Dresden in transition: Is the city center becoming a shopping paradise?

Dresden in transition: Is the city center becoming a shopping paradise?

The commercial landscape of Dresden city center is changing. Many shop windows on Prager Strasse are empty, but this is not the whole picture. New retailers quickly move in, keeping the shopping feeling in the city alive. This dynamic is, not least, a reaction to the inner city study carried out in December 2024, which was carried out in December 2024 shows that sales space has declined by eight percent since 2020 and the number of retail establishments has fallen by eleven percent.

Smaller companies and specialist shops in the clothing and shoe sector in particular are the focus of this development. Despite the difficulties, Dresden has an enormous sales area of ​​around 200,000 square meters per resident, which is more than in cities like Cologne, Hamburg or Berlin, only Düsseldorf beats this number. In total, 549 retail establishments generate an estimated 849 million euros in sales, showing that shopping remains an important reason for visits to the city center.

Urban development in focus

The challenges facing retailers are compounded by local issues such as the double budget resolution, the partial collapse of the Carola Bridge and security and order issues. In response to this, Dresden City Management is planning a survey on the perception of the city center as a shopping location. The survey aims to capture the opinions of citizens and various stakeholders such as trade, real estate, creative professions and the city administration.

The survey, which can be completed in around seven to ten minutes, will compare the perspectives of the different players and show where there are still problems with the future shopping experience. The discussion about the city center is also supplemented by the results of the study “Dresden's city center in the city-wide retail structure - current challenges and future areas of action”, which analyzed the influence of the corona pandemic on retail. The extensive investigation was carried out in collaboration with the Handelsverband Sachsen e. V. and the expert office Dr. Lademann and partners carried out.

Recommendations for action for the future

The BBSR has developed recommendations for action on inner city development in a current publication. The focus is on the areas of mix of uses and land management, which are of central importance for strengthening inner cities. In times when consumer behavior and shopping experiences are changing, it is important that different stakeholders work together to find solutions.

With these approaches, it remains to be hoped that Dresden city center can assert itself as an attractive shopping location. For anyone who would like to find out more about the current status and the planned measures, the City Management is available on 0351 4861995 and by email at kranz@cm-dresden.de and info@cm-dresden.de.