• “Superlative gastronomy format” at LAGO: opening in Q1 2024, first partial opening earlier
• For the total area of over 2,000 m² with panoramic views over the city, lake and Alps, Girlan Real Estate concludes a contract with the Soulkitchen Group from Austria, operator of seven successful gastronomy concepts

Extensive construction work has been carried out in recent months to open up three floors of the LAGO for the new “experience gastronomy with lake feeling”. Today, Girlan Immobilien is announcing details of the use together with the future operator. Girlan Immobilien GmbH, which has been in charge of center and property management at LAGO since it opened, has signed a contract with Soulkitchen – a company owned by Austrian restaurateur Heiner Raschhofer – to operate the 2,000+ sq. ft. space.

The innovative gastronomy concept will extend over three floors. “On every floor, there are impressive views toward the old town, Constance harbor and, of course, across Lake Constance – all the way to the Swiss and Austrian Alps in the border triangle,” says Peter Herrmann, center manager at LAGO. “The lake is and will remain the visual and communicative hub of LAGO. Our spaces with impressive panoramic views and the superlative gastronomy format developed by Soulkitchen Group create a new point of attraction far beyond the region.”

For LAGO, which is in the portfolio of Union Investment’s open-ended real estate fund “UniImmo:Global,” Girlan Immobilien’s goal is to further expand the quality of the stay and strengthen its positioning as an experience destination.

“We are convinced that, in the future, it will be high-quality shopping concepts in good locations with an event character that will enjoy lasting success. We are therefore looking forward to the further development of LAGO, which is already one of the best shopping centers in our Europe-wide portfolio,” says Lars Richter, Head of Asset Management Retail at Union Investment.

First partial opening with the concept “Glorious Butcher – A Little Burger Bastard” on the 2nd floor next to the cinema

Experienced and multiple award-winning partner will be the Soulkitchen Group, founded by Heiner Raschhofer, which is considered a pioneer of branded gastronomy. With around 400 employees – the “soulmates” – the group operates 26 restaurants with different brands, regularly develops new concepts and runs an in-house training and development program with the Soulkitchen Academy, founded in 2013. The Soulkitchen Group has been awarded several times with the “Golden Palm” of the Leaders Club for the best restaurant concept as well as “Top Employer 2023” (Rolling Pin Award for gastronomy and hotel industry) and “Best Employer 2022” (falstaff Profi).

“We already know LAGO through our successful collaboration at my Indigo,” says Heiner Raschhofer. “But the spaces on the 2nd and 4th floors with that unique panoramic view did it for us at first sight.” They were enthusiastic about the vision that center manager Peter Herrmann had for the space of the former gym, he said. “And we were on fire to saddle up to it with our own vision of a unique lifestyle gastronomy,” Raschhofer adds.

The first section of the new gastronomy format on the 2nd floor directly next to the entrance to the cinema will be accessible in the foreseeable future. The Soulkitchen Group is opening Germany’s first “Glorious Butcher” there, promising “premium burgers with a view” over the emerging Bahnhof Boulevard, downtown and the lake. More details will be announced by Girlan, the LAGO and Soulkitchen in the coming weeks. The other areas, each with its own Soulkitchen concept, will open in the first quarter of 2024.

The reprinting of the attached image material is free of charge. Image rights: LAGO Shopping Center

• Photo by Peter Herrmann and Heiner Raschhofer:
  BU: Visionaries of the unique lifestyle gastronomy at LAGO: Peter Herrmann, LAGO Center Manager (r.), and Heiner Raschhofer, founder and owner of the Soulkitchen Group (l.). (Photo: Aurelia Scherrer)
  
• LAGO Outlook:
  BU: First taste of the panoramic view in the new lifestyle gastronomy of the Soulkitchen Group at LAGO.
  
• LAGO Exterior:
  BU: Girlan Immobilien takes the quality of stay and the positioning as an experience destination to the next level at LAGO. (Photo: Henning Kreft)
  

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About Soulkitchen Group

The Soulkitchen Group stands for more than 30 years of successful gastronomy history. The five innovative gastronomy concepts with around 400 employees and 26 locations in Austria and Germany combine a food and lifestyle experience full of energy and joie de vivre. Founder and owner Heiner Raschhofer’s best-known brands include Glorious Bastards, Glorious Butcher, SZENE Lokal, as well as the healthy premium fast-food concept my Indigo and son Niko Raschhofer’s vegan-vegetarian concept the naked Indigo. www.soulkitchen.world

About UnionInvestment

Union Investment has stood for forward-looking real estate investments and active asset management worldwide for more than 55 years. With assets under management in open-ended mutual property funds, special funds, and service and bundling mandates totaling around EUR 56.8 billion, Union Investment is one of the leading real estate investment managers in Europe. Union Investment currently holds around 500 properties in 26 countries worldwide in its actively managed portfolio. Its real estate investments focus on the office, retail, hotel, logistics, residential and mixed-use sectors. Info: www.union-investment.de/realestate

About LAGO Shopping Center

With more than 70 stores, cafés and restaurants, the LAGO shopping center is one of the largest and most modern on Lake Constance. It is located in close proximity to the historic Old Town, within walking distance of the train station and harbor, and attracts more than 10 million visitors annually. As a hybrid shopping center, it not only offers retail, gastronomy and services under one roof, but is also a place for culture and leisure. Store operators at LAGO benefit from its impact as a destination and experience. LAGO has already received several awards and for years has ranked among the most successful in the competition “Germany’s Best Shopping Center” (see Shopping Center Performance Report Germany). The Union Investment property is managed by Girlan Immobilien Management GmbH. www.lago-konstanz.de