Lucerne Old Town: empty pubs and changes of tenants hover | Messenger of the original Switzerland

Will the closure of a clothing store in the city of Lucerne soon come to an end? Meant was the branch of H & M at Kapellgasse. Reason: His restaurant has been announced for rent, discreet. They just wanted to explore new possibilities, said the owner at the time. And at H & M it was said that they were not commenting on the rumors

Now, it 's clear: the Swedish fashion giant will abandon the site next year, as it' s not. confirmed a spokeswoman. Asked for the reasons, she writes in PR language: In addition to opening new stores, we are reviewing the store portfolio to ensure that we can offer the optimal combination of brands, space retail sales and customer offers. This can lead to relocations, expansion of activity areas and even closures. All employees would continue to be employed in other countries. H & M opened a new branch in the Mall of Switzerland last November and opened it in Lucerne in 2015.

According to the owner, the lease expires in the spring: We already have prospects in the sectors of decoration, fashion and food. nothing yet. The old city has been a difficult patch for a while. Especially since several shops are empty. As a result, interested parties have behaved for larger areas. Many wait at Kapellgasse, who will move into C & A's replacement building.

Kapellgasse is an eternal problem

The departure of H & M is not an isolated case: more than 20 stores in the old town in recent months a tenant changes behind, respectively before him – or is empty (see graph on the right). It's amazing: just a few years ago, retailers were detailing retail areas. Because most lanes are the best places with a high frequency of pedestrians, but also high rental rates.

The market situation has changed because of online trading, in addition to several channels like Spengler or Schild missing or taken over. this is noticeable, says retail expert Gotthard F. Wangler. Nevertheless, the old town is always great – but it depends where. Lucerne is very familiar with local conditions and has already established many local offers. He says: On the axis Hertensteinstrasse-Weggisgasse you always bring all places today. Unlike the Kapellgasse wine market. This has been a problem forever, because the draft horses are missing. On the other axis, Coop-City, Manor and Migros alone have three big ones

. Nevertheless, some Kapellgasse owners would have utopian rents, which is why the restaurants are empty. As a rule, the rent is over, says Wangler – and points out that even though Lucerne is cheaper than Zurich, it is not so far from local rents.

Increasing Tenants Turnover Rate and Empty Stores in Old Town LUI: Of course, every homeowner would like to have long term tenants, but even this is different today – the trade retail has become much faster. And: the claims differently. Almost nobody today wants to distribute retail space on several floors, but preferably all at ground level and, according to the industry, not too big, says Wangler. On the one hand, the customer sees at a glance the entire product range and, on the other hand, reduces staff costs. Especially, medium-sized shops on several floors would have been difficult, but department stores on several floors are still in high demand in the old town of Lucerne, as they are rare. Therefore, there is also a rush to the succession of OVS at Hertensteinstrasse or perhaps Schild an der Kramgasse, Wangler knows call without name.

In Lucerne much more is happening than in St. Gallen

the trend towards the Lucerne City Association also notes shops on the ground floor and smaller areas: Huge pressure and change in the retail business are becoming more visible, according to board member Andr Bachmann. Margins are falling steadily for good reasons, so fixed costs need to be reduced. The most important lever is used for rental costs and staff. But it is not a matter of squeezing wages, but of increasing productivity, which is only possible in points of sale that can be managed with fewer people of equal quality.

Nevertheless, Bachmann sees not only this development: allowing startups and small brands opportunities. Compared to other big cities like St. Gallen or Winterthur, there is a lot more going on in Lucerne. And: More than 60% of guests come from Switzerland. They are not looking for a watch and not the international channels, but the exciting discovery, says Bachmann. As a city union, we fight mainly for attractive conditions. In this respect, we are now much more politically on the way than before, says Bachmann. As an example it mentions the use of parking, the attractiveness of the public space and also the opening hours: This simply does not make sense If the shops are to close, if the customers are there

The Grubby barriers call Quartierverein on the map [19659006] Pierre Rglnder, president of Quartierverein Altstadt, also does not hide the hoarding of empty shops and changes of tenants. Strictly above all, as empty places sometimes happen: there are some who do not even wipe the floor when the tenant has moved – that's grumpy. Others would at least ensure that shop windows or cabinets are attractively placarded. According to the leaders, the district club is already looking for a conversation with the owner in empty and poorly maintained restaurants. In most cases, this has a positive effect. The change of tenant has always existed. Rglnder: The fact that it is always faster and in some streets than chains or watch shops is only one time.

The owner of Kapellgasse 11, where H & M is still rented today, is optimistic: an old city like that Lucerne, with its many tourists, will still need shops – even in 30 years.