The building shell of Frankfurt's new Skyline Plaza shopping and leisure center has been completed. The topping out ceremony for the new shopping center in the Europaviertel district took place on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 in the presence of Frankfurt's Mayor Olaf Cunitz, and was celebrated by the project partners Allianz, CA Immo and ECE as well as the construction workers involved in the project.
The shopping center with around 38,000 m² of sales area and a parking lot to accommodate approximately 2,400 cars will open on August 29, 2013. The center will have two shopping floors housing 180 shops, cafes, restaurants and service enterprises. The range on offer in the Skyline Plaza will be supplemented by a high-quality leisure program by the Hamburg-based prime provider for fitness, wellness and bodycare MeridianSpa. On an area of approx. 9,200 m² including a spacious roof terrace, the not only in terms of floor space largest fitness and wellness center in Frankfurt is being created.
Founded in 1984, the fitness and leisure company already operates premium facilities in Hamburg, Berlin and Kiel, and has approximately 31,000 members. In 2009, among others, it was voted the best fitness chain in Germany by Stiftung Warentest, a German consumer organization for testing goods and services. The opening is scheduled for November 2013.
A further Skyline Plaza highlight is the approx. 10,000 m² rooftop garden, which offers a unique view of the Frankfurt skyline. The green rooftop garden offers not only an area for quiet retreat and relaxation, but also a 1,000- m² rooftop restaurant.
Investments in the shopping center have amounted to around 360 million. ECE will assume the long-term management of the center, which is set to create 1,200 jobs. The shopping center has already been distinguished by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), who awarded it the Pre-Certificate in Gold for sustainable planning and urban integration. 90% of the shopping center has already been leased. Among its tenants will be Peek & Cloppenburg, Zara, Media Markt, H&M as well as a REWE supermarket. A food court to accommodate approximately 400 people will provide visitors to the center with an extensive, highly varied range of culinary delights. In fact, with over 16 different operators, it is set to become Frankfurt's largest food court.
The project partners aim to turn the Skyline Plaza into the urban center of the new Europaviertel district, a place that contributes significantly to the work-life balance of its visitors. ECE CEO Alexander Otto: "The Skyline Plaza will not only offer its visitor an appealing mix of shopping, leisure and culinary delights, but also become an important location in people's daily lives: a place for meeting friends, eating, running errands, doing exercise, and so on."
"The investment that Allianz has made in the Skyline Plaza is a highlight of our investment activities in Germany," says Stefan Brendgen, CEO of Allianz Real Estate Germany. "In ECE and CA Immo, we have found two excellent partners for both the project phase and for later operation. With our 80% sha
