Man needs food and goods of daily use to secure his livelihood. What used to be a necessity has increasingly become a luxury over the course of time. Already since the antiquity one knows goods markets, from which the today well-known supermarkets and shopping centers developed. In an ancient market, numerous merchants gathered, usually in a central square in a city or town, and offered their goods for sale. Such traditional markets are still enjoyed by many people in some countries. In Italy, for example, this tradition is still lived in many places. Also in the Far East and Asia such markets are still widespread. Here in Switzerland, however, traditional markets have been largely displaced by modern supermarkets and shopping centers.
Whether market, supermarket or modern shopping center. The idea behind it is still the same: Retailers offer consumers as many different everyday necessities as possible in one central location. Whether food, consumer goods or luxury. The selection of products in today’s shopping centers is almost limitless. Thanks to the large selection offered by today’s shopping centers, customers interested in buying can check the quality and compare the price of the goods on offer directly on site. Based on these factors, customers can make the right purchase decision for them. Thanks to the large selection, customers can also discover new things that they didn’t even know existed. Thus, a shopping mall satisfies the needs of its customers in many ways, not only in terms of the need to stock up on essentials. Rather, in a shopping mall, consumers can also meet and get to know other people, exchange ideas, discover new and useful products, and stock up on all kinds of necessary and superfluous items.
The first shopping center in the world
Die Entwicklung vom antiken Warenmarkt bis hin zum modernen Einkaufszentrum ging fliessend. Aus dem antiken Markt entwickelten sich im 19. Jahrhundert zuerst innerstädtische Einkaufspassagen und Supermärkte. Beides kennt man noch heute, die 1867 in Mailand eröffnete Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II erfreut sich beispielsweise noch heute grosser Beliebtheit. Seit den 1930er Jahren entwickelten sich zuerst in den USA kleine Einkaufszentren. Als erstes modernes Einkaufszentrum der Welt gilt das 1956 eröffnete Southdale Center bei Minneapolis. Diesen Titel trägt es, weil es sich beim Southdale Center um das erste vollständig in einem Gebäude integriertes Einkaufszentrum handelt. Noch heute bieten dort über 100 Geschäfte auf über 120’000 Quadratmetern ihre Waren an.
Das erste Einkaufszentrum der Schweiz
The Shoppi Tivoli in Spreitenbach is considered Switzerland’s first modern shopping center. The Shoppi Spreitenbach was opened in 1970. Although the Shopping Center Schönbühl was opened in Lucerne 3 years earlier, with a sales area of only 6,600 sqm, it was not yet a real shopping mall on the American model, in contrast to the sales area of 25,000 sqm of the Shoppi Spreitenbach. In 2001, Shoppi Spreitenbach merged with Shopping Center Tivoli, which is located across the street, and since then has been operating under the joint name Shoppi Tivoli. The total area of the Shoppi Tivoli is 78,000 square meters, and today it is considered the largest shopping mall in Switzerland.
The first shopping center in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein still does not have a large shopping mall based on the American model. With a population of only 30,000, the catchment area for a shopping mall in Liechtenstein is simply far too small. The first shopping center with a sales area of around 4,000 square meters is the Mühleholzmarkt in Vaduz. The Mühleholz shopping center was opened in 2011 and offers 11 specialty stores.
