About Us
The Location Group – 20 Years of Retail Intelligence
A New Era of Market Transparency
After a pause, the Retail Market Report returns. Not out of nostalgia, but out of conviction. Our goal remains unchanged: to create transparency in a market that is still dominated by a few players and remains opaque in key areas.
Over the past twenty years, we have systematically analysed Switzerland's prime locations. A compact market report has evolved into a 1,000+ page, internationally recognised market study. The consistent analysis of leases, tenant changes and sector structures created a fact-based decision-making foundation – for established retailers as well as new market entrants. The goal was never volume, but clarity.
The digitalisation of the industry was part of our work from the very beginning. The technological prerequisites were lacking then; today they are a reality. Advances in data processing and the use of AI-assisted analysis tools enable a new quality of market observation and comparability.
Regardless of position and perspective, for us: verifiable facts are decisive. The peak rent of CHF 13,000 per square metre for retail spaces of around 90–120 m², which we published in 2013 and 2014, still stands today. We are happy to provide corresponding references on request.
You don't win by following the stream, but by having the courage to chart your own course.
This attitude represents an approach that combines conviction with responsibility. For us, this means: precise analysis rather than short-term opinion, dialogue rather than dogma, substance rather than surface. With this experience, we resume this ambition – focused, independent and consistently developed.
Mastering the Art of Great Retail Spaces Since 2005
We believe that every location has a soul. Our mission is to find the perfect match between a brand and a space, and to create retail experiences that resonate with customers and lead to success.
Professional, committed and fair partnership
Powerful international network
Success of business transactions as the foundation for long-term relationships
Knowing when openness and action are appropriate and when discretion is required
“This ethic applies not only to business partners, but also to the public, competitors and all colleagues.”
„Success is not witchcraft. Money is on the street, you just have to bend down and pick it up.
20 Years of Experience with Prime Locations
Foundation
Marc-Christian Riebe founded 'Location Services' in 2005. Started as a subtenant in a law firm with his long-standing assistant Yurany Murillo at Bahnhofstrasse 58 in Zurich. First deals included Lacoste and Kiehl's on Rennweg. Expansion of Bonita in Switzerland (2006–2009).
International Breakthrough
Brought Gucci to Budapest and Munich. Began working with luxury brands across Europe, Japan and North America. First property sale on Rennweg in Zurich to a private investor.
Financial Crisis & Stabilisation
After 15 September 2008, most brands were cautious. Key deal: Victorinox flagship store on Rue du Marché in Geneva.
Expansion to London
Marc C. Riebe expanded to London with an office on South Molton Street. Moncler expansion: Amsterdam, Budapest, Lugano, Salzburg, St. Moritz, Vienna, Zermatt. Brunello Cucinelli expansion in Switzerland and Germany. Louis Vuitton Chalet Loertscher-Graa in Gstaad secured (2012). Moncler at Americana Manhasset, Long Island NY. Eres at Crystals Mall, Las Vegas (2013).
Restructuring
Brought Michael Kors to Basel, Geneva and Zurich (2014). Swiss franc shock on 15 January 2015 led to restructuring. Focus on the German retail market. Longchamp to Cologne, Richard Mille to Munich. Wolford moved from Maximilianstrasse to Dienerstrasse.
Before & During the Pandemic
Swiss confectionery Teuscher to KaDeWe Berlin and Theatinerstrasse Munich. Versace deal at Boulevard de la Croisette 65 in Cannes (before lockdown). Mandate for repositioning Bahnhofstrasse 52 in Zurich. Extension of Hublot boutique on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich (during lockdown).
Pret A Manger & Diversification
First two Pret A Manger stores in Zurich opened (a dream came true). Mandate from tattoo studio chain Giahi for sale and re-letting. Piercing studio Giada Ilardo at Bahnhofstrasse 70 in Zurich.
Further Expansion
Gucci flagship store on Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich. Philipp Plein flagship store at Boulevard de la Croisette 65 in Cannes. Plein Sport at Westfield Donauzentrum in Vienna.
New Era
Burger King flagship on Niederdorfstrasse in Zurich. Zimmermann on Augustinergasse. Hublot boutique on Bahnhofstrasse. Gisada fragrance boutique opening. Continued expansion across premium retail locations.
