28 October 2010, taking place the day after the Congress

Brought to you by John Ryan, Stores Editor of:

Call +44 (0) 20 7554 5808 or email info@worldretailcongress.com to register today!

New for 2010, the Retail Safari study tour (28 October 2010) has been designed in direct response from feedback and requests from Congress attendees.

The Safari will allow attendees to sample the Berlin culture and explore the retail landscape. The guided tour will take in a wide range of retail sectors and store formats, visiting internationally renowned department stores through to small independent boutiques.

Taking place the day after the Congress, this structured tour allows you to maximise your visit to this magnificent and diverse city. John Ryan will walk and talk you through a broad range of innovative formats, developments and store design. You will also have the opportunity to speak with the Store Managers, to really understand the heart of the store.

Attending the tour will:

• Allow you to discover the kaleidoscope of retail Berlin has to offer – the tour will take in stores in all the major retail sectors
• Provide the opportunity to speak with the Store Manager, to really understand the store dynamics
• Provide a unique opportunity for you to network with liked minded peers from around the world, in a focused yet relaxed environment
• Provide exclusive access to key areas of interest within the store
• Take in a variety of formats, from internationally renowned department stores to small independent boutiques
• Provide exclusive access to the expertise and knowledge of the Stores Editor of Retail Week and Drapers 
• Provide a structured, guided tour, taking away all the worry of getting around the city

Welcome to Berlin
Germany’s capital Berlin, with 3.4 million inhabitants, is the country’s largest city. Located in the North East of Germany, it is the hub of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area, and is a major centre for culture, politics, media, and science in Europe. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, comprising a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, environmental services and congress venues. During the last few years, Berlin has attracted several additional international companies that decided to open their headquarters in the country’s capital. The city is home to world-renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras and museums and is also recognised for its festivals, architecture, nightlife and contemporary arts. 

Retail Hub
When it comes to shopping and retail, Berlin has a lot to offer: from expensive consumption temples overflowing with designer labels to flea and antique markets, shopping malls, bargain stores and everything in between.

According to the IHK Berlin (Chamber of Industry and Commerce), Berlin’s sales area stood at 4.5 million square metres in 2008, which is around 1.3 square metres per inhabitant. Retail sales stood at EUR17,240 million in 2008 according to GfK (EUR5,000 per capita).

The Tour
Starting in the heart of former West Berlin, the World Retail Congress Study Tour follows an eastward path taking in all the major developments that have characterised retailing as it has developed since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As the unified city approaches its 21st birthday, how much has changed, with many must-sees in this most liberal of German cities.

Just some of the stores explored as part of the Study Tour include:
Karstadt / Peek & Cloppenburg / KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) / Dussman / Galeries Lafayette / Michalsky Gallery / 14oz / Lee / Levis / Mavi / Van

There are many reasons for visiting Germany’s capital, but the Kufürstendamm, in the heart of former West Berlin, must be one of the principal reasons for doing so. In one long, grand sweep, this thoroughfare encapsulates the best of German retail.

The tour will visit the department stores Karstadt, Peek & Cloppenburg, and the Continent’s iconic store, KaDeWe.

The tour then moves east to Friedrichstrasse, located on what used to be the divide between the city’s eastern and western sectors. The tour will take in the home of new luxury, in the shape of ‘Kulturkaufhaus’ Dussman, a true cultural on-off, where exhibitions and talks take place within a four-floor emporium housing everything from CDs to books and ‘cultural aretefacts’.

The tour then heads along the street to marvel at the unique architecture of French department store Galeries Lafayette and a luxury mall filled with names such as Louis Vuitton and local act Brille 54 (for top-end eyewear)  - a destination that cannot be missed.

Then it’s off to the Postdamer Platz, where we get a sense of the new luxury in the shape of the newly-opened Michalsky Gallery. This store is a homage to new luxury, where one-off pieces are displayed in a store environment for which the word excess might have been created.

Lunch will follow in East Berlin, the city’s new retail, when we arrive in Neue Shoenhauser Strasse. This is also the axis of shabby chic and where ‘rough-luxe’ is the order of the day.
Shops to be visited on the tour will include 14oz, created by the founder of Berlin fashion show ‘Bread & Butter’, and the leading purveyor of designer denim brands in Europe. Housed over three stores, one of which is for private customers only, the store offers a 58-strong denim brand ‘menu’ –making this the store that others have used as a benchmark. Its 19th century interior and novel ways of merchandising, make this a highlight of any retail visit to Berlin.

Other stores to be visited include, Lee, Levis, Mavi and Van, all of which have put their best new formats into the area, all vying for a slice of the casual market.

The tour comes to an end with a walk around the corner to nearby Torstrasse, the current home to a large number of pop-up stores where the big brands trial new formats that are later used more generally across their portfolios. Worth noting too is 4010, a concept store from T-Mobile, that looks more like a set from 1960s Bond movie Dr No than a phone shop.