The large shop opposite Appelrath Cüpper will not stand empty for long, though. According to GA information, Ritual is moving in. At the moment, the Ritual shop, which sells body care and cosmetic products, is still on Sternstraße. A relocation is probably planned for the summer, they said.

Several shops have closed around the corner in Acherstraße. The Werner's butcher's shop moved out weeks ago, and the Blum fashion shop has also closed its doors. "Madame Croissant", on the other hand, has opened a new shop in Acherstraße, which should make the hearts of lovers of French pastries beat faster. Sweet tooths will soon get their money's worth in Sternstraße, where the franchise company "Cinnamood" plans to offer pastries with or without cinnamon.

Dog fans and especially their four-legged friends are in for a treat. "Wau le Wau" is the name of the so-called "concept store" for dogs on Stockenstraße. Where once organic food was sold, there are now dog biscuits with chicken, beef or rabbit meat, among other things, but also as vegetarian and even vegan versions. "There are also more and more allergy sufferers among dogs," explains Ralph Letzner, who runs the shop together with Helga Göbel. The idea for the dog shop came to them during a walk with their own dog, he says. Besides biscuits and other treats, the shop also sells leashes, toys and all kinds of accessories.

Back to Sternstraße, where it seems that mainly operators of French fry stalls feel at home. Karina Kröber from the City-Marketing association reports that another one will move in after the Benetton shop closes at the end of May. "It is a branch of the Fritten-Werkstatt," says the co-owner of the nearby optics and acoustics shop "Kröber Hören und Sehen". The fashion shop "Cecil" has reopened in the upper part of Sternstraße next to the market. Exactly one year ago, a branch of the Danish fashion manufacturer "Like Anna" opened in the same location. The concept was obviously not well received by the clientele. "It was too playful for many," says a saleswoman from a neighbouring boutique.

The empty shop at Sternstraße 34, where sports shoes used to be sold, could fulfil the long-held wish of many Bonn residents and visitors to Bonn for another public toilet in a central location. Sanifair, a company founded in 2004 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tank & Rast GmbH, has submitted a proposal to this effect to the City of Bonn, as Lea Hoffmann from the municipal press office confirmed to the GA on Wednesday when questioned.

"The city is aware of Sanifair's project and is currently in the process of internal coordination. A building application has been submitted," Hoffmann said. Sanifair operates the sanitary facilities in particular in the service areas along motorways.

Work is still going on in the old Karstadt building on Poststraße. Now there are also posters in the shop windows saying that the Düsseldorf textile retailer Peek&Cloppenburg will move in there in the spring. At the beginning of March, P&C, which is based in Düsseldorf, had last mentioned a concrete opening date of 13 April.

At that time it became known that the company was insolvent and was now seeking rescue under a protective umbrella. Nevertheless, nothing stands in the way of the planned opening of the three P&C floors in the former Karstadt building in Bonn on 13 April, it was said. As reported, women's and men's fashion will be offered there on 6500 square metres.

Will the date after Easter be kept? A query to this effect on Wednesday remained unanswered. However, the reopening of the discount grocery store Aldi and the drugstore dm in the basement of the building is linked to this date. They had to close in December after water damage.

The owner of the Karstadt building is Aachener Grundvermögen Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft. On Wednesday, Aachener Grund explained when asked: "We are pleased to inform you that as things stand at present, it is planned that Aldi and dm will open at the same time as Peek & Cloppenburg, as it is not possible to open up the space in the basement via the ground floor due to the interior work being carried out there by P&C."

The employees of "Papier & Schreibkultur" in Gangolfstraße have said goodbye to their customers. The Coronavirus pandemic, high energy costs and delivery problems are the reasons given in a note on the closed shop door. The Tchibo branch on Poststraße and the Einhorn pharmacy diagonally opposite are also closed. There is still a yawning void in many shops along the street Am Hof. For example, the Covid Test Centre has moved out of the former travel agency on the corner of Bischofsplatz. On the shop window there are signs proclaiming "For Rent".

Should we start to worry about Bonn's city centre? No, says Karina Kröber. She is confident that most of the shops in Bonn's city centre will not remain empty for long after they have closed down. "Trade is always change," she says. "We are happy about everything that opens up and ensures that customers come to the city centre." Even if the current traffic policy puts the accessibility of the city centre at risk from the point of view of her association City-Marketing, Kröber also sees the merchants as having a duty: "All merchants have to think about how they can create an attractive shopping experience for their customers. After all, it's till true that "the customer is king".