MediaMarktSaturn Presents Ambitious Plans for 'Space-as-a-Service' Concepts
– 2 min read
The German retail chain MediaMarktSaturn is planning a massive expansion of its Experience Zones and Entrance Statement areas, which are rented out to partners as part of a Space-as-a-Service concept. The number of outlets offering such areas is set to double by the end of the 2025/2026 financial year.
MediaMarktSaturn operates special floor space concepts across the group, covering more than 10,000 square metres in eleven flagship stores and 360 additional stores. By the end of the 2025/2026 financial year, at least one of the two Space-as-a-Service formats—Experience Zone or Entrance Statement—will be available in over 750 of the MediaMarktSaturn Group's 1,030 current stores.
MediaMarktSaturn defines Experience Zones as areas of varying sizes where new technology trends are showcased. Partners can book space and additional services from MediaMarktSaturn to present their topics and products for several weeks to a few months. In December and January, for example, the introduction of Google Gemini was accompanied in this way.
The Entrance Statement format is an omnichannel experience that combines various retail media formats with advertising in the app and at the entrance to stores. According to MediaMarktSaturn, although the customer journey typically begins with the app or online, over 70 per cent of purchases still take place in physical stores.
"Space-as-a-Service is an important strategic growth area for us, with a positive impact on several areas: we are enhancing the in-store shopping experience, creating additional shopping experiences for our customers with constantly changing themes and innovations, offering other companies and brands an all-inclusive package to showcase their products and solutions as simply and easily as possible in our store network, and optimizing our sales area productivity—thus increasing the company's profitability," says Marcus Tengler, Vice President Real Estate & Store Concepts at MediaMarktSaturn.
The third Space-as-a-Service format from MediaMarktSaturn is the so-called boutiques, which can be found in the large TechVillage stores. However, due to the high degree of customization, these boutiques are rented for several years.
According to MediaMarktSaturn, another focus is on cross-departmental collaboration to create more opportunities in connection with Space-as-a-Service and the company's own retail media offerings. Events play a key role in this strategy. Currently, MediaMarktSaturn primarily offers these events in its Xperion stores—gaming experience stores that feature event areas and live stages.
Written by
Stephan Steininger is Director of Operations and Editor-in-Chief of GamesMarket. As part of the magazine since its inception in 2001, he knows the GSA games industry by heart.
