Kroonenberg Groep has reached an agreement with The Sting Companies for the lease of property in de Barones in Breda. The leased property consists of a retail space of approx. 7400 m² divided between the ground and first floors. The shop will have entrances both inside the shopping centre and on Karrestraat; it will open on 9 July 2020.

De KOOPman is just one of the retail chains owned by The Sting Companies; others include The Sting, Costes and Cotton Club. De KOOPman will sell brands such as Stage 55, Non Grada, Sutherland, O’Bleu and Miss America at highly competitive prices.

This beautifully designed fashion shop featuring spacious fitting rooms and shopping aisles

will take up two floors of the retail space formerly occupied by Hudson’s Bay. Kroonenberg Groep is currently looking into the possibilities for the use of the entire building which provides a total of approx. 16,600 m².

In addition to De KOOPman, De Barones also accommodates other chain stores including The Sting, Pull&Bear, Bershka, Etos and Sissy Boy.  This shopping centre has a spacious layout and has been completely modified to comply with the current social distancing measures.

Both Kroonenberg Groep and The Sting Companies were advised by KroesePaternotte.

Kroonenberg Groep and ProWinko have submitted a request for a building permit to the authorities in Toronto for a new piece of landmark architecture to be located in the centre of this Canadian city. The plan is to develop an 87-storey building at 1200 Bay Street.

Herzog & de Meuron, a Swiss architectural firm which had previously won the Pritzer Prize, will design the tower. Quadrangle, a Canadian architectural firm, will lend Herzog & de Meuron local assistance.

The design of this slender tower is characterised by having a facade running north to south which is three times the width of the one running from east to west. The building will be a steel structure encased in glass.

The first 15 floors are intended for office and retail use. Located above them will be 332 apartments distributed over 64 floors. These apartments will be equipped with floor-to-ceiling glass facades; an innovation includes windows that can be opened to admit fresh air.

The three floors on top of the building are being reserved for public facilities including a restaurant and an observation deck.

This is the first development project in Canada for Kroonenberg Groep. ProWinko, which has been active in Toronto since 2006 and also has offices in this city, will complete another of its projects this year: the Ace Hotel.

Kroonenberg Groep and ProWinko have owned the existing retail and office building at 1200 Bay Street since 2016.

Kroonenberg Group has made adjustments to its three shopping centres – Gelderlandplein shopping centre in Amsterdam, the Barones in Breda, and Hilvertshof in Hilversum – to meet the social distancing measures that are now required to keep everyone at least 1.5 metres apart.

The first important consideration in this regard was to introduce a clear pedestrian routing system by means of floor stickers. In this way, the shopping public can safely navigate through the shopping centre. Since the basic design for the shopping centres was already spacious, all the walkways can easily accommodate a two-way pedestrian route. When entering the shopping centre, visitors are informed of this clearly marked routing system and will find it very easy to follow.

They will then notice the ‘wait here’ stickers including the shop’s logo that have been created for each shop. It is thus clear to visitors as to where they should wait once that store’s quota for visitors has been reached.

Lesley Bamberger, CEO, Kroonenberg Groep: ‘Together with the entrepreneurs, we determined how many stickers they would need as well as where the stickers should be placed as based on the routing system and the amount of space in the mall. This will allow visitors to wait their turn while passers-by can safely go on their way.’

In addition to these visible measures, some less conspicuous measures have been taken as well. Cleaning personnel may not always be clearly visible in the various centres but they are now making more frequent rounds and paying extra attention to their cleaning duties. The toilets are also being cleaned more frequently on an ongoing basis. Convenience and hygiene are thus top priorities. Hand cleanser dispensers are also available at central locations in the centres.

To communicate the new measures, Kroonenberg Groep has hired hostesses to draw visitors’ attention to the new routing system. Last week, the hostesses at Gelderlandplein wore a 1.5-metre shield around themselves: an amusing way of making people even more aware of what 1.5 metres looks like. During more busy times in the centres, the hostesses will be available, when needed, to draw the public’s attention to the ‘wait here’ stickers and to help alleviate any bottlenecks. Security personnel will also be on hand at all times to keep an eye on things.

Lesley Bamberger: ‘We want the shopping public to feel safe while shopping, so we’re doing everything possible to give them this feeling. Considering the positive reactions we have received until now, I think we are succeeding very well. Along with our on-site property managers, we are also remaining alert to current developments so that we can adapt quickly should we have to take extra measures.’

Kroonenberg Groep has reached an agreement with a private investor for the sale of its properties at Marktstraat 10 and 12 and Noorderhagen 2A in Enschede. These buildings, located in the city centre of Enschede, provide a total surface area of approx. 5,000 m². The transfer took place on 27 February 2020.

All three buildings had been leased on a long-term basis by The Game Box (a family entertainment centre), Snooker & Poolcentrum Enschede, and bookshop Broekhuis Twente.

For this transaction, Kroonenberg Group was advised by Uniek Makelaars. The buyer received legal advice from Notariskantoor Scherfke.

Property developer Boelens de Gruyter has acquired Berghaus Plaza, an office building in close proximity to the Amsterdam World Fashion Centre in Amsterdam-West, from Kroonenberg Groep. Boelens de Gruyter already owned The Fashion House and Modrôme, two office buildings adjacent to Berghaus Plaza. Now, the property developer will be creating a new residential area consisting of around 600 homes located on top of these three office buildings.

‘We are pleased that acquiring Berghaus Plaza means we will be able to add around 600 urgently needed homes to Amsterdam’s housing stock’, says Maarten de Gruyter, Director, Boelens de Gruyter. The property developer acquired the office building together with its long-term partner and globally prominent property investor, Round Hill Capital.

A large part of these homes will be realised by building new homes on top of existing office buildings: we’re creating a new residential area over an existing urban district’, says Maarten de Gruyter. ‘At the same time, we’ll be making this area accessible and adding green space and facilities.’

The plan for this project includes connecting various parts of the area by means of bridges and also creating a public plaza. In addition, all the homes will be developed with sustainable features such as green roofs. KCAP Architects & Planners is responsible for the urban planning design. Architects are Heyligers Design + Projects and MVSA.

Lesley Bamberger, Managing Director of Kroonenberg Groep: ‘We decided to sell Berghaus Plaza instead of developing it ourselves due to the complexity of this project and how long it would take to develop it. We thank Boelens de Gruyter for the pleasant cooperation so far  and wish them much success.’

Photography: Studio de Nooyer

The property being leased provides approx. 177 m² of retail space on A.J. Ernststraat. The lease went into effect on 1 January. Following a brief installation period, FEBO will open its doors in mid-March.

FEBO was founded in 1942 by Johan de Borst, a pastry baker who soon focused on making croquettes. The demand for them was so great that he closed his shop in 1960 but continued the business as a chain of automats selling croquettes and other fresh fast-food items. The chain now has more than 70 locations and is still owned by family De Borst. The croquettes and hamburgers are still prepared fresh every day according to Grandpa De Borst’s original recipes and continuously monitored to make sure that the products are up to the same standard of quality as ever.

Kroonenberg Groep is advised by KroesePaternotte in leasing properties at Gelderlandplein.