Outlet Center in Selb is going from strength to strength

In the new outlet center in Selb, champagne corks are currently popping at regular intervals. As announced, new shops are continuously opening in the kiln hall of the former Heinrich porcelain factory. The latest addition is “Möve” – the traditional German producer of high-quality terry products moved in as a new tenant on June 28, 2019. A few days earlier, “Goebel” opened its doors for the first time. In the weeks since the soft opening on April 11, the chocolate manufacturer “Lindt” and the more than 270-year-old traditional company “Villeroy & Boch” also joined the already existing shops of “BHS Tabletop”, “Tefal”, “WMF”, “Der Schuhladen”, “Nina von C.” and “Ravensburger”. At the same time, this week “Season Family” took advantage of an interim space to present its delicacies from the manufactory already. The regional gastronomy provider from Hof will move into the reserved space in the outlet at a later date after necessary reconstruction measures. In about a fortnight, the “Factoria” will complete its shop fitting in order to welcome its first visitors. “Further tenants for the shop units, which vary from 90 to 650 sq m, have already been confirmed. As soon as we get the green light, we’ll announce them,” explains center manager Petra Dierck. As planned, all 17 brand stores in the Ofenhalle with a total sales area of 3,500 sq m will be occupied by the end of summer.

The outlet center has awakened the former porcelain factory from its slumber. Here the impossible has been achieved: to combine the partly listed substance of industrial culture with the modern, light-flooded architecture of the shops to form a harmonious overall picture. The 5,000 sq m kiln hall is certainly the heart and soul of the large shopping world for all bargain hunters, which is being built here in several stages. This building, which has been completely renovated, is currently the focus of Germany’s largest outlet construction site. All around, the demolition work of the surrounding old factory buildings is in full swing. And then the construction of the new shopping world will follow. At the outlet, which will be expanded by almost 70 percent, up to 65 shops including restaurants will be offering everything the heart desires on around 12,000 sq m from next autumn. In the near future, the center will also subsequently merge with the city center of Selb and become one of the largest outlets in Germany.

But it is not only the center that is gradually expanding, the number of employees on the administrative level is also growing. Angelina Michel, an assistant for center management, was hired at the beginning of June. A marketing manager joins the team in August. And contracts have already been signed with another marketing expert and a specialist for tourism acquisition. “We have created a position whose sole task will be to present and promote the outlet as a destination in tourism offices and travel centers at home and abroad. Furthermore, we are currently looking for a retail manager who plans, organises and monitors all business activities,” emphasises Dierck. So nothing stands in the way of its future success. That’s also what the figures indicate: For example, if you take the usual arrival times of 30 to 90 minutes for outlet customers, Selb has the potential to attract millions of visitors. These do not only stem from the region, but also directly from across the border where the highly frequented health resorts of Karlsbad, Marienbad and Franzensbad are located. The catchment area comprises 4.2 million inhabitants with a project-relevant purchasing power volume of 5.2 billion euros and a journey time of one and a half hours.

About the Outlet-Center in Selb

Selb with its 16,000 inhabitants is located in the north-east of Bavaria – in the inner-German border triangle between Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony. From here it is only five kilometres to the Czech Republic. The famous and traditional health resorts from the West Bohemian spa triangle Karlsbad, Marienbad and Franzensbad are no further than 70 kilometres from Selb. The Upper Franconian town is inseparably linked to porcelain production, but six ‘hidden champions’ are also developing world brands in various areas of industry here.

The outlet center is located in the former production halls of the long-established Selb porcelain manufactory Heinrich. By autumn 2020, the existing center will have been expanded by almost 70 percent of the sales area – from the current 5,000 sq m to around 12,000 sq m. Around 65 brand shops will attract customers from near and far. The shopping experience will be complemented by a varied gastronomy, where young and old can enjoy the many culinary delights.

All existing buildings will be renovated during the inner-city redevelopment, and the newly constructed areas will be available by mid-2020. At the same time, the parking space will be increased by up to 12,000 sq m to around 2,000 parking spaces. In the future, the center will be linked to the Selb city center and developed into one of the largest outlets in Germany. Eventually, a special kind of shopping world will have been created here, where customers can shop to their heart’s content and have a great time.