Shopping centre inauguration in Weiterstadt
Shopping attraction LOOP5 opens tomorrow
- Shopping centre for 1 million people opens on October 9, 2009
- 175 stores and restaurants spread over 56,500 m2 gross lettable area (GLA)
- Focus on lifestyle and fashion
- 3,000 free parking spaces
- Investment totalling € 265 million creates 1,000 jobs
Sonae Sierra and Foncière Euris are today inaugurating LOOP5 in Weiterstadt (near Frankfurt) one of the region's largest shopping centres. Tomorrow, the shopping centre will be opening its doors to more than one million potential customers. Spread over 56,500 square metres (GLA), well-known international, national and regional brands will create a modern and tailored tenant mix and thus provide an attractive offering for the entire family. Lifestyle and fashion will be two important focal points of the shopping centre, which will stand out in terms of its unusual and fresh ambience and will offer space for 175 tenants. There are 3,000 free parking spaces and the € 265-million investment will create around 1,000 new jobs at LOOP5.
"With LOOP5, we are opening the 52nd shopping centre in our portfolio and our third centre in Germany and it will perfectly showcase our high demands and expectations in terms of architecture, design, product range and leisure offerings. The total success of both the ALEXA in Berlin and the MÜNSTER ARKADEN clearly shows that our innovative concepts are precisely what people want. LOOP5, our second partnership with Foncière Euris, is now ready for take-off and about to embark on a course for success", stated Álvaro Portela, CEO of Sonae Sierra.
"The partnership between Foncière Euris and Sonae Sierra is an extremely successful business model, as both companies bring extensive and invaluable experience as international shopping centre specialists to the table. Furthermore, both are resolutely pursuing a business model that is aimed at long-term commitment and high standards of quality", comments Pierre Féraud, CEO of Foncière Euris.
On course for success with the right tenant mix
The strategy of Sonae Sierra and Foncière Euris is to create a tailored total offering comprising retail, services, restaurants and entertainment for the entire family with innovative concepts. The tenant mix for LOOP5 clearly reflects this. High-end national and international brands are present, as are medium-sized regional retailers. The anchor tenants are Aldi, C&A, Deichmann Schuhe, Das Depot, Dielmann, dm Drogerie, Envita Bio Supermarkt, ESPRIT, Faix Spiel & Freizeit, H&M, Intersport, Jack & Jones/Vero Moda, New Yorker, Peek & Cloppenburg, Roland Schuhe, Saturn, Shoe4You, S. Oliver, Sons & Daughters, Thalia, xenos and Zapata. LOOP5 is also offering space for local retailers, such as the jewellery expert, Techel, and VR-FinanzShop Weiterstadt GmbH & Co. KG. 22 restaurants and cafés ensure that there are culinary delights available for all tastes.
"LOOP5 will become one of the region's top shopping addresses. We have made sure of this with our tailored tenant mix, the huge offering and the shopping centre's unique ambience. Our strong duo in Germany, the ALEXA and the MÜNSTER ARKADEN, has finally received an addition to the family, which will from now on be an even more powerful trio in Germany", states Thomas Binder, Responsible for Developments at Sonae Sierra in Germany.
LOOP5 - themed shopping centre with aviation motto
The central motto of LOOP5 is aviation. The number 5 is a reference to the excellent location directly adjacent to the A5 autobahn. "LOOP" refers to the topic of aviation and the shopping centre's proximity to Frankfurt Airport and the control centre of the European Space Agency, ESA, in Darmstadt. The interior of the mall has four topical corridors leading visitors through the fascinating history of flying, with design references to the "Age of the jet", "Flight pioneers", "Contemporary aviation" and the "Golden age of flying".
A particular highlight is the original MIG-21 aircraft that hovers over the Food Court. And there are also references to aviation on the outside of the building: the shape of the glass roof above the main entrance is based on a flapping wing, the lamellar structure of the façade is a reference to aircraft engineering and the LOOP5 lettering is finished off with a line in the form of a vapour trail.
A green shopping centre
As in the case of all Sonae Sierra shopping centres, Loop5 was built under Sierra's Environmental Management System and its construction was certified in accordance with the ISO 14001 environmental standard. The objective of the "Sierra Green Center" concept is to minimise the environmental impact of building and operating new shopping centres.
About Foncière Euris
Foncière Euris, www.fonciere-euris.fr, is a French stock exchange-listed company specialising in the development of shopping and leisure centres in Europe. The corporation forms alliances with top developers and invests in major projects that help urban regeneration. Foncière Euris is part of the Euris Group controlled by Jean-Charles Naouri. Foncière Euris also owns the Casino Group, France's second-largest stock exchange-listed retail chain.
About Sonae Sierra
Sonae Sierra, http://www.sonaesierra.com/, is an international shopping centre specialist. With passion, we bring innovation and excitement to the world of shopping and leisure. The company owns 52 shopping centres in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil with a gross lettable area (GLA) of more than 1.9 million m2. Currently, Sonae Sierra is developing 2 further projects and has 11 new projects in various phases of completion in Portugal, Italy, Germany, Greece, Romania and Brazil. In 2008, the company's centres welcomed more than 429 million visits.