With a record number of approximately 350,000 visitors during the reopening of the shopping centre and the launch of a permanent light sculpture during the GLOW light festival by Mayor Rob van Gijzel, the facelift of the Heuvel Galerie in Eindhoven is now officially complete.
The successful renovation has attracted new tenants and encouraged existing tenants to expand their stores. H&M has expanded its store significantly, making this its largest store (3,300m²) in the southern part of the Netherlands. Italian restaurant Vapiano opened its first restaurant outside of the Randstad area (1,100m²) and TK Maxx recently opened its first Dutch store in the centre, with more than 2,300m² spread over two levels.
An important part of the renovation was the complete upgrade of the centre’s public space. Furthermore, in cooperation with Q-Park, the centre’s parking lot saw great improvements, with both the ceiling and the lighting of the centre completely renewed and the loft transformed into a central square containing all major retailers, with a modern look and fully transparent storefronts.
Another important theme of the upgrade was sustainability, and as a result of various energy-saving improvements the energy consumption of the centre has been significantly reduced, along with service costs for tenants.
In addition, the shopping centre has welcomed 10% more visitors this year in comparison to 2014, thanks to new retailers and by involving visitors in the process of the renovation works in various ways.
Martijn Vlasveld, senior asset manager at CBRE Global Investors said: "The upgrade of the shopping centre, the arrival of new retailers and the increase in visitor numbers show that it is certainly worth investing in our centres, also during challenging market conditions. The centre is 'future-proof' and we hope to welcome more successful retailers and consumers to our centre."
The design was created by British architects DunnettCraven in cooperation with the Eindhoven architect Van Aken. The leasing agent for the centre is Cushman & Wakefield.
