Magna Plaza Shopping Centre
Shopping in the post office, or to be more correct in the former post-office, meant shopping in style. Magna Plaza once the shopping highlight in Amsterdam is now a ghost town. Today, this shopping mall struggles with vacancies and stalled plans.
This grand edifice was built at the turn of the twentieth century as the main post office in Amsterdam. Its turreted exterior and ornate interior provoked outrage when it was first opened. Today, it is of interest for lovers of architecture but very disappointing for shopping enthusiasts. The mall is a shadow of its former self
Once bustling, now virtually empty
Magna Plaza, the monumental building behind the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, was once one of the city’s most vibrant shopping centres.
In the early 1990s, it opened as a luxury shopping mall with some fifty shops. It was the backdrop for TV shows and hosted all sorts of concerts from Gordon to Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez.
During the first ten or fifteen years, Magna Plaza was booming and business was thriving.
Today, only six shops remain. The upper floors are closed, filled with construction debris from a renovation that has been stalled for quite some time.
The renovation intended to combine shops and restaurants on the ground floor with office space on the upper floors.
Foodcourt brought hope, but was short-lived
In 2019, the opening of a food court brought a revival. Retailers saw their sales increase. But due to the corona virus pandemic, the food court quickly closed again, after which the building vacated once more. Since then, visitor numbers have halved, and no new stores have opened.
High rents, few shoppers
Despite the vacant shops, business owners are still paying high rents. Some recently switched to permanent contracts, hoping for new business after the renovation.
Now that that plan has stalled, they are facing financial pressure and declining sales. Complaints about closed entrances, a lack of catering facilities, and an unattractive interior are piling up
Retailers remain hopeful
Despite all the problems, the business owners have no plans to leave. They believe in the building’s potential. Magna Plaza is a monument in the heart of Amsterdam with unparalleled allure.
With the right vision, it can become a vibrant place again. The location, the building, and its history still make it a place with enormous potential.
Location
Magna Plaza is located in the former Amsterdam Main Post Office, which opened in 1899 on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal. A century later, the building became too small and the Dutch Postal Service, PTT, sold it in 1988 to Swedish real estate magnate Lars Magnusson, who transformed it into a luxury shopping centre and named it after himself.
Address: Magna Plaza Shopping Centre, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal at the corner of Raadhuisstraat and Spuistraat
