21-04-2022 in Bicycle trade

New Veloland Brand building: "The bicycle is always the focus"

Interview with client Nastassja Brand

In a few days, the new two-wheeler dealership will open in Wiesloch, Baden-Württemberg Veloland Brand. In addition to the sales area, an office building, a warehouse and a workshop were built according to SHA’s plans on a site area of around 5,000 square meters. Owner Nastassja Brand describes how the new building for the former specialist bicycle store “Peter Brand” took shape in an interview with SHA.

Ms. Brand, the sales area of your store alone is growing from just under 200 m² to around 1,000 m². Why did you want to expand?

“Apart from a few renovations, my parents’ store has remained virtually unchanged since 1980. When I decided to take over the company in 2018, I knew one thing for sure: it can’t stay the way it is – we absolutely have to expand. Employees step on each other’s toes, customers wait too long for workshop appointments. We want to present and stock more bikes and also need more space for office work, sanitary facilities and more.”

So it’s a complete package. They already had a plot of land and an architect for the new building. Why did you switch to SHA?

“Originally, an oval, three-storey building was planned. Medical practices and other tenants would also have been accommodated there. It was a nice design, but ultimately a “distraction” from the actual bicycle trade.

The ZEG Zweirad-Einkaufs-Genossenschaft then offered support, which is how the contact with SHA came about. The discussions have brought us back to the essentials:

We want to sell bicycles.”

What happened next?

“The SHA-Team showed that new planning was needed to optimize the basic processes in a two-wheeler dealership – walkways, workshop areas, storage and much more – from the outset. SHA has managed to develop a building that puts the bicycle trade at the center and leaves out everything superfluous. The whole project quickly became a sure-fire success.

I am glad to have the office by my side. It manages project development with industry knowledge, and I can continue to concentrate on my core business. The planning team really went the extra mile and took care of everything from A-Z. And on the construction site, the site management represents my interests as the client excellently. No matter when I dealt with SHA, it was always highly professional, extremely transparent and never complicated. Short distances, clear and simple agreements: that’s how it works best.”

That sounds good – but surely there were one or two challenges on the way to the new building?

“As the site is located at the “entrance to the town” of Wiesloch, the local council wanted a prestigious building; it initially feared a simple construction hall. Fortunately, we were able to dispel these concerns together in many open discussions with the city and convince them with SHA’s design, so that the challenges were quickly overcome. The building is now recognizable from the outside as a bicycle shop. The façade plays with the bicycle theme without creating a “garish” billboard. We are all very much looking forward to the opening on April 30!

Thank you very much for the interview!

Photo Nastassja Brand: private