Cologne's shopping mile: heat protection or impending desolation?

Cologne's shopping mile: heat protection or impending desolation?

Hohe Straße, 50667 Köln, Deutschland - The Cologne shopping miles Hohe Straße and Schildergasse are the focus of a lively debate, which was heated by the recent statements by city guide Rolf Neudert. He criticizes that white towels are hanging over the high street as heat protection, while the actual problems that plague this street are insufficiently addressed. According to Neudert, the situation from the media market is unattractive, characterized by vacancies and dirty shops. More and more cheap shops and kiosks would flood the streets and put potential customers: deter inside. [Express reports] (https://www.express.de/koeln/koelner-shopping mile-ab-da-werd-es-gruselig-1040489) However, it is lacking in a common concept that brings together the various actors and owners.

While Neudert denounces the challenges, the current numbers show a different reality. The Cologne Business Economic Development Promotion emphasizes that Cologne is relatively good compared to other cities with a vacancy of 2.5 percent. In the heavily frequented shopping streets, the vacancy rates are strikingly low: the Schildergasse only records 2.9 percent and the high road 8.7 percent. In 2023, around 21 million pedestrians attracted the Schildergasse and around 17 million the high street, which catapults both streets into the top ten most popular shopping streets in Germany. T-Online reports.

High streets and Schildergasse: A look at the numbers

Although the situation appears alarming at first glance, the statistics of Kölnbusiness show that the demand for shops is high and that the vacancies are usually quickly rented again. "It is often due to perception and not the reality," as Dr. Manfred Janssen, managing director of Kölnbusiness, notes. After all, just 542 of around 22,000 shops in Cologne were empty. However, the challenges due to conversions or delivery bottlenecks are not uncommon, and occasionally the vacancy is considered necessary in order to be able to properly operate market needs. This supports the perspective that there is a lack of a well -thought -out concept.

With each survey of under 2,400 passers -by in the Cologne Veedeln, there are positive feedback: 58 percent of the respondents plan to visit two to five shops in one day, and 31 percent want to spend more than two hours in the Veedeln. It is striking that the Veedel are valued by the citizens: inside as places that briefly offer shopping, feeling good and meet.

outlook for the future

The many challenges with which Cologne is faced with targeted projects and funding programs. Cologne -Business is planning a digital recording of empty land with projects such as the "Stadtlabore Germany" in order to make subsequent tenant searches more efficient. In addition, a funding program for the development of the Veedel has been initiated by up to 120,000 euros by the end of 2023 to stimulate innovative concepts and to promote a positive image. [Kölnbusiness analyzed the developments] (https://koeln.business/pressebehrug/hohe- demand-gering-kerst-aktuelle-s-s-s-zenerstadt-and-veedeln) and states that the city center is significantly more robust than many other cities in Germany.

Finally, it can be said that the Cologne city center balances between challenges and opportunities. While the opinions of the positive and negative aspects of the shopping streets differ, one thing remains clear: Cologne still has a lot to offer, and it will be exciting how the shopping miles will develop.