50 years of Shoppi Tivoli Spreitenbach
The Shoppi Tivoli in Spreitenbach opened 50 years ago - as the first shopping center in Switzerland. Built entirely in the American style, it now attracts around 4.5 million visitors a year. A conversation with the center manager Patrick Stäuble about the past and the future.
Patrick Stäuble, the chairman of the management and center manager of the Shoppi Tivoli, is 51 years old. The Shoppi Tivoli celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. A lot has changed since 1970: “When it opened, the shopping center had 50 shops. Today over 450 brands are represented », says the boss. The leisure activities have also changed – what used to be the bowling alley is now the fitness center or the wide range of restaurants. The Shoppi Tivoli is undisputedly important for Spreitenbach: "It was like a UFO that landed 50 years ago in the middle of the farming village," says Stäuble.
The Shoppi Tivoli was the first shopping center in Switzerland – a pioneering achievement. To understand that it was built in Spreitenbach of all places, you have to take a look at history: it was the local planner at the time, Klaus Scheifele, who in the 1950s designed the structure plan for the construction of the new Spreitenbach together with other experts. On the basis of the Athens Charter – the urban development manifesto by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier. The idea was so well received by planners, politicians and investors that it triggered a real construction boom.
A shopping center was also included in this structure plan. Karl Schweri, the then Denner boss, secured the land intended for this through his real estate fund and was looking for an architect with experience in America. The Swiss Walter Hunziker got in touch, who had lived in the USA for ten years and obtained a diploma as an architect and urban planner there. Together with the economist Fritz Frey, he founded Transplan AG and began planning a new city center in Spreitenbach in 1962. The «Shoppi» opened eight years later. Up to this point in time the place could triple its population. “At that time Spreitenbach also attracted many couples who were not married. Cohabiting was forbidden in Zurich, but not in the canton of Aargau, ”explains Stäuble.
Hunziker had great visions – not all of which could be implemented. The aim was to grow to 30,000 inhabitants – in 2020 there will be a little over 10,000 who will live in Spreitenbach. With its rapid development and the many high-rise buildings, the former farming village has attracted many foreign residents. "Spreitenbach has got a certain reputation," says Stäuble. The municipality can score points with a beautiful village center in the upper area and the modern high-rise buildings and of course the Shoppi Tivoli in the new part. But the signs are not bad that Spreitenbach will manage the turnaround after all – a lot is being built again at the moment. The center manager is happy about projects such as “Tivoli Garden” with 320 apartments: “That also attracts a lot of people who appreciate having the shopping center right next door.” The center manager finds it a shame that the “Neumatt” project, which would have bordered directly on the Shoppi Tivoli, was rejected: “I think this is a missed opportunity for Spreitenbach. But it is probably just a bit much for the population with the construction of the Limmattalbahn and the Tivoli Gardens. I think the project was good, only the timing was bad. "
In general, Stäuble assumes that Spreitenbach will position itself ideally in the city on the Limmat. The Limmatstadt has the important task of connecting the Limmat Valley across the canton border. The Limmattalbahn is also important for this. “This connection is important for us as well as for the next generation. People settle where there are good public transport connections and a wide range of leisure and dining options. " And especially the younger people don't care whether they live in Aargau or Zurich now. "They want to be where life happens, where they can spend their free time the way they want." Spreitenbach offers ideal conditions for this. Not least because of the Shoppi Tivoli, which has 4.5 million visitors annually. During the week up to 15,000 visitors come every day, on a weekend that could be 38,000, says Stäuble: “We are still a weekend center. A visit to the Shoppi Tivoli is a leisure activity, you can stroll, shop and take the whole family with you. Both the CenterMall and the TivoliMall have been rebuilt or rebuilt in recent years. "Several hundred million have been invested – the Shoppi is now equipped with international brands and a large range of leisure and gastronomy options and is therefore fit for the future," Stäuble is convinced. A shopping center is never finished. The trends today would be in the direction of leisure, cosmetics and services. “This is an ongoing process and we have to face it. But it certainly no longer needs major investments, now all that is needed is all-round development. " And there will also be transformations in terms of digitization. “I think it's going to be a combination of online and offline. So, for example, that I can choose my jeans in a store, but then don't have to drag the bag home, but the pants are delivered straight to my home the next day. "
"Shopping
wearing a mask is not an experience. "
The question of the future also arises with regard to the corona pandemic. This hit the Shoppi Tivoli hard. But the lockdown got off to a good start: “There are industries that have recovered practically 100 percent. But the textile industry in particular will not be able to make up for the loss, ”explains Stäuble. Severely affected tenants have been exempted from 50 percent of the rent.
While the canton of Zurich has made it mandatory to wear a mask in shops, you can still shop mask-free in the canton of Aargau. Stäuble does not notice an increased influx of people from Zurich who prefer to go without a mask: “Nevertheless, I am very happy that we do not have to wear a mask. Shopping in this size is an experience. We sell emotions – that's just more difficult with a mask. We have over 1400 employees – and we don't have a single corona infection on the seller side. The people here are on the move and not in long contact with one another. "
So Stäuble looks to the future with confidence. Even if he still sees a few to-do's on a political level. For example, the implementation of longer opening times and more Sunday sales. “The saleswomen therefore no longer work or no longer work, only in other shifts,” the boss disproves a counter-argument that has been put forward many times. With the continued emergence of a «Limmat city», progress is also required on a political level. The center manager could even imagine that one day the Shoppi Tivoli will be called “Shoppi Tivoli Limmatstadt”. ■