Why Did GM Move to Ren Ctr & Leave Cadillac Place?

[Zacha341]

I think part of the retail shopping is the perception that ther5e is no parking at the Ren Cen.

I earned some of my best parking tickets in that area back in the 80's and 90's trying to beat the meter maid/ man or paying a fortune to find deck parking when available or walking too far to get to the building from parking off site. Those combined experiences branded in my mind that it was too much effort to shop in there.

Also the early 5 - 6 pm closing of shops in general downtown was/ is a turn off. It's as though the shops only catered to "working" hours only. And for those working in the buildings... and as less people worked in the offices and buildings sales slumped.

I think this is turning around a bit with GM's increased presence. Now what will become of the original GM building up on West Gran Blvd.?

I don't think you can blame the lack of retail on GM per se, they tried to get lots there, remember under GM the RenCen added was Brooks Brothers, Casual Corner, Pangborn, Seldom Blues Asian Village, Community Choice Credit Union, GMAC, and a whole slew of others that have closed.

The reality is that Metro Detroit is a very hard market for retail and I'm sure that these spaces don't come cheap due to their address. Lets face it, in addition the building is also less occupied than it was when GM first took it over. Less people in the place on a regular basis makes it harder for businesses to survive. I think its great that Andiamo is talking about expanding into Seldom Blues space. Andiamo has better management due to having fewer partners and a proven track record.