TOM 12 2023

Page 15 INTERVIEW December 2023
„We have a tailor-made concept
for every location challenge“
Interview with Susanne Gehle (Kaufland Real Estate Germany)
Supermarkets and hypermarkets
have undergone a major
process of change in real estate
development in recent
years and have also broken
new ground in many cases.
Kaufland is one of the pioneers
here. HI TOM editor-inchief
Thorsten Müller spoke
to Susanne Gehle, who is also
responsible for real estate development
at Kaufland.
we have been working intensively
there to modernize the
building, which was constructed
in the early 1970s, with conversions
and extensions.
With the revitalization in Bad
Tölz, we have shown that it
does not always have to be demolition
and new construction
and how a sustainable future
concept can still be created.
TOM: The year 2023 is drawing
to a close. What were the
focal points for you in 2023?
Susanne Gehle: The main focal
points in 2023, as in the year
before, were the growth of our
store network and the revitalization
of our existing properties.
TOM: Kaufland has broken
many new ground with its
properties in recent years.
Which ideas have been particularly
successful?
Susanne Gehle: In the space of
less than two years, for example,
we recently created attractive
Kaufland stores from over
90 former Real stores. One of
our highlight projects in 2023
was our revitalization of RemsPark
in Waiblingen. We developed
the new letting concept,
including the Kaufland store,
in-house on over 22,000 square
meters. After twelve months of
construction, we celebrated the
reopening of the Kaufland store
in the center and the reopening
of the center on December 7,
2023. We are proud of the result.
In addition to our new Kaufland,
customers will find specialist
stores such as Decathlon, Smyth
Toys and dm Drogeriemarkt.
The specialist store concept is
complemented by many other
stores and services. The culinary
highlight is the newly created
FoodCourt, which invites customers
to enjoy and linger.
We now operate over 770 stores
in Germany and will continue to
focus on growth in the future.
In doing so, we are focusing
on the new development and
revitalization of existing retail
locations.
Susanne Gehle
TOM: What else will change
or develop in the near future?
Susanne Gehle: The focus will
shift even more from new construction
to the restructuring of
existing retail properties, if only
because of the large number
of legal regulations that exist
or are under discussion at both
national and European level.
Although many shopping centers
or inner-city properties are
in great need of revitalization,
the locations themselves are established.
There are enormous
development opportunities here.
TOM: ESG is playing an increasingly
important role in
new realizations as well as in
the operation of existing properties,
but it still feels like it
is in its infancy. What is your
current experience? What is
Kaufland doing in this area?
Photo: Kaufland
Susanne Gehle: There is a
great need for ESG measures
in existing properties in particular.
In our opinion, there is
great awareness of the topic in
the sector. However, committed
action in the implementation of
ESG-compliant measures must
be or become the declared requirement,
especially for property
owners. As an owner and
as a tenant, ESG plays a central
role in the further expansion
and management of our existing
portfolio. As a local supplier of
the future, we face economic,
social and geopolitical challenges
with innovative approaches,
focusing on revitalization and
a contemporary mix of uses.
As a modern local supplier, we
actively address sustainability,
ESG and CSR issues across the
company.
The Kaufland store in Bad Tölz,
for example, is currently a pioneering
project. Since last year,
TOM: Maintaining a vibrant
city center is of existential importance
for brick-and-mortar
retail. What can a company
like yours do to achieve
this, or is it already doing so?
Susanne Gehle: As a frequency
generator, we occupy all retail
locations, from stand-alone supermarkets,
specialist stores and
shopping centers to inner-city
locations. Local service providers,
retailers and restaurants
also benefit from this. Kaufland
acts as a strong local partner that
finds an individual solution and
a tailor-made concept for every
challenge at the location. Innercity
locations in particular offer
us optimal revitalization opportunities,
especially in shopping
centers.
TOM: Online and offline are
no longer enemies. Would you
agree with this and can you
give an example from your
company?
Susanne Gehle: In our Düsseldorf
store on Hilde-und-Joseph-
Neyses-Platz, we have been
testing an open showroom in
the entrance area with exclusive
products from our marketplace
Kaufland.de since June, offering
a piece of the online world you
can touch. This gives the marketplace
even more visibility
on the sales floor and our customers
can conveniently discover
selected marketplace products
directly on site during their
weekly shop instead of only seeing
them online. It is another
example of how stores and the
online platform are increasingly
merging into one Kaufland
world.