Real estate company Redevco has said that the renovated C&A clothing store which re-opens in the German city of Mainz on Wednesday sets new standards for sustainability management in the large city-centre retail sector. The 6,500-m[sup]2[/sup] building, originally constructed in 1961, has undergone an extensive overhaul in the last 12 months to drastically reduce its energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Real estate company Redevco has said that the renovated C&A clothing store which re-opens in the German city of Mainz on Wednesday sets new standards for sustainability management in the large city-centre retail sector. The 6,500-m2 building, originally constructed in 1961, has undergone an extensive overhaul in the last 12 months to drastically reduce its energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

Redevco said the refitted building will use about 50% less electricity and 70% less heating fuel. The store will be carbon-neutral and has already been classified as 'very good’ under the European sustainability method BREEAM. The building has also been assessed under the latest German energy-saving regulation, ENEV 2007, and has been awarded an energy certification showing that its energy efficiency is greater than that required by ENEV for new buildings.

Redevco is a founding member of the German Sustainable Buildings Federation.

Redevco and clothing retail giant C&A are both part of Cofra Holding, a private company based in Switzerland controlled by the Dutch Brenninkmeijer family.