PRO Shopping Center Urfahr: Reopening & Redevelopment Update | June 2024
Linz, Austria – Despite its appearance, the revamped PRO shopping center in Linz-Urfahr is on track to reopen by the end of June, according to Stefan Rutter, head of the Rutter Immobilien Gruppe and owner of the center since 2018.
Rutter made the assessment during a site visit on Wednesday afternoon, as construction nears completion on a long-planned overhaul of the shopping center, originally opened as PRO-Kaufland in 1974 by Gerhard Weiß. The project is expected to house 18 businesses.
The Rutter Immobilien Gruppe acquired the PRO-Kaufhaus in 2019, initiating plans for a modern redesign that incorporates retail space, residential units, and green areas. Linz City Council approved an agreement with Rutter Immobilien in October 2023 to facilitate the project, emphasizing the importance of maintaining local commerce and gastronomy in the Urfahr district, as well as adding high-quality housing.
City Development Director Dr. Hans-Martin Neumann stated that the redevelopment presents an opportunity to reimagine the area, which had been dedicated solely to retail for decades, focusing on “desealing, greening, and enhancing the quality of stay.”
The PRO shopping center’s history has seen shifts in ownership. In 2018, Stefan Rutter and Christian Harisch purchased the Welas-Park in Wels, the Taborland in Steyr, and the PRO-Kaufland in Linz from Gerhard Weiß. Rutter and Harisch subsequently renovated the Welas and Taborland centers, and too constructed the Hey! Steyr shopping center, which opened in April 2019.
Recent years have brought challenges to the retail landscape within the PRO center. The once-vibrant grocery store within the shopping center was forced to close after 50 years of operation, leaving only two tenants remaining.
As of February 11, 2026, the future appearance of the “Pro” remains “in development,” according to Christian Harisch, who, along with Rutter, previously owned the Welas and Taborland centers but has since divested from those properties to the immofonds 1, managed by Union Investment Real Estate Austria AG.