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Greenfield developments are a hot political potato in Germany and especially, it seems, around here.
The social market economy (as against a pure market economy) concept spills over into almost every avenue of life and greenfield developments are just one.
This hypermarket has been here since the late 1970s – first as Carrefour, a French chain, then as Massa and more recently as Real, with a Home Depot-type co-anchor and then MediaMarkt, one of the 2 big electronic chains.
There are now moves afoot to allow the building of another (but larger) one further out of town, with the public being vastly in favour (because everything’s as cheap as chips) and local politicians worrying about the impact on inner city merchants.
It’ll be a compromise, as are most things around here.
And it’ll drag on for ever.
Mainz Daily Photo 
>We have the same hot-potato in Australia with supermarkets. We have 2 huge chains which are taking over the market from small businesses causing a constant public debate.
>Breakfast: that would be a change in our house to have German sausage, must try them again. Supermarts: we have Aldi stores -you may know of- as well as others. it is good to visit some towns who have retained their original shopping centre instead of superstores.