The municipality prohibits activities until further notice

Noorderstedt. Timo Laub, Benjamin Buhs and Andy David never expected this: just two weeks after opening their vending kiosk in Rathausallee 4a, they have to close their doors again for the time being. The city Noorderstedt has banned the operation of the so-called “King Kong Kiosk” until further notice. And this despite the fact that the mini-supermarket has so far been very well received by citizens.

“We are obviously very shocked and disappointed,” says co-founder Timo Laub. At the start of the European Championships, they bought 80 kilos of freshly grilled meat from a national slaughterhouse for the machines. “Due to the closure, we can no longer resell this.” This means that the company is leaving behind large losses. But why did the Public Order Bureau close the kiosk?

The ATM in Norderstedt was open 24 hours a day

The store of the three business partners was a novelty in Norderstedt-Mitte. Beer, grilled meat, razors, dog food, condoms, sweets from Asia: the friends sold everything residents, night owls or passers-by could need quickly in black vending machines – from midnight snacks to coffee for early birds. All customers who wanted to spend a little more time in the kiosk could try out the boxing or gripping machines.

Payment was made directly at the machine, in cash or by card. Anyone who wanted to buy alcohol had to scan their identity card electronically. Since no employees were needed to offer their services, the store was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But according to the city, the three owners have not yet received approval.

City of Norderstedt closes kiosk in Rathausallee: these are the reasons

“When the ‘King Kong Kiosk’ was put into use, the operators did not have permission to change the use of the property,” said a statement from the city of Norderstedt. “Especially because this was requested too late.” A change of use of a building is necessary if a new tenant wants to use it for a different purpose. This mainly concerns construction and urban planning issues such as neighbor protection.

“Due to the lack of a use permit, the business has now been closed until further notice by employees of the public order department,” says a city spokeswoman. The city is currently in direct contact with the operators. As this is an ongoing process, no further information can be released at this time.

Customers start a petition to keep the “King Kong Kiosk”.

The founders of the vending kiosk hope for a quick and fair solution. “Originally, in the presence of five witnesses, we received a verbal commitment from a city employee that the zoning change could be permitted during ongoing operations,” Laub said. The closure came unexpectedly for them.

The action by the public order department caused great outrage among the kiosk’s customers. For example, in an Instagram post about the closure, one user noted: “The ‘King Kong Kiosk’ was not only practical, but also an important point of contact for many people who rely on flexible opening hours. Instead of supporting innovative business models, the city is stifling entrepreneurship and harming the local economy.”

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To show her support for the vending machine kiosk in Norderstedt-Mitte, a customer even started a petition to keep the supermarket. It has been signed by 340 people so far. A total of 1,100 votes are needed before the petition platform can request an explanation from the responsible decision makers.

C.N