The Berlin-Brandenburg trade association regrets the announced closure of the Galeries Lafayette branch in Berlin. “We are very concerned about our member’s decision, but also with understanding, because it is an expression of the tense situation in Berlin’s retail sector,” said Managing Director Nils Busch-Petersen to the German Press Agency on Wednesday. “It is regrettable for everyone if this member of the family decides to leave Berlin.”
The French department store chain announced on Wednesday that it would not extend the rental agreement for the only German location on Friedrichstrasse with the property owner Tishman Speyer. Operations should cease as soon as the rental agreement expires at the end of 2024.
The department store will do everything it can to provide the store’s 190 employees with the best possible support throughout the entire process, it said. “As an association, we will do everything we can to offer our support to Galeries Lafayette and also take care of the employees,” said Busch-Petersen. (dpa)