But how will the car get into the shop? "We are going to renovate the front including the entrance door," explains Blattner's marketing manager Marius Macion. He assures us that even now a car would easily fit inside. So you really will be able to test-drive a car in the middle of the city. "We will be open every day and, as far as possible, we will adjust to the usual opening hours of the shops in the city centre," says Blattner. She is very much looking forward to the new opening of another foothold right in the heart of the city of Bonn.

The Auto Thomas headquarters is in Ramersdorf, and there are other locations in Bornheim, Brühl, Hennef, Bad Honnef and in the town of Blankenheim, among others. Since last summer, Auto Thomas has also maintained an independent workshop in Pützchen. Blattner praises the city administration for the quick approval process.

Exclusive Cigars from Cuba in the Kaiserpassage

One other new shop has already opened: Last Tuesday "La Casa del Habano Bonn", a cigar retailer with a smokers' lounge, opened its doors in the Kaiserpassage. Even the Cuban ambassador from Berlin and the head of the Bonn embassy office have visited, reports owner Torger Brunken, who opened the "Cigar Embassy" in last year on an area of 140 square metres (entrance Am Neutor).

His range includes around 20,000 cigars in a walk-in humidor (climate-controlled room) as well as cigar accessories, cases, high-quality lighters and matching spirits. Brunken was born in Bonn and went to school in Euskirchen, where he now lives with his family. He studied economics and became interested in cigars when he was 18. After working for a cigar dealer in Cologne, he ventured into self-employment. "Our cigars are about conscious enjoyment," he says.

If you're more into confectionery, Sternstraße is the place to be. Shop owners there have been changing somewhat rapidly in recent months. Last year the Carré D'Artistes gallery opened there but it has already closed and moved out. Now there is a "Cinnamood Store", where you can get all kinds of cinnamon buns. According to the operator, the buns are also available with apple, speculoos or pistachios, among other things.

Toilet facilities in Sternstraße

Nearby, at Sternstraße 34, renovation work will begin next week in the former Runners Point shop. The Bonn-based company Sanifair will build a toilet facility there, as company spokesperson Bettina Schaper confirmed on request: "The opening is planned for the summer, probably in August." Sanifair is planning six toilet cubicles, four urinals, four washbasins and a toilet for the disabled there.

There has been a change of tenant in Fürstenstraße. Horst Burbulla's showroom, which advertised his Aire Tower project on the edge of the Rheinaue, has moved out. Where in the distant past Bouvier used to sell books, the Dutch company Dille & Kamille is currently building a branch offering household goods ranging from tablecloths to French soap holders.

You can't miss the large posters in the windows of the big shop opposite Appelrath Cüpper in Remigiusstraße. At the moment, the Rituals shop, which sells high-priced body care and cosmetic products, is still located in Sternstraße. The move to Remigiusstraße is planned for the summer. Previously, the textile retailer Superdry had rented the shop.

In Friedrichstraße, the La Cigale restaurant is currently undergoing renovations. It is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, 23 May. Two doors down, the operator is building a wine shop that will open under the name La Fourmi. Finally, a Belgian chip shop is to move into the premises of the Benetton fashion shop on Friedensplatz after its closure.

(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen and Philipp Königs; Translation: Jean Lennox)