Largest Shopping and Leisure Center in Central Switzerland Opens

Freo celebrated the opening of the “Mall of Switzerland” (MOS) north of Lucerne on November 8, 2017. Over 1,000 invited guests, from the fields of politics, business, and tourism, enjoyed the autumnal temperatures.

Before it was transferred to Halter AG in 2014, the site was owned by the elevator manufacturer Schindler and its former partner Nüesch Development AG. Halter still has an interest in MOS as its general contractor. The capital was provided by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. Freo Switzerland AG acted as developer for the project.

In addition to the overall concept, it was responsible for managing the tenant mix. “We are proud to have brought a forward-looking concept like MOS to fruition in only three years. It combines lifestyle, leisure, and shopping in a unique way,” commented Bernd Hofer, CEO of Freo Switzerland AG.

Following its completion, MOS, which has a total area of 65,000 sq m, is now the largest shopping and leisure destination in the heart of Switzerland. The ground-breaking concept combines a mix of shops and cafe/restaurant operations with leisure and sports facilities, a “Kinderland” for children, a 12-screen multiplex cinema with one of the largest IMAX screens, and Switzerland’s first indoor surfing wave, which will be open for business from spring 2018.

Pop-up stores to test the mall

In addition to names like H&M, Bershka, and Mango, the retail tenants include Adidas (with its only flagship store in Switzerland), Footlocker, and Swarowski. The international fashion labels Hunkemöller, Stefanel, and Sketchers are represented here for the first time in Switzerland.

Pop-up stores will give a few tenants the opportunity to test the mall and the location. The car company Tesla and coffee producer Nespresso have already taken advantage of this option.

The cafe/restaurant offer includes not only established operators, like McDonald’s and the Migros restaurant, but also new concepts including Papazziano, Sweet Life, and Wonderwaffel. A gym and wellness club measuring over 2,000 sq m provides the opportunity to train and relax.

MOS’s architecture was designed by Bern-based architects Burckhardt+Partner AG. The mall’s branding and interior design, which includes the so-called “jumping” facades that enable each tenant to create its own facade design, evocative of a city-center shopping street, were created by the Dusseldorf architects Schwitzke & Partner.