Marc C. Riebe

Marc-Christian Riebe is the founder of The Location Group, a leading consultancy specializing in luxury retail real estate. With over three decades of experience across Europe, Asia, and North America, he has advised some of the world's most prestigious brands—including Apple, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Gucci—on strategic site selection, lease negotiations, and market entry strategies. Through his Location TV project, he has filmed on all continents, documenting the world's most exclusive shopping streets and retail destinations.

After completing his education in 1995, initial professional experience at Allianz Immobilien, obtaining his Fachabitur through the second educational pathway and subsequent studies, followed by professional work at Ernst & Young, Riebe became self-employed in 2005. He was the first in Switzerland to publicly report on the topic of key money (Schlüsselgelder). This led to extensive media coverage in leading Swiss outlets including Swiss Television (Tagesschau, Rundschau, 10vor10), NZZ, Tages-Anzeiger, Handelszeitung, Bilanz, Blick, and Watson. Particular attention was drawn to the retail transformation where traditional businesses sold their lease contracts to international corporations—a phenomenon that reflected not only globalization but above all changing trends and consumer demand.

As an author, Riebe has published three influential books—Mit Gold gepflastert, Lastricate d'Oro, and Key Money Talks—which explore the economics and cultural significance of the world's most exclusive shopping streets. His work has been featured in leading publications such as NZZ, Bilanz, Handelszeitung, TextilWirtschaft, and Women's Wear Daily. He is frequently invited as a speaker at industry conferences and serves as an expert commentator on retail real estate trends.