The Austrian conglomerate Signa has taken a decisive step forward in a prestigious project. On November 30, the city of Düsseldorf issued the building permit for the planned conversion of the Carsch house in the center of the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital, the company said last week.
After the completion of the construction work, which is scheduled for the end of 2024, the fourth department store of the KaDeWe Group in Germany will move into the building. The group already includes the luxury department store of the same name in Berlin, as well as the Oberpollinger in Munich and the Alsterhaus in Hamburg.
According to Signa, the Düsseldorf branch will have an area of around 10,000 square meters and will follow a special concept. “With a curated variety of brands from the areas of fashion, home and food, as well as special services, that is unique in Germany, a new space is being created that combines the young and the traditional, the luxurious and the progressive and interprets the Carsch house in a new way,” the company explained in a message.
Timo Herzberg, CEO of Signa Real Estate, explained the scope of the planned construction measures: “The Carsch-Haus, with its more than 100-year history, is an integral part of downtown Düsseldorf and local retail in the state capital,” he explained in a statement . “With a comprehensive renovation of the building and the design of a new atrium on Heinrich-Heine-Platz, a new era is beginning for the Carsch store, which is returning to its roots as a trend-setting department store.”
The planned atrium was designed by the renowned architects David Chipperfield Architects. Marco Keller, the Düsseldorf branch manager of Signa Real Estate, emphasized the special scope of the plans: “The project development not only creates an attractive shopping experience in the Carsch-Haus itself. At the same time, Heinrich-Heine-Platz, one of the most important squares in the state capital, is being redesigned taking into account the wishes of Düsseldorf’s urban community and creating a high quality of stay,” he explained.