Business Relocates from Historic Essen Site, Shifts Focus to Digital Art Displays - Art establishment migrates from conventional site in Essen
In a significant shift, the corporate headquarters of the department store chain Galeria is relocating from Essen to Düsseldorf as of September 1st. This move marks the end of Karstadt's historical presence in Essen, where the company was founded in the late 19th century and served as a major operational center.
Originally built for the Karstadt group between 1967 and 1969, the headquarters in Essen's Schuir district consisted of four interconnected buildings. The complex was designed by Walter Brune, an architect from Düsseldorf, and was listed as a historic monument in 2017.
Karstadt grew into one of Germany’s major department store chains with Essen as its operational center. Over time, the Karstadt department stores became part of the larger Galeria Kaufhof group following a merger. The Galeria group has maintained its headquarters in Essen, linking Karstadt’s historical seat with the contemporary department store chain Galeria.
The exact fate of the empty spaces in the Essen complex remains uncertain. The service center with all its current 690 employees is moving to the new location in Düsseldorf, which was originally designed for the Karstadt group. The new headquarters is situated in the 1974-built property "RWI 4" in Düsseldorf-Unterbilk near the Media Harbour.
The North Rhine-Westphalian state police previously rented space in the Essen complex, but their location is not specified in the move. The service center's proximity to Galeria's branches in prime inner-city locations was emphasised by the company in February.
The move was announced by Galeria last year following the latest insolvency of the property, which was last owned by the insolvent Signa group of former real estate mogul René Benko. The news was confirmed by a company spokesperson and reported by the "Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung" (WAZ).
Despite the move, the bus stop in front of the Karstadt headquarters in Essen will continue to be called "Karstadt Hauptverwaltung". The renaming of the bus stop is not currently planned by Ruhrbahn.
The relocation of Galeria's headquarters may trigger an opportunity for investing in real-estate within the historical Essen complex, as the vacant spaces could potentially be transformed under a community policy to offer vocational training programs, specifically focusing on the field of business and finance. Simultaneously, in the new Düsseldorf location, Galeria could consider implementing vocational training for its employees in various sectors, including real-estate management and business operations, to ensure a seamless transition and continued success in their new operational center.
