Rotterdam's city centre continues to attract more visitors

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Jan 31, 2019

The city centre of Rotterdam continues to attract more visitors.

Shopping destinations such as Lijnbaan, de Koopgoot and Hoogstraat recorded 10 million more visitors between 2010 and 2018, from 28-38 million visitors. Friday and Saturday are the most popular days for people to visit Rotterdam, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

Another factor that shows improvement in the city centre is a drop in store vacancy.

“Current store vacancy is at 3% in Rotterdam, while the average store vacancy is around 6%,” a spokesperson for the city centre told De Telegraaf.

In August 2018, research into the Rotterdam retail landscape by global real estate services and investment management company Colliers International also concluded that the city of Rotterdam’s retail market is flourishing. The company said at the time that the strong Dutch economy has contributed to the city’s enviable current retail position as well as the growing population and increasing number of annual visitors.

In October 2018, Urban Department Store Rotterdam (UDS), an association of business owners and entrepreneurs, announced that it intends to invest €1.2 million per year in the city centre of Rotterdam. With the yearly investments, the association aims to redevelop the city centre into a more attractive shopping destination.

Recent retail additions to Rotterdam’s city centre included international brands such as Hudson’s Bay, Decathlon, Unconventional Wardrobe, TK Maxx, Inconcept and Urban Outfitters.

Dutch department store chain de Bijenkorf announced in late 2018 that it will expand its luxury offer at the Rotterdam branch. De Bijenkorf cited its own research, which also included an increase in visitors to Rotterdam, as one of the reasons to offer more luxury items in the Rotterdam branch.