One in five retail properties in Lelystad is empty. The capital of Flevoland is the leader in terms of vacancy in the Netherlands, according to new research by real estate advisor Colliers. It is no surprise for Lelystad residents, there has been vacancy for years and has been a topic of discussion in politics. But why does it happen and what is being done about it?
The research shows that many shops in small city centers in particular remain vacant for long periods of time. This number is also increasing, last year it was 8 percent of the stores, now it is 8.3 percent. Since corona, people have been shopping more and more online and due to high costs for wages and rent, more and more entrepreneurs are closing their doors.
Things are generally better in large cities, where an average of 6.1 percent of buildings are vacant. Smaller cities mainly suffer from competition from larger cities, where people move to when they want to shop.
Exceptionally high
Cities of a comparable size to Lelystad have an average vacancy rate of 1 in 10 shops. The average vacancy rate in Lelystad is therefore exceptionally high. The research indicates that this is partly due to the Batavia Stad outlet center. Shoppers prefer to shop there than in the center of Lelystad. It is also easy to travel to Almere, where there are many more shops.
Shop properties often do not belong to the municipality, but to real estate investors. The municipality of Lelystad has given permission to various entrepreneurs to convert parts of the shopping center into homes.
This policy is partly the result of a study into vacancy in 2020. It was then investigated how empty buildings should be dealt with. One of the recommendations at the time was to create living space in the empty buildings. Several office buildings in the center are also being converted into homes.
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Little question
Previously, real estate investor Wouter Gorter said that he would prefer to rent shops to entrepreneurs, but that there is little demand for shop properties. Certainly not in quiet places in the city.
“We already have thousands of square meters empty,” he said at the time. “Suppose a retail chain were to opt for a new store, then they would go for the part where there are already many stores, in an A-location. Not here, where there are almost no shoppers anymore.”
