The extensive construction work on the 46,000m² Potsdamer Platz Arkaden has now begun and is expected to take two years. Brookfield Properties, the asset manager of Potsdamer Platz, and centre operator ECE have added Mercato Metropolitano (MM), a pioneer of sustainable community markets from London, as a new anchor tenant for an area of around 4,400m². At Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Mercato Metropolitano is opening its first location in Germany.
“I am glad that with Mercato Metropolitano, we have been able to partner with a young, innovative company to develop a stylish, urban and sustainable community market concept that fits in perfectly with the Berlin culture and way of life. Mercato Metropolitano shows the direction it will take,” said Karl L. Wambach, Executive Vice President Europe of Brookfield Properties.
“We are in contact with numerous other potential tenants. Despite the Coronavirus, we are convinced that social life will gradually return to normal and that Potsdamer Platz will once again become a Berlin experience,” said Wambach. The goal of Brookfield Properties at Potsdamer Platz is to create a lively and contemporary urban space where Berlin tourists, theatregoers, office workers and Berliners feel equally comfortable.
On two levels Mercato Metropolitano will offer freshly prepared, traceable and artisan food from the best local and international operators. In all MM locations, community engagement and business incubation programs, as well as environmental and social activities, are central to the working of the community markets, with a particular focus on inclusivity.
Andrea Rasca, Founder and Chief Executive Dreamer of Mercato Metropolitano commented: “Such offers are part of our philosophy and will be central to our Berlin market. We want to break down barriers, bring people together and support communities. The opportunity to bring this philosophy to Berlin is truly important to us, considering the exceptional cultural diversity, rich history and innovational spirit of the city”.
Rasca founded his company in 2015 as part of a pilot project at the World Expo in Milan. In 2016, Mercato Metropolitano opened their first sustainable community market in London. “We only use recyclable and compostable materials, without single-use plastics at all our locations. Our ultimate goal is to lead a waste, plastic and chemical-free economy, by offering to the community of citizens the best possible bio-variety of sustainable food which will satisfy their taste buds as well as enhance our own and Earth’s health”, Rasca added.
