Store gallery: Rotterdam’s Markthal is a store design showstopper

This may not be exactly a store, but the newly opened Markthal in Rotterdam is home to both traditional retailers and market-style traders and is a building for which the term ‘mixed-use’ might have been created.

From its curving form to the giant floral patterns on the ceiling, the structure is a showstopper in its own right. It is the combination of housing in the building’s curve, a market hall with eateries and more mainstream retailers on the exterior and in the lower level that makes this remarkable.

It is possible that shoppers might make their way here solely in search of market fresh produce, but it seems pretty unlikely that they’d leave it at that.

Instead, taking a coffee, having lunch or just snacking are going to be part of the picture and when finished it’s back to the under-market car park. And there’s an Albert Heijn branch for those in need of a supermarket fix.