Support for Düsseldorf’s Retailers
Targeted support programmes facilitated by the city are intended to strengthen and revitalise the stationary retail trade. This initiative has already generated its first success story – in the form of a bridal fashion flagship store.
Düsseldorf’s retail trade is facing big challenges and great opportunities in the future. Shopping behaviour is increa-
singly shifting to the digital realm, fuelled once again by the pandemic, while on the other hand this has created a longing for the live experience amongst many consumers. In a survey conducted by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, district Düsseldorf, in July 2020, the participating companies were asked: “What kind of help would you like?” 32 per cent were asking for support programmes. The city is responding to this wish and has applied for targeted funding programmes – with success. We present two of these boosters here.
Attractive thanks to affordable initial rent
One booster project to revitalise trade is the “Disposition Fund Rental”. The idea behind it: retailers and service providers with viable new business concepts should be able to rent retail spaces at greatly reduced rates during their start-up phase. Eligible for funding are rental spaces of up to 300 square metres (although the total rental space may be larger). “On the one hand, this can eliminate vacancies that would diminish the experience of the urban space. On the other hand, the financial risk for traders is reduced in the initial period, so that new concepts that bring footfall to shopping areas are more likely to be tried out”, says Dr Michael Rauterkus, Councillor for Economic Affairs, Digitalisation, Human Resources and Organisation of the state capital. The city of Düsseldorf has been able to secure around 250,000 euros from the Disposition Fund Rental.
Together with a municipal contribution of around 28,000 euros, this will support the three business locations Graf-Adolf-Straße /
Friedrichstraße (North) in the city centre, Gumbertstraße in Düsseldorf-Eller and Heyestraße (South) in Düsseldorf-Gerresheim.
The leasing process for eligible businesses then works as follows: the city rents a vacant shop for a maximum of 70 per cent of the current rent (excluding bills etc) and, with the help of the subsidies, sublets it to the tenant at a rent reduced by up to 80 per cent. This concept is of interest for many business models: for example, retail or gastronomy start-ups, services with public footfall, delivery services or distribution stations, showrooms of regional online retailers or cultural uses.
Dr. Michael Rauterkus,
Councillor for Economic Affairs, Digitalisation, Human Resources and Organisation of the State Capital
A total of 74 companies had applied with their business ideas for rental funds by the deadline of 15 March 2021. One successful example from this process is LeMoos. On 20 November 2021, the young bridal fashion label opened its first flagship store in Graf-Adolf-Strasse. Owner Lena Moos now can use the 500 square metres of retail space to offer her innovative collections, which are based on a patent-protected “mix & match system”. In a four-step process, brides can put together their unique dress from a kind of modular system. The designer from Euskirchen launched the fashion label in 2018. Around 45 bridal fashion shops across Germany and some neighbouring countries already offer parts of her collection – in Düsseldorf she now has her first own LeMoos Design Studio featuring the entire range. Further openings via franchise partners are planned. “I am opening my first flagship store in Düsseldorf, because it is the German city of fashion and I want to have a presence here. I also got an attractive location and welcome the fact that the city promotes stationary trade”, says the designer. “After the pandemic lockdowns, a wave of weddings is surely due. That’s why I’m starting now. Besides, retail cannot only take place online. A beautiful city like Düsseldorf offers real shopping experiences. You stroll around, look in the shops, try things out, get advice and go out for a meal in between – the internet can’t offer that.”
Lena Moos, owner of the recently opened bridal fashion flagship store LeMoos on Graf-Adolf-Straße, has taken advantage of the rental fund.
Better networking of shops in the centres
The city of Düsseldorf also successfully applied a grant from another funding project – with approved financial means totalling almost half a million euros, the centre management of five Düsseldorf business locations is to receive a boost: City Centre East, City Centre West, Friedrichstraße, Heyestraße South (Gerresheim) and Gumbertstraße (Eller). “The aim of the centre management is to work together with the local advertising and location associations, the NRW trade association and the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry and to connect the local shops even better and to jointly develop a long-term strategy to keep the centres lively and attractive”, explains Dr. Rauterkus. It is also planned that there will be a local centre management office in each of these districts. A central contact person there will be able to advise local businesses and traders and, for example, organise supporting events for the public. Professional planning offices have already been commissioned to find suitable facilities for each of the five neighbourhoods, ready to be implemented at the beginning of 2022. •
Words Tom Corrinth
Pictures Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf, LeMoos
Illustrations iStock