Minion (department store)
The Minion (ΜΙΝΙΟΝ) was an Athens department store between Patission and Doroustraße near Omonia Square . It played a dominant role in Athens' retail trade and was also used as an indicator of consumer behavior in Greece for decades.
history
The department store goes back to a pavilion opened in 1934 that functioned as a general store . The company's breakthrough came when the owner had the idea to sell consumer goods exclusively in bulk, but to be much cheaper than the competition. Light bulbs were only sold in packs of ten. Fixed prices and sales were also introduced. Soon the competition had copied the business model and was offering large packages themselves. In 1944 the entire capital was invested in the new building of the department store. More than 1000 people were already employed in the 1950s.
During the student uprising in 1973, some demonstrators fled into the building. The management immediately distributed smocks from the department store to protect the demonstrators from arrest. By the late 1970s, the entire block was owned by the Minion.
On December 19, 1980, a fire broke out in the building and caused great damage. The building was then renovated and reopened. In 1983 the company was nationalized after large amounts owed to state banks had accumulated, some of which resulted from the costly restructuring. In 1991 the former owner Ioannis Georgakas bought the company back and introduced the shop-in-shop concept. After his health suffered, he withdrew from the line. Until it was closed in 1998, it was no longer possible to run the company profitably.
The building has 6 floors, whereby the 6th floor was only used seasonally as a Christmas market. There was a supermarket in the basement and a restaurant on the fifth floor. At times, specialty shops and the like were also opened in the adjacent shops. a. opened for furniture and bicycles.
From the 1990s onwards, an increasing number of specialty stores opened in suburbs, while at the same time there was no investment in furnishing the department store. The Minion's competitors were previously the department stores of the Lampropoulos company and the medium-sized branches of the Klaoudatos company . For similar reasons, they no longer exist either; Lampropoulos later became the home accessories department store Notos Galleries . When it became apparent that the Minion would be closed, there was no broad public to support the company. It was only after the closure that there was a certain nostalgic reception in literature and in the features section.
After the closure, the sports chain Elmec Sports acquired the department store in order to reopen it after a renovation. The renovation was canceled after the chain was sold to Folli Follie . In 2011, architecture students developed an interim use. The new opening planned for 2012 was canceled due to the financial crisis.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Πολυκατάστημα "Μινιόν": Από τον μεταπολεμικό εμπορικό θρίαμβο στην οικονομική κατκονομική κατάραεοσηata της κατκ90 at greek τς ίε90 αεοση at τς ε90.
- ↑ Reinterpreting a void shell at greekarchitects.gr (English)
Coordinates: 37 ° 59 ′ 6.6 " N , 23 ° 43 ′ 45.4" E