Dortmund city center blooms: New pop-up store opens doors!

Dortmund city center blooms: New pop-up store opens doors!

On April 19, 2025, a new pop-up store with the name "City Pop-Up" will be opened in the heart of Dortmund. This new opening takes place in the former s.Oliver location on Westenhellweg 12-14 and is to provide a breath of fresh air in the city center from March 2025 over a period of three months. The concept provides for empty shops to rent at short notice by companies or start-ups and thus promote the vitality of the city center. The "City Pop-up" is not the first of this kind; In the summer of 2024, a similar pop-up store of the "Fabletics" brand was already implemented in the Dortmund Thier Gallery, which clearly shows that such initiatives can contribute to the revival of urban life.

Nevertheless, the question remains whether these measures are sufficient to permanently combat the vacancy in the city center. Despite the temporary revival, pop-up stores often leave unused areas again, which is a sustainable problem for urban development. In order to counteract this challenge, the city of Dortmund has launched a rental fund. According to dortmund.de , this fund promotes the temporary rental of shops by owning its areas of 70% of the previous rent to the city. The city then rents these areas 20%, which minimizes the risk for companies.

strategies to revitalize downtown

Authorized areas of up to 300 square meters that can be rented for up to two years are eligible, whereby renovation measures are also partially financially supported. In view of the growing need for living space in Dortmund, suggestions for conversion of empty shops into ground floor apartments are also on the table. This could not only eliminate the vacancy, but also to alleviate the lack of housing in the city.

Another important point in the discussion about the future of Dortmund city center are the so-called "mixed-use real estate". These properties would combine leisure activities, jobs and living space in a single concept. In December 2023, the Federal Ministry of Living and Urban Development initiated a discussion about the conversion of empty commercial properties. The aim is to develop new concepts and approaches to solve the pressing problems of Dortmund's city center.

The measures and discussions relating to urban development are part of a more comprehensive plan for urban renewal, such as implemented in various districts such as Westerfilde, Bodelschwingh and Huckarde. The focus here is on the care and improvement of public spaces as well as the development of playgrounds and meeting places. However, in order to successfully implement these initiatives, it is crucial that everyone involved works together to prepare Dortmund for the future.