Julius Meinl am Graben closes for a comprehensive renovation

Julius Meinl am Graben opened at its current address in 1950 as a small grocery shop and quickly developed into a much larger delicatessen, today with an annual turnover of €22 million and 170 employees. The last renovation took place in 1999. “Since then, wear and tear has become clearly noticeable. The technical equipment and other parts of the store are no longer up to date with the environmental technology and require a lot of maintenance.” says Herbert Vlasaty, CEO of Julius Meinl AG. He continues: “We have therefore decided to undertake a comprehensive renovation: Julius Meinl am Graben will be rejuvenated”.

The renovation includes building services, cooling and the floor. “There will be modernization in all areas – instead of air conditioning, for example, we will use a district cooling system. We want to do this to significantly improve our energy efficiency” says Vlasaty. The planned investment will cost around €7 million.

The project is being implemented by the architects Bernhard Hamann and Christian Politsch: “When we redesigned Julius Meinl am Graben, it was important for us to continue telling the story of this traditional Viennese house. We are preserving the style and the very specific interpretation of this sensual world of food. In terms of design, we reinterpret where it makes sense to achieve qualitative and sustainable improvements” said the architects.

Customers will particularly notice the reduction to just one entrance: In the future, Julius Meinl am Graben will be entered via the entrance at Graben 19, where the current outdoor terrace is located. This outdoor area will remain after the renovation and there will be seats for approximately 60 people to relax and have a coffee. The Meinl restaurant and the wine bar, however, will not be continued.

“During the course of the renovation, the interior will be redesigned and the entire presentation of goods and floor space will be realigned. By optimizing the area, we will be able to expand the range.” explains Managing Director Udo Kaubek. “Fruit, vegetables and the frozen range are being streamlined. For this purpose, other areas such as our popular meat and fish department are being enlarged. After the renovation, Julius Meinl am Graben will have a sales area of ​​around 1,200m2” says Kaubek.

For the duration of the renovation, “Julius Meinl am Graben” will move to an alternative location: on Wednesday 2nd June, the historic store will still be open as usual. On Friday 4th June, a “Julius Meinl Pop-up” will commence trading at Maysedergasse 2 in the first district, near the State Opera and Albertina. In the “Julius Meinl Pop-up” there will be not only the usual shopping experience, but also weekly events relating to the Meinl world of pleasure and tastings. Home delivery will continue to be offered during the renovation period. The opening of the renovated Julius Meinl am Graben is planned for the beginning of October 2021.