• Premiere for 100 new shops on additional 18,000 m²
• 165 million euros investment ++ 2,000 jobs

Dresden, March 30, 2011 – Premiere for the extended Altmarkt-Galerie in Dresden: on Thursday, March 31, 2011, at 8 a.m., Dresden’s First Mayor Dirk Hilbert and Center Manager Thorsten Kemp are opening the extension building of the Altmarkt-Galerie with the symbolic cutting of the red ribbon. On the new three-storey mall, around 100 new specialist stores, cafés, restaurants and service businesses are presented on around 18,000 m² of additional sales area. More than 3,300 m² office space and a hotel (Etap) with more than 200 rooms, which will start operation in July, are also part of the extension. The listed former Intecta building has been comprehensively refurbished and integrated in the overall concept. Around 165 million euros were invested in the extension. All in all, Altmarkt-Galerie now provides more than 200 shops on approximately 44,000 m² sales area. In future, around 2,000 people will work in the Altmarkt-Galerie – approx. 800 more than before. Project partners are Deutsche EuroShop, TLG IMMOBILIEN and ECE. Long-term management of Altmarkt-Galerie will be realized by ECE, who also developed, planned and leased the center. The first construction section of Altmarkt-Galerie was opened in 2002.

Dirk Hilbert, First Mayor of Dresden, the capital of the German federal state of Saxony: "The extended Altmarkt-Galerie does not only increase the attractiveness of Dresden’s city center for the citizens and tourist from all over the world, but also strengthens trade and industry. I am particularly delighted about the fact, that at the same time 800 new jobs have been created."

Alexander Otto, ECE CEO: "The extended Altmarkt-Galerie is a great trademark for Dresden’s quality and spirit of optimism. It will continue to sustainably strengthen the attractiveness of the complete city center."

Niclas Karoff, Managing Director of TLG IMMOBILIEN: "The interest of TLG IMMOBILIEN in the Altmarkt-Galerie and its extension is a fundamental component of our commitment in Dresden. The Saxon capital is one of our most important investment focuses in eastern Germany."

Claus-Matthias Böge, Spokesman of the Management Board of Deutsche EuroShop: "As investor right from the beginning we are very pleased with the Altmarkt-Galerie’s development. It is part of our portfolio treasure and will gain further luster with the extension."

New shop concepts in Dresden

Retail demand for the new shop spaces in the Altmarkt-Galerie is enormous. More than half of the 100 new specialist stores are new in Dresden.

The providers include among others the Californian computer brand Apple with its first store in eastern Germany, as well as the US cult label Hollister, which will open its fashion store in September. The new providers include moreover international retail concepts such as Boss, Gant, Marc Cain, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, We Fashion, Promod, O’Neill, One Green Elephant, the shirt specialitsts Eterna and Olymp or also Högl shoes from Austria as well as John Baker & Son from London with handmade shoes. Butlers and Depot close the gap in the living and gifts assortment.  

Café Kreutzkamm in the style of the 1920s

The new tenants in the Altmarkt-Galerie also include regional leading lights such as the perfumery Thiemann (with nostalgic store), a pralineum of the chocolate company Halloren, as well as the Café Kreutzkamm, which is opened as confectionary café in the style of the 1920s on the ground floor of the former Intecta building. Another special point of attraction on the extended space is the new, around 800 m² large delicatessen zone with a rich selection of specialities and delicatessen.

Many portfolio tenants present a new look

Also in the building part of the Altmarkt-Galerie that was already opened in 2002, many shops were refurbished. The fashion store Sinn Leffers and the sports outfitters SportScheck present themselves in a new look. Also stores such as Deichmann and Street One enjoyed a beauty treatment and celebrate their reopening together with the shops in the extension building. Due to the successful development in the existing building, a number of shops expanded their units into the extension building – such as New Yorker, Kult, Tchibo, ela and Leonardo. The consumer electronics market Saturn, who also had 5,000 m² in the portfolio building, now extends its unit by 3,000 m² in the extension building. With then 8,000 m² it is nation-wide one of the largest Saturn stores.

New architectural quality

The extension building of the Altmarkt-Galerie sets a clear architectonic course with its light natural stone facade, and ensures new architectural quality in this part of the city center. With a multiply structured façade, the Altmarkt-Galerie opens to the Wilsdruffer Straße street and to the historic old town. Decisive for design and architecture was the structure of the surrounding buildings from the 1950s. Four new entrances at the public transport hub Postplatz square, at the Altmarkt square, Wilsdruffer Straße street and the Tuchmachergasse alley link the Altmarkt-Galerie even better with the historic heart of Dresden’s city center and, at the same time, create attractive connections.

The interior of the center extension presents itself as elegant and inviting. A three-storey mall provides access to the three sales levels on the basement, ground floor and first floor. Noble materials are dominant in the light and friendly mall – light natural stone combined with dark wood and stainless steel. All floors are easily accessible by escalators and lifts.