Spätverkauf, Spätkauf or "Späti" () is a type of convenience shop found generally in East German cities, such as Berlin, Dresden or Leipzig, which is known to operate late at night past the usual shopping hours, often
24 hours per day.
Translating literally to 'late purchase', ''Spätis'' mostly sell alcohol and tobacco but may also sell groceries or everyday items. Some shops may also offer internet access,
[''Kult-Spätkauf in Berlin: Party beim Kiez-Krämer.''](_blank)
Bei: ''Der Spiegel
(, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
''. a postal service for retail, and usually feature small benches for clients to sit on while drinking beer. Due to the invention of mobile web, many internet cafés have since extended their range of products to function as a ''Späti''. Most shops are run by migrant families of Turkish, Vietnamese and are a part of the culture of Berlin's local neighbourhoods known as "
Kiezes". Similar kinds of shops with different regional names are found in the
Ruhr area
The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
, the
Rhineland
The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
,
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
.
The end of Sunday openings in 2016 caused a decline in the total number of ''Spätis''. According to the organization "Berliner Späti e.V.", about 800 ''Spätis'' had to close down since then. There are said to have been around 2000 ''Spätis'' in 2012.
History
The ''Spätverkauf'' was established in the
German Democratic Republic
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
in the second half of the 20th century for workers coming home from late night shifts. They were usually shops of the state-owned retail chains
Handelsorganisation and
Konsum. While regular shops would close at 6 p.m., ''Spätkaufs'' would be open until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., shops in big cities could sometimes have longer opening hours. Depending on local circumstances they would either close at 18.30h or open earlier than regular shops as a ''Frühverkauf'' ("early sale"). The word ''"Spätkauf"'' had been used in West Berlin as of the 1980s. After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the shortened term ''"Späti"'' was adopted for other stores extending regular business hours. Now, the term ''Späti'' has also come to use in some Southern German cities like
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
or
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
.
In 1995 the ''"antipreneurial" one-man artist group'' ' presented ''LESS function IS MORE fun'' as a post-
neoist
Neoism is a parodistic -ism. It refers both to a specific subcultural network of artistic performance and media experimentalists, and, more generally, to a practical underground philosophy. It operates with collectively shared pseudonyms and ide ...
special waste sale of
interpassive design-defuncts[''tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE'' on neoist interpassivity and Florian Cramer's relationship to neoism in a book review of Florian Cramer's book publication "Anti-Media." http://idioideo.pleintekst.nl/Book2013Anti-Media.html] in a so-called ''Spätverkauf'' installation by
Laura Kikauka
Laura Kikauka (born 1963, Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian installation and performance artist. Kikauka is known for her sculptural installations and performances incorporating found objects and electronics.
Career and work
Kikauka is known for ...
, located at a glass pavilion next to the
Volksbühne Berlin, which she claimed as one of her projects of ''
Maximalism
In the arts, maximalism is an Aesthetics, aesthetic characterized by excess and abundance, serving as a reaction against minimalism. The philosophy can be summarized as "more is more", contrasting with the minimalist principle of "less is more" ...
''.
[ Danielle de Picciotto]
''Laura Kikauka: "Rediscovering the art of slowing down"''
''Kaput – Magagazin für Insolvenz & Pop'', 6 February 2018
Legal status and political debates
Contrary to the usual practice of ''Spätkaufs'', only
flower
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
s,
print media
Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication.
Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...
,
baked goods
Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...
and
dairy product
Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...
s may be sold on Sundays between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
's ''Ladenschlussgessetz'' ('shop closing law'). Tourist offers and beverages may only be offered between 1 and 8 p.m. on Sundays. The sale of
alcohol
Alcohol may refer to:
Common uses
* Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds
* Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life
** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages
** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
is not allowed on Sundays.
In March 2012, a
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right ...
resident reported 48 stores that violated the shop closing law to the Berlin ''Ordnungsamt'' ('Office of Public Order'). This led to several ''Spätkaufs'' being
fined between €150 and €2500. One in particular, "Kollwitz 66", later drew attention with a counter-campaign by displaying the name and phone number of the person reporting the violations at the shop and also publishing it on
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
.
In a radio interview, Berlin City Councilor Torsten Kühne stated that the ''Ordnungsamt'' must thoroughly investigate every violation of the shop closing law. Berlin's ''Ordnungsamt'' lacked the resources to do so, however.
In October 2012, the
CDU in
Pankow
Pankow () is the second largest and most populous Boroughs and quarters of Berlin, borough of the German capital Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weissensee (Berlin), W ...
tried to introduce legislation that would have legalized Berlin's ''Spätkaufs''. However, this failed. In June 2015, a
petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication.
In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...
with the
hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...
