City centers are in competition with the green countryside: In the one place you find quirky alleyways and a homey atmosphere – the other place offers large shopping centers with free parking spots. Many retailers view monument protection as an obstacle. Oftentimes it’s old-established family businesses that remodel their stores with a lot of love – and even more money. But how do you bring large modern shopping areas into the old city centers?

Monument protection is not just “beautiful“, but also an important economic factor. Dr. Ursula Schirmer of the German Foundation for Monument Protection holds this view. In this EuroShop interview the art historian describes what makes cities unique and where customers feel comfortable. What’s worth protecting and how things should be restored, is viewed differently in the course of time. For instance awareness for the quality of good architecture of the fifties and sixties is slowly growing. If retail designs its renovations carefully, monument protection is not turning into an obstacle.

The worlds of fashion and lifestyle, the hospitality industry, hotels, law offices, medical practices and offices are the core areas of Lang Shop & Objekt from Dortmund, Germany. “We avoid a uniform sign language, “ says owner …. Lang. It’s about the unique features of the respective customer. We asked him about opportunities and problems with landmarked buildings.