Metro Boutique will be Melectronics’ successor on the West Side – both of these stores are coming this fall

In April it was announced that the Melectronics branch in the West is closing. It is now clear what will happen to the vacant retail space. A new Metro shop is opening there on Thursday. This is the fourth Metro store in the canton of Bern (there is already a store on Marktgasse in the city of Bern and a location in Thun and Biel) – this is the 26th branch in Switzerland.

These stores are moving to the West Side this year

The West opened almost 16 years ago. We asked Migros Aare, the owner of the shopping centre, how things have been going there since the corona epidemic. “Current frequencies are roughly the same as in 2019. As a shopping and leisure destination, West Side has different frequencies in shopping areas, bathrooms, housing hotels, cinemas and restaurants. After the pandemic, the people had a lot to do,” said Ilknur Köçer, Head of Corporate Communications at Migros Aare.

From 2022, three tenants have left Westside for economic reasons, according to Migros Aare. “So far, the right new tenants have always been found for the space,” says Köçer. In addition to the Metro Boutique, two other tenants will be moving into the Westside this year. Opening the fashion retailer “Blackout”, which specializes in jeans, and “La Boutique du Coiffeur” with hairdressing products have their locations between the end of October and the beginning of November.

More focus on leisure activities

Migros Aare is increasingly focusing on the leisure and entertainment side of the West. “At the beginning of August we expanded our leisure offerings (and Sundays) to 1,500 square meters on floor 2. Our Adventure Dome allows families, children, but also groups and companies to immerse themselves in action games and an interesting adventure,” explained Köçer when asked by BärnToday.

The Adventure Dome opened on 1 August. This is “further proof that shopping centers must evolve into functional, experience-based meeting places to be competitive.”