Area Overview

Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populated federal state and part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. With more than ten million inhabitants the Rhine-Ruhr region is one of Europe’s five largest agglomerations, centrally located in the continent. Its infrastructure and transport connections are outstanding.

Düsseldorf is Germany’s fashion hub, with more than two thousand wholesalers and more than four thousand retailers. Other important industries are media, consulting and manufacturing – the latter mostly represented by headquarters and branch offices of global corporations. Overall, Düsseldorf benefits from a well-diversified economy and offers a high quality of life with a vibrant nightlife and restaurant landscape, an important art scene and a diverse range of leisure activities.

Markets

OFFICE

With an office stock of some 9.4 million square meters, Düsseldorf is part of Germany’s top five office markets. Based on a well-diversified economy and enjoying overall economic growth, Düsseldorf’s office market reaches stable to strong annual letting volumes. Office vacancy continues to decrease while prime rents are under upward pressure and average rents are moving upwards. Düsseldorf’s most sought-after submarkets are Banking District, CBD, Media Harbour, Kennedydamm and Airport City.

RETAIL

Given its reputation as fashion hotspot in Germany, Düsseldorf is one of the country’s most desirable retail locations, especially in the luxury segment. Strong purchasing power indicators keep Düsseldorf in focus of national and international retailers. One of Germany’s most well-known luxury prime destinations is Königsallee, a top retail location for international luxury brands. Adjacent Schadowstrasse caters mostly for the mid-market segment and shows high retail chain penetration. The area around Flinger Strasse targets a young, urban crowd. Düsseldorf’s retail landscape has a strong focus on the CBD including high-street and shopping center retail. 

INDUSTRIAL

Located in one of Europe’s most densely populated major agglomerations, stretching from the East of the Ruhr Valley to the West of Amsterdam, Düsseldorf is an important logistics hub in Germany. The region’s road and train network is extremely dense and provides very good connections to the Benelux and further to the East and South of Germany. Moreover, the river Rhine offers important  opportunities for modal split. Two inland ports are located within Düsseldorf’s market area. Düsseldorf International Airport is another high-demand logistics location.

INVESTMENT

As the political center of North-Rhine Westphalia, with an international, broad-based economy, Düsseldorf is well in the focus of national and foreign investors. In the recent past, the dominate segment has been office, followed by retail and industrial/logistics.