By the turn of the year, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Germany had gained 20 more partners for the various retail, dining and leisure clusters of the upcoming flagship destination in Hamburg’s HafenCity. The leasing of the food & beverage areas is progressing in particular.
Andreas Hohlmann, Managing Director Austria & Germany at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, says: “We are very pleased that the brand and concept mix in Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier is increasingly taking shape. Flagship stores of coveted and world-famous brands, entertainment and cultural highlights that do not yet exist in Hamburg, more than 40 different dining concepts and a separate cluster for well-being, fitness and health – embedded in a lively mixed-use quarter, we are creating a destination here that sets standards and will probably be unique worldwide. The high pre-letting rate of 70 per cent in the retail, gastronomy and leisure sectors is a strong signal of the appeal and attractiveness of this project.”
Constantin Wiesmann, Director of Leasing Austria & Germany at URW, adds: “The partnerships with the brands and concepts recently brought on board are another important step in leasing. LACOSTE and Levi’s ensure a further differentiation of the fashion brand variety. With SNIPES and Onygo, the overall area of young fashion, sports and streetwear in the quarter will probably become the best and most attractive cluster of its kind in the entire city of Hamburg. DOUGLAS and Arabian Oud give the perfumery and beauty profile a clear contour. In addition, we are just picking up speed in the leasing of the dining areas and are particularly pleased that we have already entered into partnerships with a number of local champions. We will continue to focus on food & beverage partners in 2023 as well.”
Differentiation of the brand and concept mix
URW is strengthening the premium fashion and lifestyle segment, which has so far been shaped by Breuninger’ flagship store as well as BOSS and GANT, with the addition of LACOSTE as a further brand.
In the vicinity of the Zara flagship store, one of the largest stores of the fashion brand in the future, as well as the shops of H&M, Mango and Scotch & Soda, Levi’s will move in as a new fashion label with the most advanced shop concept of the brand.
The sneaker and streetwear cluster continues to gain profile through SNIPES and Onygo. For this trend segment as well as the young fashion range, URW has already announced partnerships with JD Sports, Foot Locker, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius and Oysho. The letting of this part of the project is already on the home stretch.
The perfumery, beauty and cosmetics cluster will also be strengthened. DOUGLAS, leading provider of premium beauty in Europe, is opening a premium store. In addition, the international brand Arabian Oud, the world’s largest supplier of oriental fragrances, has signed a lease. URW had already announced the partnership with Rituals for this segment last year.
Gastronomy leasing picks up speed
Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier will feature more than 40 food & beverage concepts that will form a diverse, individual mix of various culinary directions. Thus, international and local restaurants, bars, cafés, bakeries and other gastronomic highlights are planned, distributed across three central clusters. There will be a lively urban neighbourhood cluster with national and international concepts throughout the day. A cluster for authentic local street food, including the latest food & beverage trends in an exclusively arranged “food hall”, is also being assembled. In addition, the spectacular waterfront promenade will offer exquisite à la carte restaurants, including a sky restaurant with 360° views over HafenCity, the city and river Elbe. The clusters are complemented by smaller deli or take-away offers and coffee shops.
Until the end of 2022, there was a strong focus on leasing the neighbourhood cluster. Here, for a market entry in Hamburg, URW has brought Big Chefs, a restaurant brand with Levantine, Aegean and international food, on board for the largest area in the cluster with around 500 square metres. The restaurant with its all-day café-brasserie concept is on an expansion course in Germany and Europe. At Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, Big Chefs will now also welcome its northern German guests in a cosy living room atmosphere. Three local champions from Hamburg are already part of the diverse dining mix: the Indian trend restaurant goa will open its largest branch in Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier. The bowl concept UF Poké Bar, also from Hamburg, will establish one of its food bars in the quarter. With Quan 36, another local champion is opening its doors. Quan 36 has become known for its Vietnamese tapas and fusion cuisine. The neighbourhood cluster is complemented by Espresso House, the popular Swedish coffee shop chain, as well as the world-renowned coffee house company Starbucks. The neighbourhood cluster is thus fully leased except for two units.
In the area of cafés as well as smaller deli and take-away offers, the Hamburg-based ice cream shop Luicella’s Ice Cream, located directly at the Waterfront, as well as Acai Verao and Lu Soufflé are new partners of URW. Lu Soufflé brought Japanese soufflés to Hamburg for the first time and is now opening only his second branch.
In 2023, the focus in the leasing of the food & beverage areas will be particularly on the cluster for authentic local street food in the exclusive “food hall” and the restaurant cluster on the spectacular waterfront promenade.
Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier: urban regeneration
In Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier in Hamburg’s HafenCity district, a total of 14 buildings are under construction for a new vibrant destination with outstanding architecture and a unique mix of uses. Retail, entertainment concepts and more than 40 gastronomy units are closely coordinated with a total of 579 apartments, offices for 4,000 workplaces, three hotels and a cruise ship terminal. The quarter is optimally integrated into the local infrastructure with its own metro station, bus lines and various mobility services. The mixed-use project comprises a total area of 419,000 square metres and will be realised by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield by spring 2024.
Previously communicated tenants in the retail, gastronomy and leisure sectors at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier: (alphabetical)
- Bershka
- BOSS
- Breuninger
- Budni
- Foot Locker
- GANT
- H&M
- Intersport Knudsen
- JD Sports
- Kinopolis
- Legoland Discovery Centre
- Mango
- Only
- Oysho
- Port des Lumières
- PULL&BEAR
- Rewe
- Rituals
- Scotch&Soda
- Stradivarius
- Zara