#RettetdieSpätis ("save the ''Spätis''") was started on the website
change.org, which demanded an adjustment of the shop closing law that would have changed the legal status of ''Spätkaufs'' to something similar to gas stations and train station stores. Due to violations of the Sunday sales ban, fines of €35,000 have been imposed on ''Spätkauf'' operators in the district of
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg () is the second Boroughs of Berlin, borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former East Berlin borough of Friedrichshain and the former West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg. The historic Oberbaum Bridge, formerly ...
in 2015, and fines of €70,000 in the district of
Neukölln
Neukölln (), officially abbreviated Neuk, is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located south-east of Berlin's center and stretches from the inner city southward to the border with Brandenburg, encompassing the eponymous quarter of Neu ...
.
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen demanded an exemption for ''Spätkaufs'' for a number of hours on Sundays, but this was not supported by the governing parties
SPD and
CDU. Martin Delius, a Pirate Party member, proposed to convert ''Spätkaufs'' into
charging station
A charging station, also known as a charge point, chargepoint, or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a power supply electrical device, device that supplies electrical power for recharging plug-in electric vehicles (including batter ...
s for
pedelec
A Pedelec (from pedal electric cycle) or EPAC (''electronically power assisted cycle''), is a type of low-powered electric bicycle where the rider's pedalling is assisted by a small electric motor. However, unlike some other types of e-bikes, p ...
s, which would have given them the same legal status as
gas stations
A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.
Fuel dispensers are used to ...
.
In 2016, a ''Spätkauf'' located in the district of
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf () is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in an administrative reform with effect from 1 January 2001, by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf.
Overview
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the ...
was banned from opening on Sundays by the responsible district office under the threat of a €1,500 fine. After the owner sued before the Administrative Court of Berlin, the court ruled in May 2019 that Berlin's ''Spätkaufs'' must remain closed on Sundays as a matter of principle. In the reasoning, it is said that ''Spätis'' mainly offer products of everyday demand and are aimed at the unspecific supply of the close surrounding area. Thus, the shops did not fall under a corresponding exemption in the Berlin ''Ladenöffnungsgesetz'' ('shop opening law') for tourist stores.
Similar shops
"Trinkhalle", "Kiosk" and "Büdchen"
While some places don't have small shops with long business hours, they exist with different names especially in the
Ruhr area
The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
, the
Rhineland
The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
,
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. They are called "Trinkhalle" (literally translates to 'drinking hall'), "
Kiosk
Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...
" and "Büdchen" (literally translates to 'small stall'). Initially, it was popular for shops to have windows where customers ordered from outside, but now they are usually small
bodega-style shops. Additional to selling goods, they provide a space for social interaction and local party culture.
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
alone has about 1000 "Büdchen". These establishments are part of the town culture, research objects, destinations of city tours and motives for calendar pictures. Since 2016 the "Düsseldorfer Büdchentag" celebrates the local Kiosk culture in the Renish city of Düsseldorf with a special day in the summer. This Büdchentag attracts tourists and Düsseldorfer alike and has grown to become a regular and well-loved fixture in Düsseldorf.
Outside of Germany
In the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, similar shops are called "večerka" ('evening shops'). In
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, these kinds of shops are mostly run by
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
vendors. In
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
there are comparable shops called "Peripteros". In
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, there used to be around 1500
newsstands, which not only sold newspapers, but also drinks, sweets or tobacco products. By now, their number has fallen to about 300, most of these in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.
In
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, there are shops that sell a limited range of food, snacks and toilet paper and are usually open 24 hours per day. These shops are called "chinos", because they're usually run by Asian immigrants. An examination by the Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio ("Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce") in 2007 counted 16.000 "chinos" and comparable shops in all of Spain, 26% of which were actually run by Chinese immigrants who had been in Spain for less than 10 years.
English translations and alternative names
In
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, ''"Spätkauf"'' has a lot of English translations and
pseudo-anglicism
A pseudo-anglicism is a word in another language that is formed from English elements and may appear to be English, but that does not exist as an English word with the same meaning.
For example, English speakers traveling in France may be struck ...
s, like "Late Night Shop", "Late Shop", "Late Buying", "Late Shopping", "Night Shop", "Nightstore" or "All in One Shop". "Spätshop" or "Internetcafé" are also used sometimes.
Spätkauf Late Night Shop.jpg
Late Shop.jpg
Night Shop.jpg
Spätkauf Late Buying.jpg
Multi Shop.jpg
Späti All in one Shop.jpg
Charlottenburg Wilmersdorfer Straße Späti.jpg
Alaunstraße 37, Dresden (33).jpg
Internetcafe Nightstore.jpg
Drinks Internetcafe Snacks.jpg
See also
*
Bodega
*
Convenience store
A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...
*
Superette
*
Grocery store
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synon ...
References
External links
{{Spoken Wikipedia, date=2021-12-25, En-Spätkauf-article.ogg
Convenience stores
German youth culture