Shopping in Bonn A few changes coming in the city
Bonn · Where there once was music, there will be skateboards. And a luxury discount store will replace a sports store. These are just a few of the changes coming to Bonn city center.
Some transitions are underway in Bonn city. When Sport Arena closes as expected at the end of January, renovations will take place for its successor. A Saks Off 5th store will be filling the vacated space on Remigiustraße. The luxury discounter is part of a chain run by HBC-Europe, which also owns Galeria Kaufhof. They belong to the Canadian concern Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC).
Sport Arena currently fills around 3,200 square meters of retail space. According to Berna Bartosch, head buyer for Saks Off 5th, the new occupant will offer upscale fashion for men, women and children, along with some sporting goods and household articles at reduced prices. She also assured that all current employees of Sport Arena would have guarantees for similar jobs either at “Saks Off 5th” or at Galeria Kaufhof. A spokesperson from the company said on Thursday that around 30 percent of Sport Arena employees had taken advantage of the offer.
Major rebuilding will also go on inside of Kaufhof in the new year. Kaufhof CEO Harry Benzrath said “We want to fill in the sports merchandise gap very quickly and we will have our own sports department in the future.” The fourth floor of Kaufhof has around 1,000 square meters of retail space and this will become a sporting goods department. Currently, footwear and leather goods take up the fourth floor and their future place has not yet been decided. “We are still in the planning phase,” said Benzrath. He could not say when the rebuilding would be finished. “We promise that it will be finished in time before the Soccer World Championships start,” he said with a smile.
On Friday, the skateboard and apparel shop called Titus will open up in the former music store called Musikhaus Tonger on Acherstraße. Titus formerly occupied 400 square meters in the basement of Sport Arena. The newly opened store will offer discounted prices in the first week.
Further change is coming where there used to be a Café Gold-Braun on am Hof. A burger restaurant is coming there and in February, an Austrian restaurant chain for vegetarians called “Voodies” will be opening there as well.
On Sternstraße there will also be some changes. In May, Bonn jeweler Bernd Schulz will take over a jewelry store with a 111 year tradition when Oliver Hoffman and his wife hand over the reigns. Frank’s Coffee on Sternstraße will move further north, and will continue to offer coffee and snacks.
(Orig. text: Lisa Inhoffen; Translation: ck)
