Berlin retail: old department stores, new opportunities!

Berlin retail: old department stores, new opportunities!

Alexanderplatz, Berlin, Deutschland - The structural change in Berlin retail has now reached the big names! The once magnificent department stores such as Galeria Kaufhof and Galeries Lafayette are facing a radical conversion. The shopping landscape in Berlin changes dramatically, while the empty buildings can no longer serve as an eyesore in the city. The planned redesign cost several hundred million euros, but the future of the former department stores remains uncertain.

The changed shopping habits and the flooding with shopping malls have meant that many of these once popular shopping centers can hardly attract visitors. Real estate and urban development experts agree: it cannot go on like this! The conversion has already started in many places and the plans are diverse. In Alt-Treptow, the park center is partially torn down to make room for new residential and leisure activities. The boulevard Berlin in Steglitz is also comprehensively redesigned to integrate office space and service apartments.

Politics vs. Markt: Who wins structural change?

Berlin politics tries to strengthen retail, but the market reacts faster! While the Senate is discussing solutions, property owners are already investing vigorously in the modernization of their buildings. In other cities such as Cottbus, Hanau and Neuss, the municipalities took the initiative and took over the former department stores themselves to re -use them. Neuss plans a market hall, while Nuremberg wants to transform the old Kaufhof building into an educational location. The ideas just bubble!

The closure of the Galeria branches in Berlin is not only a crisis, but also an opportunity! Corona pandemic has fundamentally changed people's buying behavior, and digitization is progressing inexorably. The city must now act to actively address the challenges of structural change. The time of the years of vacancies could soon be over, because the demand for new, innovative usage concepts is greater than ever!