Successfully Placed Locations
As a specialised retail placement platform, we have successfully accompanied numerous store openings at Switzerland's prime locations – from international luxury brands to innovative Swiss concepts.
Hermès
Placement of Hermès in the historic Zeughauskeller building on Bahnhofstrasse. Iconic location for French luxury fashion and leather goods.
Gucci
Placement of Gucci on Bahnhofstrasse. Prime location for Italian luxury fashion and accessories.
Valentino
Placement of Valentino on Storchengasse. Prime location for Italian luxury fashion and accessories.
Zara
Historic placement of Zara on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse. Supporting the Spanish fashion chain's expansion into Switzerland's prime shopping street.
Zimmermann
First Swiss boutique of Australian luxury brand Zimmermann. Placement in the historic building for resort collections. Area: 150+ m².
Miramira
Placement of Miramira at Bahnhofstrasse 87. Prime location for curated fashion and accessories. Area: 30 m².
Blue Lemon
Placement of Swiss fashion chain Blue Lemon on Rennweg. Expansion with contemporary fashion in prime city centre location.
Subdued
Placement of Italian fashion brand Subdued in Basel. Expansion into Switzerland with young, urban fashion.
Brunello Cucinelli
Facilitated Brunello Cucinelli's expansion by taking over the Isaiah location. Extended presence in St. Moritz with prime cashmere.
Bogner
Placement of Bogner in the former D-Squared store at Schulhausplatz. Prime sportswear and ski clothing in the heart of St. Moritz.
KUJTEN
Placement of prime cashmere boutique KUJTEN in the former Galerie Bell Air Fine Art space. Strategic location on Via Maistra in the luxury segment.
Moncler
Placement of Moncler in Gstaad. Prime location on the Promenade for Italian luxury down jackets and alpine sportswear.
Brunello Cucinelli
Placement of Brunello Cucinelli in the former Boutique Attitude space. Strategic location for Italian luxury cashmere.
Louis Vuitton
Historic placement of Louis Vuitton in Gstaad. Positioning the French luxury brand in the exclusive alpine resort.
Moncler
Placement of Moncler in Zermatt. Strategic location for prime outerwear at the foot of the Matterhorn.
Valentino + Jimmy Choo
Placement of Valentino and Jimmy Choo in the Via Serlas Shopping Center. Strategic location for Italian luxury fashion and designer shoes.
Dsquared2
Placement of Canadian-Italian luxury brand Dsquared2 in St. Moritz. Optimal positioning in the alpine luxury segment.
Giorgio Armani
Placement of Giorgio Armani in St. Moritz. Optimal positioning of the Italian luxury brand in the exclusive alpine environment.
Moncler
Placement of Moncler in St. Moritz. Prime location for the French-Italian luxury down jacket brand in the alpine luxury hotspot.
Moncler
Placement of Moncler on Via Nassa in Lugano. Prime location for the luxury outerwear brand in Ticino.
Jimmy Choo
Placement of Jimmy Choo on Rue du Rhône. Prime location for British luxury shoes and accessories.
Loro Piana
Placement of Italian luxury cashmere brand Loro Piana on Rue du Rhône. Optimal positioning in Geneva's luxury shopping street.
Hublot
Placement of Hublot on Bahnhofstrasse with two locations. Prime locations for Swiss luxury watches and high-end timepieces.
Chopard
Placement of Chopard in the corner building on Bahnhofstrasse. Iconic location for Swiss luxury watches and high jewelry – one of the first TPLG deals.
Chopard
Placement of Chopard in St. Moritz. Prime location for Swiss luxury watches and high jewelry on Via Maistra.
Läderach
Placement of Läderach in the former Teuscher location at Bahnhofstrasse 46. 80 m² prime location for the Swiss chocolate brand with FrischSchoggi concept.
Confiserie Madeleine
Placement of the traditional Swiss confectionery on Rennweg. Prime chocolate and world-famous champagne truffles.
Bachmann
Placement of Bachmann in the former Pret A Manger location at Zurich main station. High-traffic location for the Swiss bakery chain. Area: 100 m².
Burger King
Placement of Burger King in Zurich's old town. Strategic location for quick service restaurant in historic context.
Burger King
Placement of strategic location at Place de la Gare near Hotel Continental for Burger King. High-traffic location directly at Lausanne main station.
McDonald's
Placement of McDonald's at Zurich main station. High-traffic location with modern facade and terrace.
