Germans generally don’t shop where they live. This emerges from a current study by the Society for Consumer Research (Gfk). German medium-sized cities in particular attract purchasing power from their surrounding areas and benefit from greater retail offerings and inflows of purchasing power. On average, Germans will have around 6,770 euros per capita available for retail spending in 2024. This sum varies depending on the location: in the Starnberg district, for example, the possible expenditure per capita is 8,689 euros, in the Gelsenkirchen urban district it is 5,715 euros.
According to Gfk, in 2024 there will be a total of 187 German districts with an inflow of purchasing power. This takes place especially in urban districts where retail is concentrated and has a high level of attraction for the surrounding area. However, a negative development was observed in 213 districts.
This year again, medium-sized cities in particular are leading the GfK ranking. In addition to the frontrunner Zweibrücken with a retail centrality of 230.4, the urban districts of Straubing (202.5) and Passau (196.0) are also on the winner’s podium. All ten top positions were taken by urban districts. Many of the cities act as middle centers for the more rural environment. As a result, they serve a large catchment area in which “there is a relatively large amount of purchasing power,” according to Gfk.
When planning expansion, retailers should not underestimate locations in medium-sized cities, as these often have a reach that significantly exceeds the number of residents in the immediate urban area,” says Filip Vojtech, retail expert in Niq-Gfk’s geomarketing department. “For many years, medium-sized cities have become increasingly attractive retail locations, while the largest German cities have become less important. Cologne, for example, has fallen by four places compared to the previous year, while in Munich and Hamburg it is even seven places. But Berlin is hit even harder: the capital will slip a full twelve places back in the centrality ranking in 2024.”
