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There is currently a lot of work going on on the top floor of the shopping center. From January next year onwards people will be sweating in “peoples fitness”. © Adrian Kaske
Two new stores, but also vacancies – how is retail doing?
Bad Homburg – A discount store for everything except groceries and a new fitness studio – the “LaVie”, the passage near the town hall was previously called Louisen-Center, is changing. “Action” opened in the basement of the shopping center on October 31st – after a four-week renovation phase, as center manager Andreas Deschert explains.
At “Action” you can buy everything except food, from charging cables to Christmas bags, stationery, suitcases and flat caps, much of it at discounter prices. The international company operates more than 550 branches in Germany.
Retailers in Bad Homburg are happy about the new tenant moving into “LaVie,” says Eberhard Schmidt-Gronenberg, chairman of the action group: “The store brings frequency into the building,” he says. “LaVie is on the right track at the moment – and that’s good for all of us.” By that he means all the shops in the city center. The Bad Homburg Action Group is a commercial association with around 250 members that promotes an attractive city center. “Peoples Fitness,” a fitness studio, is also scheduled to open on the third floor of “LaVie” in January. Meanwhile, two retail spaces in the basement, next to the new “Action” store, are empty. A hairdresser’s shop moved out on July 1st of this year. Center manager Deschert says: “Our goal is to have full occupancy in the next one or two years.” There are currently discussions with prospective tenants. These are “food outlets” – snack bars or a juice bar, for example.
Why has the “LaVie” been struggling with vacancies for a long time? Eberhard Schmidt-Gronenberg from the Aktionsgemeinschaft says that the pedestrian zone on Louisenstrasse is relatively spacious at 800 meters long. “It can get difficult at the ends,” he says. The district office used to be where the “LaVie” is today. “It’s amazing,” he says, “how long it takes customer structures to change.” He and the campaign group are interested in the center running well. “A center that would be empty would be terrible. We want to help keep things running.” In general, says Schmidt-Gronenberg, retail on Louisenstrasse is doing well. “We are really satisfied and almost back to pre-Corona levels,” he says. The pedestrian zone is easily accessible and there are enough parking spaces.
“Almost back to pre-Corona levels”
City manager Tatjana Baric also gives the city center a good rating and highlighted Bad Homburg’s unique selling points in an interview with this newspaper some time ago: “We have a strong trade, we have good restaurants. We have an extraordinarily good range of cultural offerings, the Kurpark is only a short walk away from Louisenstrasse.” The city also measures the frequency of visitors in the city center. And they have been growing steadily since Corona, says Baric.
The vacancy rate is also at a low level overall, between five and ten percent. The critical mark is ten percent, said Schmidt-Gronenberg. If he compares Bad Homburg as a shopping town with Oberursel or Friedrichsdorf, the spa town is in a better position. Despite the length of the pedestrian zone: “We have a functioning city center.”
Schmidt-Gronenberg refers to a survey of the city. Taking all 385 inner-city businesses into account, the vacancy rate is around six percent, which corresponds to only a slight increase compared to previous years. In contrast, the latest data for larger inner cities showed an increase in the vacancy rate of around 50 percent from around 10 to around 15 percent. This corresponds, among other things, with the data from the Statista portal.
The town hall came to this conclusion that the survey on the center concept shows “a robust retail landscape with a total sales area of around 52,000 square meters (including vacancies), which is spread across 197 retail establishments”. The sales area has even grown (in 2011, the last time it was surveyed: 48,800 square meters). In addition, 188 other uses were recorded, including 55 catering establishments and 52 service providers in the beauty and care sector.
So there is some vacancy, but no standstill in Bad Homburg’s center.
**Considering the article’s purpose of highlighting Bad Homburg’s retail landscape and its target audience of city planners and local business owners, how effectively does the author utilize data and anecdotes to support their argument for a thriving city center?**
## Open-Ended Questions for Discussion:
**I. Retail Landscape & Vacancies:**
1. **The article mentions a “robust retail landscape” in Bad Homburg despite some vacancies. What factors might contribute to this resilience, and knowing what we know about the challenges facing retail in general, how significant do these factors seem?**
2. **How does the length of the pedestrian zone in Bad Homburg potentially affect retail success? Do the benefits of a longer pedestrian zone outweigh the potential drawback mentioned in the article?**
3. **What are the implications of the various types of businesses populating Bad Homburg’s center (retail, catering, service providers)? How does this mix contribute to the overall vibrancy and success of the area?**
**II. New Businesses & Consumer Trends:**
4. **The arrival of “Action” and “Peoples Fitness” are seen as positive developments for “LaVie.” How do these new additions potentially attract customers and revitalize the shopping center? Do they cater to changing consumer trends?**
5. **What are the advantages of bringing in businesses like “food outlets” to fill vacant spaces in “LaVie”? What kind of impact might this have on the existing businesses and customer experience?**
6. **How might the growth of online shopping influence the future of retail spaces like “LaVie”? What strategies can brick-and-mortar stores adopt to remain competitive?**
**III. City Center Development & Stakeholder Perspectives:**
7. **Should the city actively intervene to address vacancies in the city center, or should the market forces determine the flow of businesses? What balance should be struck between supporting existing businesses and attracting new ones?**
8. **How does the success of Bad Homburg’s city center rely on the collaboration between the city, businesses, and citizens? How can these stakeholders work together to ensure a thriving retail environment?**
9. **What lessons can other cities and towns learn from Bad Homburg’s approach to city center development and retail management? What unique challenges and opportunities does Bad Homburg face compared to other locations?**
**IV. Personal Reflection & Call to Action:**
10. **Based on the information presented in the article, what is your overall perception of the health and future prospects of Bad Homburg’s retail sector?**
11. **What are your thoughts on the role of city centers in modern society? How can we ensure their continued relevance and vitality in the face of evolving urban landscapes and consumer preferences?**
12. **What actions can individuals take to support local businesses and contribute to the success of their city centers?**
By framing these inquiries as open-ended questions, we encourage deeper analysis, diverse viewpoints, and a more nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics at play in Bad Homburg’s retail landscape.
