Shops closed, bars closed, people staying at home: the future of city centers will soon look a lot like the Christmas season. Unfortunately there is no prospect of a New Year’s Eve.
In the weeks before Christmas there was once again a lot of activity in the Karstadt department store on Wilmersdorfer Straße in Berlin. There were long queues at the checkouts and empty shelves. But that wasn’t so much about Christmas, it was more about: “Everything has to go, we’re closing this branch.” Sales mood to say goodbye.