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Milestone for Albert Heijn with the opening of the second XL store in The Hague

29 July 2020

Wednesday July 29 is the big day! During the official and festive opening, retail chain Albert Heijn (AH) will complete an intensive period of its store expansion in shopping centre De Savornin Lohmanplein. More than 1,000 square meters of floor space has been added to realize the ambition of the AH, to open the second XL store in The Hague. The presence of Albert Heijn in the shopping centre is one of the most important pillars. A shopping centre that already fulfils a multifunctional role in the neighbourhood thanks to the variety of facilities including shops, service providers and leisure.

Nothing is left untouched in ‘t SAV

Realization of the expansion of the supermarket chain AH does not stand on its own. Urban Interest has been working in phases since 2015 on improving the quality of the shopping area and optimizing the mix of living, working and shopping. With the transformation of the traditionally known Thorbecke office tower into the ultramodern Bellavista residential complex as the starting signal (phase 1). 116 apartments were built in this complex. The building, a former gray and vacant office colossus, now has a beautifully fresh appearance with many glass details, open balconies and a welcoming appearance. The complex appeals to a new resident target group and thus brings even more diversity to the neighbourhood.

Phased result

A substantial expansion of the shopping centre is central to the 2nd phase of the area development, including the expansion of Albert Heijn. By relocating Scholtes Notenshop and the Strawberry farmer, the supermarket will have a spacious entrance in the passage. Etos has also been relocated and enlarged and Pour Vous has been added new to the shopping centre. The Health Spa has been given more space and the entrance has been moved to the street side. The passage will get a completely new floor and the facade of the shopping complex will also receive a qualitative upgrade.

Urban Interest remains ambitious, in phase 3 supermarket chain ALDI will also be expanded considerably. And because the shopping centre also has an older visitor target group, our team of real estate specialists has decided to further optimize access to the car parking deck. This parking deck will be completely renovated and lifts will be replaced by so-called tapis roulant treadmills, so that visitors can easily reach different levels in ‘t SAV with their shopping trolleys.

The complete renovation is expected to be completed by mid-2021.

Find out more?

To find out more about De Savornin Lohmanplein, please contact our real estate specialist Dolf Mook, you can read more about our involvement in the case description in our portfolio.

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