Blog: Berlin Summer

My second trip to Berlin this year, made last month, confirmed why this is a city that’s always worth taking time out to wander. During my first visit in January, it was cold and snowy and there were a handful of new stores in the fashionable Mitte district – just around the corner from the architectural showpiece of the former East Germany: Alexanderplatz.

Last week in the same venue, it was warm and, with the change in the weather, new store design appeared to have bloomed. All of it might politely be termed “reach-me-down chic,” the kind of store environment that takes a measure of pride in looking almost down-at-heel and unfinished, although the price tags quickly show the uninformed that this is about design rather than insufficient funds.

Fans of Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters will be familiar with the technique, but rather than being the exception, in Mitte, it is the rule. The appealingly named Happy Shop on Torstrasse, for example, uses industrial hoists to enable instant remerchandising of the mid-floor fashion fixtures. Then there’s the white box recycling glamour of Shusta Salon on nearby Rosentalerstrasse, a two-floor shoe shop, part of which used to be a Burger King, but which is now a stop for the terminally hip. Both are typical of what’s happening at the moment.

And the reason? Property is cheap in central Berlin, which covers the same area as London, but which has a third of the population. Therefore guerrilla stores can set up without too much exposure financially. What this means is this is one of the most vibrant and constantly changing retail arenas in Europe. And if its fashion visual merchandising is your thing, then this town is a must-see for new ideas. 

Don't miss John Ryan's IRDC session, European Retail: In with the New, on Thursday, Sept. 8 in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.irdconline.com