Responsible for the development, leasing and center management of ALEXA is Sonae Sierra, while the center is owned by an open-ended real estate fund of Union Investment.
ALEXA as a platform for innovative concepts
ALEXA has already made a name for itself throughout Germany for years as, among other things, a perfect supporter for newcomers, new business ideas and innovative store concepts. The center has proven time and again to be the ideal location for young companies to gain their first offline experience, test new ideas or enter the German market.
Scitec Nutrition, for example, celebrated its German premiere at ALEXA with its store for vitamin preparations and food supplements. The traditional Turkish family business Levent Börek opened its second Berlin branch in ALEXA in October. Revity launched its first virtual reality arcade at ALEXA in March 2022 and has now moved to a larger space within the center. The Viennese company Waterdrop, which produces fruit and plant extracts for water flavoring, started at ALEXA 2022 with a mall kiosk. mall kiosk and moved into its own signature store in August 2023. Two further exciting openings for the trend-conscious public at ALEXA include the Berlin street style fashion label 24colours and the first German Crafty Homes store for cricut and DIY.
Expansion: Rituals as a new flagship store and Berlin’s largest ONLY store
“What sets the ALEXA rental team apart? Flexibility, innovation and absolute determination to always find an optimal solution – whether for small or large companies, new or existing companies, new or existing tenants,” explains Dirk von der Ahé, Head of Letting Germany at Sonae Sierra.
Two further examples of how long-term tenants also benefit from the the overall success of ALEXA are the fashion label ONLY and the cosmetics company Rituals. Motivated by good sales, ONLY took the opportunity in 2023 to take over a vacant space adjacent to its own store, thereby expanding its fashion store to 525 sq m. ALEXA now has the largest Berlin ONLY store and can further underpin its fashion expertise. Also, the cosmetics company Rituals, which opened its very first store in Germany in the ALEXA, 15 years ago, had long wanted to expand. This year, the perfect space became available, the store moved within the center and positioned itself as Berlin’s new Rituals flagship store.
Best forecasts for 2024
Talks or concrete plans are also already underway with interesting retailers for 2024. The legendary French fashion and lifestyle brand Lacoste, for example, will open a store in ALEXA in the first half of the year. The online mattress retailer Emma – The Sleep Company has also already signed the rental agreement and chosen ALEXA as one of its first German locations for stationery retail.
