What's a mall without retailers? Marco cheese farmer now keeps him

Groot gemis
The usual customers of the Marco Mourits cheesemaker are beating themselves with his charcuterie stops. "Now I have to go to the Hoge Vucht or Prinsenbeek," Nobelen complains. "Because the cheese of Albert Heijn can not match that of Marco."

million. Fennis is also a loyal customer and has known Marco for a long time. "I come to Heksenwiel for all my purchases, as long as the mall is there." He does not like the fact that stores are constantly disappearing and coming back slowly. To thank Marco for all his years of proven service, he arrives with a bottle of wine on Tuesday. "I'm not doing this with everyone leaving here," says Fennis

Quarreling about Rent
The early-maker has a fight with the owner. And together, they do not go out. "This high rental price does not matter much," says Mourits. "But we pay for a full-fledged mall and we do not have it now."

The owner of the mall is DELA Vastgoed. This denies the growing vacancy. "We do not recognize the situation as it is described," said a spokesman. "With regard to vacant dwellings, this corresponds to many other places."

Modernization
DELA Vastgoed invests currently in the modernization of the shopping center. But it's not that much, according to retailers. Council member Dirk Uijl (SP) is also angry at the attitude of the property merchant. "At first there was a pet shop here, now it's the cheese shop, waiting for the next shopkeeper to throw the towel in the ring."

The renovation of which DELA speaks are mainly cosmetic procedures. "It's beautiful for the eye and for that matter," says Uijl. But according to the advisor, these investments do not make the difference: "Entrepreneurs do not realize it, and it's mainly DELA that reap the benefits because it makes the property more valuable."

The question remains of course: what is a shopping center worth without stores? Too bad for Mourits regular customers: now they have to go to the local supermarket. "The expansion is indeed underway!" According to the spokesperson of DELA, which alludes to the attractiveness of the mall.