Frauenfeld: Passage shopping center to be modernized
The 20,000 sqm retail and office complex has a new management and an additional tenant and is now to be renovated over a period of two years.
After 30 years of operation, the Passage shopping center at Bahnhofplatz 68-72 in Frauenfeld (TG) is to undergo a complete refurbishment and repositioning as a regional supply center. This has been decided by the two owners of the shopping center, Räschle Stiftung and Helvetia Schweizerische Lebensversicherungsgesellschaft AG. They plan to start construction work in mid-2025 once they have received the building permit. The renovation will take around 24 months.
After two years of construction, the shopping center was opened in September 1993 right next to the train station and a new building was added in 2007. The initiator of this project, which was rather unusually located for the time, was Josef Räschle at the end of the 1980s. He envisioned a local shopping center in the city center that would also be suitable for weekly shopping. The eponymous passageway through the shopping center, which connects Frauenfeld's old town with the train station, ensures footfall.
Migros no longer general tenant
From 1993 until the end of 2023, the Migros Cooperative Eastern Switzerland was the general tenant of the shopping center and was responsible for letting and operation. Since the beginning of 2024, it has continued to act as the anchor tenant, but is no longer the general tenant.
The current tenants of the shopping center have signed corresponding transitional rental agreements for the interim phase from January 2024 until the start of construction, i.e. during the implementation of the construction project. According to the owners, all spaces are also let for the period after completion, but not all of the existing tenants have decided to stay. One of the new tenants on the first floor is the discount chain Lidl Switzerland. The Migros supermarket and the Migros restaurant will be renovated at their respective locations. The Migros Club School will have additional classrooms and the Migros Take-Away will have a new location with direct access from Bahnhofplatz.
EBV manages
Since the beginning of 2024, EBV Immobilien AG has taken over the management of the shopping center on behalf of the owners. Following the termination of the general rental agreement with the Migros Ostschweiz cooperative, it was also responsible for re-letting the retail space. As part of the upcoming renovation project, it is also responsible for the client representation mandate.
Energy measures
As part of the refurbishment, the catering facilities will be expanded, the building services and elevator systems will be renewed and the building, including the flat roofs, will be renovated to make it more energy-efficient. Adjustments to fire protection and structural requirements as well as a new energy supply system using district heating, heat recovery for heating and hot water production are also part of the measures. The customer toilets will also be relocated. The general planning team led by W+P Weber und Partner W from Will (SG) is responsible for the planning. The work should be completed by mid-2027.
The center comprises lettable retail space of 10,790 sqm, storage space of 3,380 sqm and a total of 3,594 sqm for offices, surgeries, training and social rooms. A total of 1,746 sqm is available for building services. (aw)
