Study: the time of The great shopping center are over News

483 shopping center in Germany. For a long time they knew only of growth. However, the experts believe, some shopping centres will close soon. And there is another Trend.

Jörg, mark Steiner, WDR

200 stores, 5000 Parking spaces and nearly 30,000 visitors every day: Heike Marzen is a Center Manager in one of the largest shopping centres in Germany - the Rhine-Ruhr-Zentrum at the border of the city of Essen and Mülheim.

at 46 years of age, it is also one of the oldest - and therefore soon to be a construction site: "Very roughly, no stone remains on the other," says Marzen. A new entrance, more natural light, new floors, easier paths, an Indoor soccer field and a new market hall.

The Rhein-Ruhr centre, one of the largest shopping centres in Germany, will soon be completely transformed.

"Refurbishment" is the Trend

Also if in the Rhein-Ruhr-Zentrum much is invested, it is not an isolated case. The so-called "Refurbishment" is a Trend. In 44 shopping centres nationwide will soon be rehabilitated, renovated and modernized, is one of the shopping report by the Cologne-based EHI retail research Institute. Explanation: "Long ago, the industry is unanimous: When it comes to Shopping, you can keep the Center business with the online trade."

Center don't feel the Online competition

only pedestrian zones, many centers suffer from the competition from the web. So, to be offered to the customers: "We realize that the interior design is becoming more and more important. It was in the past. Today, it comes to the topic of stay, to Lounges and service offerings," says center Marzen Manager.

a Short breather in the Lounge: For many customers, only the business not more.

The willingness of the owners to invest many millions in an existing shopping center, has yet another reason: There are hardly any new projects. "The development was for many years so that ten to 15 Center in the year opened. That's gone down. We had 2018, only three openings, and this year it will be in the order of magnitude," says EHI-study leader Marco Atzberger.

record number of shopping centers

483 shopping center, there are nationwide - as many as never before. The most in NRW (81), followed by Bavaria (54) and Baden-Württemberg (45). The total number, as well as the sales area has in the last 25 years has almost tripled. "We see in the German market, clearly a saturation," says Atzberger. The Boom tilt. The Frank Emmerich. The retail expert, the real estate consultancy CBRE, goes even further. He believed: "In the shopping centers, some of which are already in the process of the struggle to Survive."

Not a long ways and more, The Trend is toward smaller shopping centers.

stores will be smaller

in fact, have some of the classic anchor tenants in shopping centers even problems. "Over a long period of time, the fashion industry was regarded as the backbone of the Center-industrial", - stated in the EHI Report. Today, selected their land because of the online competition, but be much more careful and in case of doubt, small. Similar to how bookstores and Shoe stores. This is also a reason why the few new centers tend to be smaller. Often, but not always, are taken on surfaces of the end of catering providers.

A responsive interior architecture plays in shopping centers an increasingly important role.

mixed-use as a new panacea?

hopes sets the shopping center industry is currently in the new Trend of "district solutions": The Center, where the Shopping is not necessarily the main role. "It is mixed stronger. With offices, fitness studios, entertainment and apartments," says Atzberger. "You don't want to this mono culture." The cities hope to the development and appreciation of the entire district - and the private investors in crisis secure rental income. "This is a direction where it is going".

Shopping is fun only moderately fun, 23.01.2019 Atlas |Germany |Cologne