The new Einkaufspark Duckwitz retail park in Bremen-Neustadt opens today with around 30 shops over 19,000m² of leasable space. The former hypermarket location has undergone a €14.2m revitalisation by Metro Properties, converting it into a modern, spacious retail park. The centre is operated by the MEC METRO-ECE Centermanagement and is now being positioned for the first time under the new name of “Einkaufspark Duckwitz”.
"After Hornbach opened on the site in 2012, we have continually pushed forward with our plan to expand the site and develop it into a modern shopping park," explains Jean-Christophe Bretxa, CEO of Metro Properties. "The opening of Einkaufspark Duckwitz represents a milestone for us. Because it is precisely in times of digitalisation and the online trade that the focus is on the human dimension more than ever. Neighbourhood centres such as the Einkaufspark Duckwitz are places to meet and exchange views with others."
In 2006, Metro Properties took over the store, which was opened in 1974 under the name Wertkauf, from the then owner Walmart. During the revitalisation of the centre, Real first of all reduced the selling space to a meaningful size. Since the middle of last year the newly designed hypermarket has stood out due to its completely revamped shop design with a shop-in-shop concept, a modern area for fresh produce and low shelf heights. The approximately 10,000 m. which became available as a result of the reduction in size of Real offered a unique opportunity to set up new specialist retailers and catering establishments. These include the company Saturn, which is a further sales division of the Metro Group, as well as dm-drogerie markt, Siemes Schuhcenter, Mister&Lady, Thalia and others. The offer is rounded off by other services such as a chemist's, hairdresser's, flower shop and travel agent's. Furthermore, a row of food and catering establishments with modern concepts such as Street Kitchen, Feinkost Oase and Curry Lounge was opened opposite Real. Further tenants are waiting in the starting blocks, e.g. Futterhaus and McDonald’s. "The conveniently located Einkaufspark Duckwitz directly on the B 75 main road rounds off the industry mix for the time being and offers visitors a wide range of offers," says centre manager, Marion Bergmann. Specialist retailers such as Hornbach and Fahrradmarkt Stadler on the same site, as well as service providers such as a petrol station, Pit Stop and Imowash, round off the offers for the region. A new parking concept with 750 extra-wide parking spaces meets the requirements of modern cars and makes the visitors' stay more convenient.
For the interior design, the architects of Metro Properties have taken their inspiration from the history of the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Elements from the world of shipping dominate the appearance of the interior: sailing elements and two wall murals of 13 and about 6 metres in length which show the design drawings of a cog. These have been designed by the Maritime Museum specifically for the Einkaufspark Duckwitz. The shipwreck was salvaged in 1962 in the neighbouring suburb of Rablinghausen out of the mud of the River Weser and can be seen today in the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven.
