
Living at the discount store
The first Aldi apartments in Berlin and Potsdam are scheduled for completion in spring next year. Of the 2,000 apartments planned by the discount retailer, a third will be used as social housing. At €6.50 per square meter, the current city rate applies here. But the remaining apartments will not be rented at high prices either; at €10 to €12 per square meter, they will be below the average rent for new apartments in most Berlin neighborhoods. Even legal regulations such as Berlin's rent cap are not deterring discounters from building new apartments.
After all, the housing industry is by no means intended to become a new line of business for discounters such as Lidl and Aldi. The companies are simply looking to make better use of building land. This is because there is a shortage of land not only for residential but also for commercial purposes. Due to the ever-increasing shortage of living space, the city is tendering building land for residential projects rather than commercial space. Supermarket chains therefore have to get creative in order to expand their own branch networks. In addition to apartments, hotels and daycare centers are also being built above discount stores.
The combination of supermarket and residential building has several positive effects. It goes without saying that building apartments on top of discount stores leads to more effective use of space. But having a supermarket on the ground floor also makes perfect sense for residential construction. After all, apartments on the ground floor are often less popular due to the risk of burglary. Residents also have the advantage of having the supermarket right outside—or rather, below—their front door. This is a major benefit, especially for older people who depend on nearby amenities.
The idea is so obvious that one wonders why urban planners haven't been doing it forever. If there were a few apartments on the roof of every supermarket in crowded cities, hundreds of thousands of people could find a home there. In reality, however, the design of supermarket branches is made much more complex by the adjacent apartments. After all, residents should not be disturbed by loud cooling systems and night-time deliveries. New technologies must therefore be used to make supermarket logistics as quiet as possible. In Cologne, for example, Rewe participated in a research project with electric trucks.
Would you rather live in your own home than in a rented apartment above a discount store? Register now in our search database. We will inform you about suitable properties and help you find your dream home.
Photo: Aldi Nord