Berlin has a lot in store for shopping sprees. From wickedly expensive temples of consumption overflowing with designer labels to flea and antique markets, shopping malls, bargain stores and the whole spectrum in between. Following this year’s ICSC Conference, we took a little time out to visit a few of the shopping centres.
Forum Steglitz
We started off with the oldest shopping centre in Germany Forum Steglitz which opened in 1970 on the grounds of the old weekly market. At that time, the shopping centre over 32,000 square metres was the first shop-in-shop shopping centre in Germany. Schloßstraße gradually grew to become a shopping area. The last major new addition was the Schloss, a historic shopping centre over 4,000 square meters where three radio stations have their studios.
Boulevard Berlin
Boulevard Berlin (by far my favourite) by Multi Development Germany is located in the middle of Schloßstraße at the site of the former Wertheim and Karstadt department stores. It is one of the largest inner-city retail centers in Germany, with a rental space of 76,000 m², about 160 rental units for retail stores, services and dining concepts and a fitness center. The €390 million project in Berlin-Steglitz sets a new quality standard in design and comfortable shopping experiences.
Due to its size and prominent position, the center has special importance in the urban construction and design-based upgrading of the Schloßstraße. The redesign of the Wertheim and Karstadt stores was guided by careful city planning combined with high quality architecture. Access to Boulevard Berlin is by its own integrated Metro station as well as the city highway and 850 parking spaces; all providing excellent conditions for a fully integrated inner city centre.
Alongside anchor tenants Karstadt, Karstadt sports and Saturn, are Douglas, New York, comma, Hall, Huber, H & M, Zara, Esprit, Oliver, Cotton On, Mexx, Gerry Weber, Selected, Desigual, G Star, Promod. Hollister and Zara Home also open their first stores in Berlin in Boulevard Berlin.
Potsdamer Platz
Besides being an architectural gem, Potsdamer Platz is also known for its very lively scene of cultural attractions, fancy hotels, gourmet and other good restaurants, and shopping opportunities.
Arkaden
Right in the centre of the New Berlin just off Potsdamer Platz is the 'Arkaden'. This lively shopping mall spreads over three floors in a pleasant, airy setting. It is not a centre of luxury but a shopping centre for everyone in the heart of the city, creating a new connection between east and west in the new city centre. Opened in 1998, the three-storey shopping street with its glass roof dazzles with modern architecture, designed by the brilliant architect Renzo Piano.
The centre is home to 140 shops with textiles, designer goods, shoes and a good choice of gastronomic selections, many cafés and an Italian ice-cream parlour which make the Arkaden a popular meeting place before or after a movie at the nearby Cinestar in the Sony Center - where non-dubbed films are screened in the original version.
The centre is home to 140 shops with textiles, designer goods, shoes and a good choice of gastronomic selections, many cafés and an Italian ice-cream parlour which make the Arkaden a popular meeting place before or after a movie at the nearby Cinestar in the Sony Center - where non-dubbed films are screened in the original version.
The Sony Center
The Sony Center is a Sony-sponsored building complex located at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany. It opened in 2000. The centre was designed by Helmut Jahn at a total cost of €750M. He has created a trend-setting complex of seven buildings covering a floor area of 26,000 square meters. The buildings are situated on the outer edges of the complex and the central triangular space is a thoroughfare for the public. It is covered in a tent like structure and landscaped with plants, which offers a natural atmosphere all year round. With its spectacular roof construction the Sony Center has become an internationally famous landmark of Berlin.
The Center was designed for a mixture of uses, which include cafes, apartments, restaurants, shops, cinemas, office space and entertainment venues. Berlin's Film Museum is located within the complex as is Sony's European headquarters. There is also an IMAX, 3D cinema.
The Center was designed for a mixture of uses, which include cafes, apartments, restaurants, shops, cinemas, office space and entertainment venues. Berlin's Film Museum is located within the complex as is Sony's European headquarters. There is also an IMAX, 3D cinema.
CineStar Original There’s nothing like the original, neither in real life nor in the magical world of cinema: On eight screens featuring innovative sound- and projection-technology the CineStar Original at the Sony Center offers Germany's widest choice of original language films and is the cosmopolitan heart of Berlin's cinematographic scene.
Located in the Sony Center’s unique architecture, CineStar Original equally fascinates moviegoers and filmmakers: Big Hollywood stars like Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Robert Pattinson regularly celebrate their film premieres in this spectacular venue.
Ka De We
Established in 1907, World famous Ka DeWe department store on Wittenbergplatz is a must for its Food Halls and international designer labels. With over 60,000 square metres of selling space and more than 380,000 articles available, it is the second largest department store in Europe, trumped only by Harrods in London. It attracts up to 180,000 customers each day from around the world catering for a wide range of needs with luxurious beauty rooms and lounges, a wedding and gift service, a hotel and home service, tailor, hairdressers, buggy rental and a bureau de change. In its world-famous gourmet department on the sixth floor, Berlin's premium department store even plays host to exclusive parties high above the roofs of the city.
