Dhe global assimilation of cities over the past few decades has meant that wherever you go, the same McSale shops are already there. The crisis in serial retail after the pandemic, with many department stores and shops closing, now offers the welcome chance of an end to this tourist déjà vu.
Because cities like Hamburg have discovered a recipe for everyone who doesn’t want to fall out of the shopping hypnosis of neon signs and into the depression of orphaned prime locations: pop-up stores. Shop spaces that suddenly cannot be rented (at least according to the return expectations of the real estate industry) create an idea of how diverse centers can be again through creative temporary uses. And for travelers who think they already know a city, it means there are new places to explore.