#267: Win for renters, cannabis, Getir+Flink, hostel kicks out homeless
Rough Trade in Neukölln
Dear 20 Percent,
With everything that’s going on in the world, it’s pretty insubstantial and I should probably spend less time in bars, but this is sad news all the same: another lovely Berlin nightspot forced to close its doors thanks to property development.
I have fond memories of Minibar, a tiny cocktail joint in Kreuzberg’s Graefekiez, as I went on my first proper date with my girlfriend there. This one-of-a-kind establishment is being forced to close by May 1 thanks to the merciless machinery of the Berlin real estate market. They’ve put together a final cocktail menu “dedicated to our landlord”:
A few months ago, my local 100-year-old Eckkneipe in Gleimstraße had its contract terminated because the pub “didn’t fit” with the landlord’s plan for the building. lt’s a huge loss for the neighbourhood and is bound to be replaced by a soulless coffeebar. Several years ago, when a favourite Kneipe of mine was evicted (the century-old Alt Berlin in Münzstraße) to be absorbed by a denim showroom, the bar was able to move its beautiful counter and wood panelling to a space in Chauseestraße. I hope Minibar finds a new home. And there's a shimmer of hope when it comes to Eigenbedarf (when you can be evicted because your landlord wants to live in the flat) below.
Have a good weekend!
Maurice
P.S. Andrew's doing more stand-up comedy — he and fellow Berlin comedian Chris Davis are sharing an hour at Comedy Cafe Berlin next Friday, March 29 at 9.30pm. If you've caught either of his two recent shows, it's mostly the same material but if you haven't seen him, now's your chance!
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Yes, cannabis will be decriminalised
This just in: The upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, approved the government's cannabis bill Friday morning, despite efforts by the opposition CDU/CSU to kill it off. From next month, possession of up to 25g will be permitted and you'll be allowed to cultivate up to three plants at home.
Easter strikes? Hopefully not.
Today (Friday) is the last day of school before the Easter holidays, meaning many Germans will be travelling, and both Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa are still negotiating with unions over pay and working times, warns RBB. Train driver union GDL is pushing for a 35-hour week (down from 38) while flight attendant union UFO is demanding 15% more money from Lufthansa. Transport minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has called for an “Easter peace”, but the unions haven’t promised any such thing and these negotiations seem to break down at a moment’s notice. DB trains have been affected by strikes 11 days out of 80 so far this year, so I wouldn’t rule anything out.
Delayed eviction
A court has ruled in favour of renters, for a change: Tenants threatened with eviction for Eigenbedarf (when the landlord or a member of their family wants to inhabit the property themselves) can stay in their apartment for longer due to hardship because it's nearly impossible to find an affordable apartment in Berlin. The court said one renter’s eviction could be delayed by two years.
Homeless lose temporary home
At least the aforementioned tenant has a roof over their head. The owner of 2A, a Neukölln hostel that has housed homeless people since the corona pandemic, is giving residents until the end of March to leave because they want to open up to tourists again, according to Berliner Zeitung. The Neukölln Bezirksamt says it will find new accommodation for the people living in 2A — but residents told the newspaper they hadn’t been offered anything new, barely a week before the deadline.
Getir buying Flink?
First Gorillas, now Flink? Rumour has it that the giant Turkish grocery delivery app Getir is planning to buy German market leader Flink, at least according to a leak shared with Manager Magazin. A Flink-Getir merger would be create a megacorp with annual revenue of over €1bln and could attract German and European anti-trust authorities. Getir swallowed up competitor Gorillas in December 2022.
💽Rough Trade Berlin 💽
The legendary London label Rough Trade (Smiths, Strokes, Sleaford Mods etc) says it’s opening up a shop in Karl-Marx-Straße in Neukölln. The 270m² record store will include a bar for a little “day-drinking” according to managing director Curt Keplin. Rough Trade says its continental business has suffered massively since Brexit. Since last year, however, European orders from its online shop have been shipped from an office in Kreuzberg. The new store opens on Record Store Day (April 20).
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Factoid
The birth rate in Germany has fallen to its lowest level since 2009. While 1.57 children were born per woman in 2021, the average for the months of January to November 2023 was only 1.36 per woman. This is according to a study conducted by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) and Stockholm University. Researchers blame anxiety over the ongoing multicrisis — war, climate change, inflation — for the rapid drop in births.
While I'm very sympathetic with the argument that there's not enough affordable housing in Berlin, any ruling against Eigenbedarf is likely to reduce that, by forcing small renters out of the market. For example, if you get a job in Brussels for a couple of years, do you rent out your apartment, or are you afraid you can never get back into it anyway and just sell it, or loan it to your kids?
This kind of problem killed rent control in Cambridge MA – apartment owners took the issue to commonwealth-wide ballot, and of course the rural areas couldn't believe you couldn't move back in to your own house if you wanted to. (Massachusetts is one of two commonwealths in the USA, which actually has only 48 states...)
"Blood of my (rich) enemies"? I'll have that double