities will be impacted for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, the horeca sector is waiting for their own reopening day. According to Anne Kaiffer, bakeries should also be allowed to serve meals to their customers again.
"We are ready. Everyone has taken appropriate measures and knows how to handle the situation. This could also be a first step towards encouraging people to spend time with each other again – even if that means at a distance"
Kaiffer stated that businesses in this sector were used to strict hygiene regulations anyway. The staff was working hard and customers also showed a lot of patience and discipline.
Organising everything behind the scenes is not always easy and it will probably take some time for everything to go smoothly. Kaiffer thinks that the crisis will definitely change the food industry, and maybe not only for the worse when it comes to consumer behaviour.
"People don’t need to have organic kiwis from New Zealand anymore"
According to Kaiffer, people are willing to buy more local and regional products again – a change which she for one appreciates.
