With the largest agglomeration of retail businesses, Bonn city center is the regional center in the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg/Ahrweiler region. Its catchment area extends from Much to Ahrweiler and from Rheinbach to Meckenheim. To the north, Bonn's catchment area is limited quite abruptly at the level of Wesseling in the direction of Cologne, while in the other directions it merges rather smoothly into the catchment areas of Aachen or Koblenz. This range is supplemented by the offerings of the three district centers of Bad Godesberg, Beuel and Duisdorf.

In total, the city of Bonn has around 1,900 retail businesses with a total sales area of around 425,000 square meters, which generate sales of around 1.78 billion euros. In terms of the spatial distribution of retail locations, the city center currently accounts for just under a third of Bonn's total retail space at around 135,000 square meters. The city center is also home to the largest retail companies with sales areas of up to 17,000 square meters. The prime locations are in Poststrasse, Remigiusstrasse, Sternstrasse and Wenzelgasse. The newest pedestrian zone in Friedrichstrasse is characterized by its strong concentration of high-quality specialist retailers.