There are three Galeria branches in downtown Nuremberg.
But two are now on the brink in the Franconian shopping mile around the Lorenzkirche.
Update from March 13, 2:23 p.m .
: The Galeria clear-cut is taking shape: A message on Monday announced that 52 of the remaining 129 department stores were closing.
First report from March 13
: Nuremberg – Galeria in Nuremberg is almost on its feet.
Karstadt at the Lorenzkirche and Kaufhof at the Mauthalle are only a stone's throw away from each other.
With a smaller Karstadt branch in a shopping center in the Langwasser district, Nuremberg even has a total of three Galeria locations.
"In terms of purchasing power, Nuremberg can cope with three locations," says Thomas Vieweg, chairman of the works council of the flagship of the ailing consumer temple chain at the Lorenzkirche.
Employees look into the famous crystal ball
Proximity is “basically” not a problem.
In practice, however, the immediate vicinity could become a decisive disadvantage in the current poker game for the future of the Galeria locations.
"At the moment we can only look into the famous crystal ball," says Vieweg shortly before the decision on Monday.
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Kaufhof at the Mauthalle in Königstrasse is just a stone's throw from Karstadt at the Lorenzkirche in Nuremberg's pedestrian zone.
© Photo: Nikolas Pelke
The end of the countdown is also eagerly awaited at Kaufhof at the toll hall almost next door, within shouting distance.
"This ignorance is slowly making our colleagues sick," says Robert Firtzlaff, Chair of the Works Council of the long-established department store on Königstrasse.
Many of the approximately 100 employees could no longer sleep properly due to the fuss surrounding the future of the Galeria chain.
Firtzlaff, who almost exactly ten years ago had to experience the demise of the old Horten department store on Aufseßplatz in Nuremberg's southern part of the city, is the one who suffers from the haggling of the powerful behind the scenes.
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Nuremberg is a triple location
“We are a triple location in Nuremberg.
One or two branches will probably have to close,” fears the experienced works council chairman.
Much will probably again depend on the behavior of the landlord.
The Kaufhof property at the Mauthalle is part of the assets of Galeria investor René Benko.
The Karstadt property at the Lorenzkirche is owned by an American group of investors.
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After the last Karstadt rescue, the city had promised to thoroughly renovate the gray passage from the 70s.
© Nikolas Pelke
As a reminder: During the last Karstadt crisis in Nuremberg in summer 2020, Mayor Marcus König (CSU) personally picked up the phone to ask property owners for cheaper rents.
In return, the city had more or less voluntarily agreed to spend a lot of money beautifying the outdated surroundings of the "anchor shop" in the shopping mile, which is also economically important for the shopping city.
Meanwhile, the decision is getting closer.
On Monday, March 13, the Verdi union invited to a press conference that had been scheduled at short notice.
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