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Schweinfurt in crisis: Stadtgalerie is fighting against alarming vacancies!
Schweinfurt is faced with a high level of vacancies in the Stadtgalerie. Managers develop concepts for revitalization.
Schweinfurt in crisis: Stadtgalerie is fighting against alarming vacancies!
The city gallery in Schweinfurt, which opened on February 26, 2009, is currently under great pressure. Around 40 of 90 retail spaces are currently empty, which corresponds to a vacancy rate of 31 percent. inFranken describes the challenges that the city gallery is facing and thus attracts the concern of citizens. An open letter published on September 7, 2025 addressed the negative economic consequences of vacancies, including declining sales and job losses. These developments raise questions about the attractiveness of the city center and the future quality of life for citizens.
The dining scene in the Stadtgalerie has also changed drastically in recent years. Recently, the popular Asian restaurant Cocos closed its doors after 16 years. It mainly offered Thai and Chinese delicacies. With the closure of this restaurant, the space on the upper floor is now empty. Other catering establishments such as McDonald's and the “Immergrün” smoothie franchise have also had to close in the last two years, further increasing concerns about the long-term prospects of the city gallery.
A look at the numbers
The city gallery was originally planned to have around 100 shops and around 700 jobs. These plans have now proven to be unrealistic. There are currently only 60 stores left, with numerous forecasts posted turning out to be failures. Axel Schöll, the chairman of the Bavarian Trade Association in Schweinfurt, emphasizes that the city gallery was not needed 15 years ago and is no longer up to date today. He emphasizes that many people were expected to travel from Erfurt to shop in Schweinfurt - a forecast that turned out to be misleading.
- Schließungen in der Stadtgalerie:
- McDonald’s – Ende 2024
- Camp David/Soccx – Februar 2025
- Cucos – 1. September 2025
- Immergrün – Ende Dezember 2024
Future prospects
Center manager Alexander Kuckshaus is working intensively on an overall concept to reduce vacancies, with various prospective tenants already in the starting blocks. The manager of the city gallery, Songül Aksu, also sees the need to work with different players in order to better master the challenges in retail. A future-oriented concept could help expand the offering through non-retail concepts such as services.
The community is called upon to raise its voice and actively contribute to improving the situation. Only together can citizens and the city administration work on a lively and attractive city center that remains attractive to both customers and potential tenants. In this sense, BR also keeps the demands for a new beginning firmly in mind.