Coming and going

After H&M closes: who could fill vacancies?

Soon there will only be one H&M store in Graz - the one on Hauptplatz will have to make way.(Bild: Christoph Hartner)

These are turbulent times for Graz's city center: H&M is saying goodbye to the main square, and most recently the well-known Sacher and Manner stores have also been affected. Who will move into the many vacant buildings? Two Grazers want to take a chance.

It was only last year that H&M had to close stores in Linz and Klagenfurt, and now those on the main square in Graz have also been hit. The "Krone" report surprised even the city management of the City of Graz: "The news is of course all the more painful after the other closures in the recent past," says Andrea Keimel, Head of the Department for Economic and Tourism Development.

This refers to the stores of Salamander, Stiefelkönig and, most recently, Sacher and Manner, just a few meters away from the H&M store. "Overall, bricks-and-mortar retail is having great difficulties," says Keimel. At least there are no further planned closures, and H&M has also confirmed that it will keep its other Graz stores.

The store on the main square in Graz will be history this year.(Bild: Christoph Hartner)

What's next for Hauptplatz? The next vacancy? The owner of the two-storey building is Palmers - when asked, the estate agent responsible said that the future is still unclear. The rent for a property in this location is likely to cost tens of thousands of euros a month. Prices that are difficult to achieve.

Taiga takes off in the center
But there are still entrepreneurs who are venturing into the city center. Bijou Brigitte will soon be offering costume jewelry in Herrengasse, while the Taiga concept store with its mix of fashion retail and hairdressing is moving from Südtirolerplatz to Jungferngasse: "If there's still anywhere to go in our industry, it's in the city center, around Herrengasse," say operators Petra Pöllabauer and Michael Wallisch.

Petra Pöllabauer and Michael Wallisch are moving their Taiga store to Jungferngasse.(Bild: Christoph Hartner)

They were based on the right bank of the Mur for many years: "But we experienced a slump there last year, partly due to the major Bim construction site." This is one of the reasons why they are now moving to a new location: "The city center is still the first destination for all tourists and people who come from the surrounding area to store. We hope to benefit from this high footfall."

The fact that they can afford this location as a small local business also has to do with the landlord: "Grawe Immobilien AG has recognized that they have to approach business owners if the city centre is to remain attractive. They have accommodated us in many respects, which has also made the location interesting for us." This Saturday, the duo will start with a pop-up sale, and then officially launch the spring collection at the beginning of March.