If the occasion wasn't so sad, one could really be happy about the colorful glow in the city. After some cinemas shone on Sunday evening and gastronomic businesses have been glowing in the hopeful colour green since the weekend, the retail sector has now also set a bright sign. On Monday, March 1, 2021, shopping centers such as the MyZeil, the Skyline Plaza or the Hessen-Center will shine red, as a cautionary sign for the difficult situation of the retailers and for a quick reopening of the shops.
As part of the "Life belongs in the center" initiative, numerous shops, shop windows and shopping centers in Germany lit up red on Monday evening - including the three major shopping centers. With the joint action, retailers across Germany want to draw attention to the existence-threatening situation of many shops and retail companies as a result of the ongoing lockdown and campaign for a rapid opening of the retail sector in the run-up to the upcoming conference of the prime ministers.
"With the action, we want to send a clear signal and show: Retail is bleeding out and the vibrancy of the city centre is in danger! Many retailers have their backs to the wall, the ongoing lockdown threatens numerous shops in their existence and jobs in the trade. Therefore a quick opening of the shops is urgently necessary. This can be done demonstrably with safety and responsibility: numerous studies prove that the retail trade is not a driver of infection. The Robert Koch Institute also expressly rates the risk of infection in the retail trade as low", said the center managers of Skyline Plaza, Hessen-Center and MyZeil. In addition, the stores and centers have already introduced comprehensive hygiene and prevention concepts in the past year, which will continue to be implemented consistently.
For the center managers, it is also clear that the proposed solutions for retailers are not a way out of the crisis: "The currently discussed "Click & Meet" offers or comparable ideas are no alternative - on the contrary. The costs for staff and store operations are mostly higher than the sales, so that such offers would only increase the current losses."
Numerous well-known retail companies have joined forces to form the "Das Leben gehört ins Zentrum" (Life belongs in the centre) initiative - including the shopping centre operator ECE - which is campaigning for a rapid reopening of retail and for vibrant, liveable city centres.
Further information on the initiative at: https://lebenimzentrum.com/
