DES GB 11 Magazin en

experience and a pleasant environment. Intelligent lighting systems create the right atmosphere in the mall to suit the time of day and state-of-the-art climate control tech- nology guarantees a comfortable temperature all year round. Quiet rest areas and foun- tains give people an opportunity to relax for a moment. Everybody should feel good and want to keep coming back. And that regard- less of age: wide malls, escalators and lifts make it is possible to explore every part of the center without too much eﬀort, even with a pushchair or wheelchair. Play areas await our smallest visitors and invite shoppers to take some time out; relaxing massage chairs are available for customers to use for a small fee. BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE, GREEN ON THE INSIDE As a long-term investor, we regard sustaina- bility as a matter of course. Ongoing moder- nisation ensures that our centers remain competitive and retain their value. All of our shopping centers in Germany have been powered by green electricity since 2011. A change to energy from renewable sources is planned for our foreign properties, as well. Moreover, we aim is to reduce energy con- sumption in our centers even further and thus reduce CO2 emissions. To achieve this aim, we invest in ultramodern technologies during construction such as heat exchangers and the latest generation of environmentally friendly lighting. Center management com- municates closely with our tenants on the topic of environmental protection with the goal that they also steadily reduce the energy consumed in individual shops. PREPARED FOR TOMORROW - TODAY The retail sector has always been in a con- stant process of change. One aspect of that change is that many retailers need to adapt their spaces over time to meet new require- ments and thus enlarge or even scale them down. We are able to provide customised solutions to meet the demand for ever more varied spaces: Each tenant receives the ﬂoor space they need to implement their indivi- dual retail concept. Internal walls can be shifted without any major eﬀort or expense. Reducing a larger retail space can open up an opportunity to integrate a new shop concept into the center. This ﬂexibility sets our centers apart from classical business premises in city centers and represents a clear strategic advantage. For many retailers, this is a prerequisite for ente- ring the market in a city where, due to its spe- cial property structure and inﬂexible layouts in the premier locations, e.g. in a mediaeval- style pedestrian zone, no suitable spaces could be found. The whole of the retail sec- tor in the city center can beneﬁt through this addition to the city‘s oﬀering. Increasingly, shops are shifting from being pure retail areas to experience arenas. Through lavish shop interiors, extensive consultations and the opportunity to tho- roughly test the product in the shop, the experi- ence of shopping itself is elevated to event status. Examples of this include Hollister, an American fashion company that propels its mostly young customers into a Californian surf shop atmosphere or computer manufacturer Apple which oﬀers free in-store workshops for its product lines to anybody interested and thus makes its devices accessible to people who are not as technically savvy. OVER A HALF A MILLION VISITORS – EVERY DAY The catchment areas around our centers are home to over 16 million people in all, nearly 13 million of them in Germany. In theory at least, that means we reach about one of every 6 German citizens. The catchment area is ascertained according to standardised rules for each of our properties and updated on an annual basis. On any given workday, our centers are visited by an average of around 600,000 people. OUR TOP 10 TENANTS With a share of 6.0%, the Metro Group con- tinues to be our biggest tenant. As one of the most important international retailers, it is represented in a large number of our centers by its distribution channels Media Markt and Saturn (consumer electronics), Real- SB-Warenhaus and Galeria Kaufhof Warenhaus. Behind this in second place with 4.4% is the Douglas Group, one of Europe‘s leading retailers with Douglas perfumeries, Thalia bookshops, Christ jewellery shops, Hussel confectioners and an AppelrathCüpper fashion store. Phoenix-Center, Hamburg consultations and the opportunity to tho- Pillows in cheery colours at DEPOT Warenhaus. Behind this in second place with 4.4% is the Douglas Group, one of Europe‘s leading retailers with Douglas perfumeries, Thalia bookshops, Christ jewellery shops, Hussel confectioners and an AppelrathCüpper fashion store. Artiﬁcial ﬂower at DEPOT Main-Taunus-Zentrum Sulzbach / Frankfurt DES Annual Report 2011 33

DES GB 11 Magazin en

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