The wave of vacancies began with Camaïeu at number 65, which last year announced it was leaving the premises, followed by Carrefour Express, which said it was closing only temporarily but has failed to reopen its shutters since April 2020.

Across the street, Chaussures Goedert has closed, with the 200m2 shop looking for new tenants at €7,500 a month (€37.50 per m2). It’s neighbours, Veritas and H&M, left last summer over rent disputes, according to labour union OGBL.

While City authorities are filling some of the empty spaces with pop-up shops, permanent new occupants are yet to be announced. “The college [of aldermen] has not yet decided the question of the next occupants of the pop-up stores. This will probably be the case after the carnival holiday,” said alderman in charge of commerce Serge Wilmes (CSV).

The former CoolCat premises have been empty since declaring bankruptcy in 2019. The 835m2 shop comes at a rent of €45,000 a month. Somewhat smaller, and costing €17,710 per month for 322m2, is the Ulla Popken store.

Other departures include Six, Yves Rocher, Brooklyn Café, Alain Afflelou (which moved to another site on the same street) and Calzedonia. The Z brand was a victim of the pandemic when its parent Kidiliz declared bankrupt at the end of November.

On the opposite side of Avenue de la Gare, number 27 and the former premises of Salsa, Springfield, C&A, Darty and Tiffosi are also in need of new tenants.

The tram construction site for years disrupted traffic in the area and access to shops in the district. Even though this is now mostly complete, and the tram started its new route between the train station and the City centre in December, the pandemic piled on more pressure.

Real estate agency JLL in a report published earlier this month estimated the retail vacancy rate at 9% in the capital, a number that could grow over the coming months.  

In 2020, rents in a main shopping street cost around €150/month/m2, although the average was driven up significantly by luxury boutiques.

This article was first published in French on Paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.