Fight against vacancy: How do our city centers stand there?

Fight against vacancy: How do our city centers stand there?

Mariahilfer Straße 18, 1060 Wien, Österreich - In the downtown Vienna, the redesign of Mariahilfer Straße takes shape. The Signa Group plans to convert the former Leiner branch on Mariahilfer Straße 18 by 2023 into a high-class luxury department store. This will offer a range on 24,000 square meters that are based on the renowned department stores KaDeWe in Berlin and Alsterhaus in Hamburg. Hannes Lindner, expert of the consulting company location and market, comments on the ambitions and challenges of this project and emphasizes that there are many questions about the positioning and target group of the new department store, which could include both international luxury brands and more affordable brands, such as The Kurier reported.

urban development and vacancies

The discussion about the vacancies in the city centers in Austria is also prominent. Hannes Lindner warns of an alarming increase in empty business premises. In many cities, vacancy has increased to up to 20 percent, which is a serious threat to the retail environment. This development is reinforced by factors such as bureaucracy and high costs. While the big cities with a vacancy under five percent, more or less good, smaller cities, especially in Styria and Lower Austria, fight with serious problems. Lindner advocates measures to increase the attractiveness of these areas, such as improved shopping experiences and better connection to public transport, such as orf reported.

Mariahilfer Straße could, however, receive a fresh impulse through the new luxury department store. The hope of attracting wealthy customers is positively rated both by Lindner and experts from the Chamber of Commerce. The project could not only help to revitalize the business on site, but also create an exciting new attraction in the traditional shopping street. In addition, Mariahilfer Straße will expand through new brands and shops, such as the British sports fashion chain JD Sports and the Swedish fashion chain H&M, the mother houses, which could further increase the attractiveness of the location.