The keys will be handed over at the end of the month, said owner Beate Niemann. The specialist pharmacist took over the pharmacy from her predecessor 18 years ago, with whom she first started as a trainee. Niemann said she was closing the pharmacy for personal reasons. The origins of the city hall pharmacy go even further back. It was opened in 1965 in the current driving licence office, Niemann knows. According to the city’s press office, it is still unclear what will now happen to the shop space. “The city was first able to take a look at the location a few days ago and is currently examining whether, and how – either through renovation or conversion – it can be put to a suitable and optimal use by municipal departments,” said Markus Schmidt from the press office.

In contrast, Galeria Kaufhof Bonn has been celebrating a new opening. After three months of renovations, it has set up a new sports department with around 1000 square metres of sales area. Numerous leading brands are on offer such as Fjällräven, Mammut, The North Face and Salomon as well as sports items from Nike, Adidas and Puma. In addition to inline-skates and rollerblades, the range’s highlights include scooters, skateboards and longboards as well as Heelys. As reported, the new sports department at Galeria Kaufhof is a replacement for the closed Sportarena next door where a branch of the outlet chain “Saks Off 5th” now offers its goods. Like Galeria Kaufhof GmbH, it belongs to the Canadian Hudson’s Bay Company.

Karstadt managing director Chris Stapeldeldt has also announced major changes. The discounter Aldi and the drugstore chain DM are expected to open in the basement of the department store on Poststraße in mid or late September. “We expect considerable synergy effects,” Stapeldeldt told the GA on Tuesday. The managing director, who has been guiding Bonn’s branch of Karstadt since March, is hoping above all that the new shops in the basement will increase customer frequency. Like Karstadt, Aldi and DM will open daily from 9.30am to 8pm.

The sports department currently in the basement will move alongside the children’s department on the fourth floor. The third floor, where Karstadt wants to significantly increase the size of the fabric and handcrafts department, is also being renovated, said Stapeldeldt.

The shop of the Hörsch family’s former perfumery and health food business on the corner of Sternstraße and Vivatsgasse has been abandoned for many years. Now it will be renovated and modernised, Ludwig Hörsch told the GA. “It was not because of us that nothing happened for years.” He could not say any more at present. He also could not comment on the subsequent use. “That hasn’t been decided yet.” At the moment, the Vollmar perfumery, which is diagonally opposite, can use the shop window for its advertising.

The fashion and leather goods company Aigner is celebrating an anniversary: it has now had a branch on Marktplatz for 30 years and has just newly renovated the shop.

(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen. Translation: kc)