Cologne – Route 1: City Hotspots
Maisons du Monde
Hohe Str. 69-71
Decor and furniture make up the core product range of this 700-sqm flagship store, the French furniture retailer’s eleventh store in Germany. At the heart of this two-storey store is the “swatch bar” presenting all styles, sofa shapes, colours and materials. Established in 1996, the company now operates over 330 stores in Europe.
Dyson Demo Store
Hohe Str. 52
“Dyson Demo Cologne” is the name of this technology company’s first own sales space in Germany. Trained staff help consumers become acquainted with the products and more familiar with the technology. Dyson’s intention with this store is to better position itself as a manufacturer of high-end products.
Uniqlo
Hohe Str. 52
Five floors encompassing 2,214 sqm make up the Japanese fashion retailer’s second- largest store in Germany. The store layout is informed by the brand colours black, white and red. Uniqlo uses visual, analogue means to communicate details about its products, which consist largely of basics.
Saturn
Hohe Str. 46-50
A virtual reality demonstration, a headphone testing station in part of an original 1979 DC9 aeroplane cabin and an “action world” with a drone flight cage – the flagship store puts experiencing technology front and centre. Customers enter the five-storey, 6,500-sqm sales area via a digital LED walkway.
Apple
Schildergasse 1-9
The building in which Apple operates its store was renovated in 2017. The restored historic façade features windows set in bronze. A suspended spiral staircase made of glass is one of the store’s visual highlights. Apple introduced a new feature in 2017 called “The Forum”, a video wall for presentations and workshops.
Zumnorde
Schildergasse 51-53
Modern, but with an appreciation of tradition – in this store, dark leather armchairs, shoe stands and shelving made of black steel and leather are combined with a glass roof and lift, LED lighting and a waterfall that connects all three floors. The women’s shoe department makes up the largest section of the store.
Zara
Schildergasse 94-96
The largest branch in Germany of this Spanish fashion chain offers a view of 3,000 sqm of floor space through a gigantic glass façade. The checkout areas on all floors feature 15-metre-long displays. Restrained and matter-of-fact, the new store design comes across as pristine, uncluttered and airy.
Jean & Len
Neumarkt-Galerie, Neumarkt 2-4
At the heart of this vegan personal care and lifestyle brand’s flagship store is a bar for package-free buying where customers can fill their own containers with soap. The goods, some exclusive to the store, are presented by the store’s light-coloured interior of cream-coloured tiled walls and decorative elements made with plants.
Ortloff
Zeppelinstr. 4
Founded in 1923 in Cologne by Erich Ortloff, this office supply company has a new store concept that uses a clean, minimal design language and positions it as a highend store with lifestyle appeal. Wooden slatted panels in a real walnut veneer, a creamy white ceiling, a stone floor and a concrete look all stand for “modern classic”.
Globetrotter
Richmodstr. 10
For its largest branch, totalling 7,000 sqm over four floors, the outdoor goods specialist renovated a former shopping center, which, at the time, comprised 60 separate shops. The result is elliptical sales floors arranged around a large courtyard. The bottom floor is one large pool. A new lighting concept was introduced in 2019.
Søstrene Grene
Quincy, breite Str. 80-90
Established in 1973 by the Grene family in Denmark, this lifestyle brand tells the fictional story of the sisters Anna and Clara in its store. In order to discover the diverse products, including small furnishings, decor, and utensils for kitchen and living areas, customers are guided along a seamless, winding route through the store.
Rewe Richrath
Schwertnergasse 1
The Rewe Richrath store aims to offer an emotional shopping experience with a dining area including pasta and sushi. Careful visual merchandising, such as painted slogans on walls and displays and light islands with dynamically changing colours, provide design accents. The wine collection serves as the visual highlight.
