Redesign of inner cities: Department stores have reached their limits

The Frankfurt economic Affairs, Markus Frank (CDU) has called for the closure of the Karstadt house on the Zeil as a setback for the city centre. "This is bitter." Attractive inner cities were important, added the councillor. Ulrich Caspar, President of the chamber of Commerce and industry Frankfurt, spoke at the weekend of a "new challenge for the shopping street" to assert themselves in the structural change. "The current Department store concepts have reached their limits." In General, the stationary retail trade is not a self-runner more.

Manfred Köhler

Deputy Department head of the Regional section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and editor of the business magazine Metropolitan.

Markus Schug

correspondent Rhein-Main Süd.

Caspar added that Frankfurt need a professional city marketing, in order to stage shopping streets customers. If, however, a customer should not have more to do with the car in the city center, Park space, and Parking more expensive will be made, then the strength of Online trading. Aniko Korsos, head of the retail team West at the brokerage firm Lasalle Jones Lang, said, the re-use of the Karstadt-property on the Zeil, one should not Worry about it. It will move no were in the house, but the speech, the surfaces continue to trade on the ground floor and the second floor provided is of a project development. The upper floors were in this situation, slightly different use, as offices, for Housing or for a Hotel.

the termination of a long suffering history

In Mainz on Friday announced closure of the Karstadt completed-purchase of house at the Ludwig street is a long suffering history. They opened in the shopping city, which will feature the Kaufhof a well-stocked Department store, and even the opportunity to the "Lu" faster than thought to a new stage. Plans for this are already available and should be adopted by the city Council before the summer break.

For the 90 workers is the task, however painful, even if there will be a transfer company and socially-acceptable solutions, as it calls for the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister President Malu Dreyer (SPD), with a view to a total of four site closures in the country. Also, the Mainz Lord mayor Michael Ebling (SPD) and Economics head of the Department of Manuela Matz (CDU), said it was now important to ensure that "no Employee left out in the rain".