Bonn shopping centre Target date for Maximiliancenter reopening
Bonn · After months of waiting there is now a target date for the reopening of the Maximiliancenter. But at the moment the shopping centre is still being refurbished.
The shops in the Maximiliancenter shopping arcade should be opening their doors again on 11 April. That’s the date given by the owner, Bayerische Versorgungskammer in answer to a General-Anzeiger question. Back in December, the owner was still hoping the place would be open for business at the beginning of this year.
The pipe network of the shopping centre, which opened in 2019 opposite Bonn's main railway station, suffered serious water damage during a thunderstorm in June 2021. Apart from the resident clothes stores and the neighbouring bakery, all the shops in the centre have since been closed. "The next few weeks are going to see extensive work done on the damaged ventilation and heating coils in the coming weeks," a spokesperson explained. This will include replacing some components with new ones. In addition, extensive cleaning and repair work will have to be undertaken both in the arcade itself and in the shops. The lifts were also badly affected by the flooding and are still out of order. "But these are essential for the centre to operate smoothy because they make sure goods can be supplied from underground storage areas. They will also be repaired by the opening date," said the spokesperson.
Work took much longer than planned
So far, the focus has been on dismantling and disposing of all the damaged components, as well as on drying out the entire building. "Then the power distribution and the metering systems had to be replaced. This was essential in order to make sure safety systems, for example for fire protection, could be turned back on. Unfortunately, this work took much longer than we’d originally thought, but the safety of our tenants and their customers came first," says the press spokesperson. Now they are looking forward to filling the place with life again.
Enormous damage due to loss of sales
If the April date is kept, the shopping arcade would have been forced to take a break for almost ten months. The combination of damage to the premises and months without revenue for several dozen shops will result in losses that are likely to run well into the millions. So far, the owners and tenants have not made any public statements about liability issues, and an expert opinion on the damage is still underway, as a spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce recently announced. Although the shop owners have not had to pay any rent since the closure, several retailers have complained repeatedly to the General-Anzeiger about the unclear situation. At least one tenant has moved away.
(Originaltext: Rüdiger Franz; Translation: Jean Lennox)
