Digitalisation is certainly one of the focal points, where new potential for many villages lies. Take the classic village shops as an example. The biggest problem is that they cannot keep up with modern wholesale and retail structures in terms of cost-benefit ratio. In our research, we came across a Swedish model that offers round-the-clock opening hours and in the end does not need a great staff – and is therefore competitive again in terms of cost structure. We are currently implementing this idea in a municipality in order to further guarantee the basic provision of services of general interest in rural areas.