A store to try out: City rents "test space" - applications for tenants now open

As part of the "Testraum-Allee" future project to revitalize the city centre, Offenbach has now taken a further measure: The city has rented a store space in a central city center location as a "test space" for twelve months. "Entrepreneurs, start-ups and people with a start-up idea can test their business concept in this test space from November - for up to three months at a time and free of charge," says Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke.

The 46.5 square meter space at Große Marktstraße 39 is being set up as a ready-to-occupy store by the business development agency in collaboration with an interior design firm. The opening of the "test space" with a first store is planned for the course of November. "Interested parties can now apply to the city with their business concept," explains Mayor Schwenke. The rental agreement between the city council and property management company Christian Schmitt runs until September 30, 2025.

The "Testraum" is a central component of the "Testraum-Allee" project. It complements the "Test Space Fund", a funding program for the establishment of innovative store concepts, in which tradespeople rent the store space themselves - the business development agency provides support in the search for space. The "Powered by Testraum-Allee" campaign is also part of the "Testraum-Allee" project. This is all about networking - new - brands with existing retailers, as can currently be experienced at Kaufhaus M. Schneider with the mini-market ("store within a store") by design start-up Yahya Studio.

"With the test space, interested parties from various sectors now have the opportunity to realize innovative and creative concepts and business ideas for a while in a central location. They will be provided with a ready-to-occupy store space. Regardless of whether someone already runs an online store and now wants to try their hand at stationary retail, whether someone wants to test the extent to which there is a market for their product, or whether someone wants to test the Offenbach location with an existing concept in another city - now there is a unique opportunity for this," Schwenke emphasizes the advantage of the new opportunity.

The city's aim is to reduce vacancies in the city center and make shopping in the city more attractive again. "In the long term, we want to use the test space to attract new businesses to Offenbach's city center, which will then ideally settle here permanently," says Mayor Schwenke. The store at Grosse Markstrasse 39 was home to Tischkultur Schäfer for several decades. The city had learned that owner Sylvester Schäfer was retiring and contacted him. Through him, the city's business development department got in touch with the landlord to discuss the future of the store space.

For the landlord of the store, property management company Christian Schmitt, Testraum-Allee is a convincing project for the future: "I think it's very good that the city is being active and encouraging both property owners and retailers to participate in Testraum-Allee. Offenbach will definitely benefit from this. I hope that it bears the desired fruit in the long term and I am happy to be a part of it," says Christian Schmitt.

Frank Achenbach, member of the management board of IHK Offenbach am Main and the Offenbach offensiv association, adds: "The test space is an incomparable offer that provides retailers with a tailwind to test out their business model in challenging times and makes it easier for them to arrive in Offenbach."

The "test room" is located on the first floor and has a large shop window front; the space is handed over ready for occupancy. "It is therefore a very uncomplicated way of testing out business ideas with virtually no risk. The prerequisite is, of course, that the idea really enriches Offenbach's city center," says the mayor, making it clear that no offers are supported that are already very common in the city center today.

Anyone interested in renting the "test space" can apply via the website www.offenbach.de/testraum. There you will also find detailed information on the application criteria - which concepts are possible and which are not - and on the rental procedure. Funding is provided by budget funds and is also supported until the end of 2024 by the federal program "Zukunftsfähige Innenstädte und Zentren" (ZIZ) from the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building, as part of the "Testraum-Allee" project.