A fear is making the rounds in Schwedt: Edeka in the Oder Center is to close. What is the truth behind this rumor? “I can tell you that there is no truth to the rumor. There are no plans to close the Edeka Center in Schwedt,” said a company spokeswoman at the headquarters in Minden when asked by the Uckermark Kurier.
Awarded the “Golden Apple”
The food market in the Oder Center was reopened last summer as the successor to the real market after extensive construction work and has a sales area of 4,300 square meters. Market manager Ronald Schiemenz comes from Angermünde and is the boss of 109 employees. A few weeks ago, the market was awarded the “Golden Apple” internally for its excellent range of fruit and vegetables.
Catchment area of over 150,000 people
In the year of its 30th anniversary, it would have been bad news for the Oder-Center Schwedt if Edeka were to close. The large center in Schwedt has a sales area of 22,000 square meters and is considered a shopping magnet for the entire region and the border area in Poland. It claims to cover a catchment area of over 150,000 people.
The C&A branch has been closed since the beginning of the year (in the photo on the left). A toy store is open right next door, the only one in Schwedt. (Photo: Eva-Martina Weyer)
However, it is struggling with tenant fluctuation. In December 2023, the fashion chain C & A withdrew from the center after 25 years. The store was considered one of the anchor tenants. The company headquarters cited one of the reasons for the move as being that the company would no longer be able to operate economically at the Schwedt location.
In best times up to 60 stores
Across Germany, the demise of specialist shops in large shopping centres is spreading. This currently affects the fashion chain Esprit, which once had a branch in the Oder-Center years ago. C & A will close its flagship store in Munich city centre this year.
Closed and emptied: A few days ago the pet shop moved out of the Oder Center. (Photo: Eva-Martina Weyer)
In the Oder Center’s anniversary year, the owner-operated pet shop Schwedt Fauna has just closed. Owner Raik Würl was the first tenant in the new center in 1994, which at its peak housed around 60 shops; today there are 40. One reason for the closure of Schwedt Fauna may have been the reopening of the huge shop Das Futterhaus with around 800 square meters of sales space.
There are also bright spots
However, there are also bright spots. The fashion retailer Icke will be moving within the Oder Center this year, to a much larger area. The sales area will double from the current 130 square meters to 260. The Wolsdorff branch, which sells tobacco products, lottery tickets, magazines and postal services, has already expanded.
Center manager Ralf Müller speaks of a mix of industries between fashion, technology, health and gastronomy, which he wants to ensure here. For example, a branch of the toy manufacturer Blue Brixx, a manufacturer of interlocking building blocks, opened in February.
Anniversary celebration from 2 to 5 October
The Oder Center will be celebrating its 30th anniversary with business partners and customers from October 2nd to 5th. There will be sports, fashion and theater performances. A highlight will be the visit of the 501st Legion on October 4th and 5th. This is a global costume club whose members appear in costumes from the Star Wars films. In Schwedt, the troopers will walk through the center in helmets and capes and collect donations for “Uckermark against Leukaemia.”