LIDL
Placement of LIDL at Zurich main station. High-traffic location for the discount supermarket in urban context.
Pret A Manger
Placement of Pret A Manger at Paradeplatz. High-traffic location for British fast-casual concept with fresh sandwiches and coffee.
Vapiano
Placement of Italian fast-casual concept Vapiano in Zurich. Central location for the fresh-casual dining concept.
Rice-up
Placement of Swiss fast-casual concept Rice-up in the former Pret A Manger space. High-traffic location for Asian-inspired bowls and sushi. Area: 200+ m².
Gisada
First boutique of Swiss perfume brand Gisada on Bahnhofstrasse. Exclusive location for prime fragrances in elegant surroundings. Area: 60 m².
Otto's Beauty
Placement of Otto's Beauty Shop on Löwenstrasse. Prime location for beauty products and cosmetics.
Victorinox
Placement of Victorinox on Rue du Rhône. Strategic location for Swiss knives, watches and travel gear.
Sunrise
Placement of Sunrise in the corner building on Bahnhofstrasse. Strategic location for Swiss telecommunications and mobile services.
Success Stories from Our Portfolio
From challenge to solution – measurable results for our clients.
Storchengasse Transformation
Upgrading a side street off Bahnhofstrasse for international luxury brands.
Strategic positioning of Valentino as anchor tenant for Storchengasse.
Successful establishment of Storchengasse as a luxury destination with further international brands.
Läderach Zürich Bahnhofstrasse
Finding a new tenant for the historic Teuscher location at Bahnhofstrasse 46.
Placement of Läderach with FrischSchoggi concept as ideal successor for the 80 m² prime space.
Seamless handover of the space with increased visitor frequency through the innovative chocolate concept.
KUJTEN St. Moritz
Finding a new tenant for the Galerie Bell Air Fine Art space on Via Maistra in St. Moritz.
Placement of prime cashmere boutique KUJTEN as ideal successor for the luxury segment.
Optimal positioning of KUJTEN in the luxury segment of St. Moritz with increased revenue.
Bogner St. Moritz
Finding a new tenant for the former D-Squared store at Schulhausplatz in St. Moritz.
Placement of Bogner as ideal successor with prime sportswear and ski clothing.
Successful establishment of Bogner in the heart of St. Moritz with strong brand positioning.
Brunello Cucinelli St. Moritz
Expansion of Brunello Cucinelli in St. Moritz by taking over an existing location.
Strategic support of the expansion by taking over the Isaiah location.
Successful extension of Brunello Cucinelli's presence in St. Moritz with prime cashmere.
Grieder Bon Génie Interlaken
Finding a new tenant for the historic Grieder Bon Génie department store on Höheweg in Interlaken.
Exclusive mandate from the owner for finding a new tenant at the prominent location on the main tourist shopping street.
Ongoing exclusive mandate with 5 million visitors annually – enormous potential for retail concepts.
Brands We've Placed
Over 500 successful placements for the world's most prestigious brands across Europe's prime locations.
+ many more across 6 countries and 60+ cities
Three Platforms – One Data System
Store openings, rent trends and market analysis for the most important shopping streets in Switzerland and Germany.
retail-report.com ↗Store openings, vacancies and rents on interactive maps – for all major shopping streets in Europe.
Open Street Maps ↗Ownership structures, valuation trends and yield potential of the most important properties at Europe's prime locations.
Property Intelligence ↗Retail Intelligence in Dialogue
Interviews and insights with leading figures from retail, real estate and luxury – produced around 2012, when social media was still in its infancy. A niche format for industry specialists.
Jean-Claude Biver & Tanja Gutmann
Hublot CEO on luxury, location and success
Luigi Gajo – Savills
European retail markets and investment strategies
Retail Bahnhofstrasse Zürich
Switzerland's most important shopping street in focus
Luxury Retail Trends
Trends in European luxury retail
Swiss Retail Market
Swiss retail market analysis
Prime Locations Europe
Prime locations in Europe compared
Retail Real Estate Investment
Real estate investment in the retail segment
High Street vs. Shopping Mall
City centre locations vs. shopping centres
Future of Retail
The future of physical retail
Retail Intelligence for Your Portfolio
Use 20+ years of market expertise for your location decisions. Contact us for a no-obligation initial consultation.