Karstadt (Bremen)

Karstadt in Bremen is the largest department store in the city. It has its offices on the upper corner Sögestraße in the old town in the district of Mitte.

Architectural History

The first (old ) building, which was founded by Rudolph Karstadt 1881 Rudolph Karstadt AG was located at the corner Sögestraße / Pelzerstraße. The branch was opened in 1902.

From 1930 to 1932, the new building at the corner of Upper Street / Sögestraße was built. The architects were the Bremen office Heinrich Wilhelm Friedrich Behrens and Neumark. The building was constructed in consultation with the Karstadt building department under Philip Schaefer. The building is a historical monument since 2010.

The old building in the Sögestraße was an EPA department store and later Kepa department store in the lower price segment. It was completely destroyed in the war. Following the closure of Kepa department store, the post-war building was torn down and in 1995 a new KarstadtSport house (since March 2008 Karstadt Sports). Planners was the Neuss architects Ingenhoven & Ingenhoven.

As the department store hoarding came to Bremen, Karstadt as neighboring buildings acquire Defaka department store in Upper Street. The facade of this house is clad with brown metal elements. In 1965 a major renovation with the closure of the atrium and the installation of the vierläufigen escalators. At the corner Sögestraße / Pelzerstraße specialty business Karstadt Sports arose.

Karstadt in Upper Street, Bremen

Karstadt at the corner of Upper Street / Sögestraße

Karstadt building on the corner of Upper Street / Sögestraße in evening light

Business

After the expansion Karstadt was the largest department store in Bremen in northern Germany and the range of goods is the fourth largest department store in Germany. The building Oberstraße 5-33 are located on seven floors of approximately 30,000 m² of retail space. In the basement there is a large food supply. Karstadt contributed in the 1980s to reshape the Great Dog Road to Lloyd Passage.

After the relaxation of the closing law in Germany since 1996, the opening times have been adjusted again and again over the years, both the buying behavior of the customers and employee concerns were taken into account. The current opening times are Monday to Saturday respectively from 9:30 bis 20 clock. During peak hours, up to 1,000 employees work in the Karstadt store in Bremen.

Karstadt is a member of the Bremen Partnership environment businesses since May 2003.

In February 2014 it was announced that the building was sold to the Bremen Contractors Zech.