2020

One ticket for three leisure destinations: Enjoy your summer at Autostadt, phaeno, and designer outlets Wolfsburg. On July 6, 2020, the erlebnisreif-partners Michael Ernst (Center Manager of designer outlets Wolfsburg), Claudius Colsman (Member of the Management Team of Autostadt Wolfsburg), and Michel Junge (Managing Director of Science Centers phaeton) launched two special trains in Hanover.

“Is he unteachable? Or is Dr. Will actually stuck in a repeating time loop with his tenant survey SCPR 2020, just like the misanthropic weatherman Phil Connors in the popular comedy ‘Groundhog Day’?”

Commercial life begins anew at a tradition-steeped location: The former Brandt rusk bakery site is now the “Brandt Quartier”, the most modern retail park in the city of Hagen, which now will be operated by Deutsche Immobilien-Gruppe (the DI Group) for a fund run by Nuveen Real Estate.

Marks and Spencer will relocate to a flagship 20,000 sq ft store at Two Rivers compromising a new foodhall over 50% larger than the old store in the town. Lidl have also chosen Two Rivers as its preferred location in the town satisfying a long held requirement. Lidl opened a 15,700 sq ft store at the end of June.

Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group (owner and operator of 381 IKEA stores) announces that a purchase agreement to acquire prime real estate in the heart of Paris has been signed. The space will be used by IKEA Retail France and the total investment is 130 million euros.

Jim Tucker, David Pike and Mike Pink from KPMG’s Restructuring practice have been appointed joint administrators to intu properties plc.

Ingka Centres launches new online community and marketplace – LIVAT online.

Investment in online capabilities and delivery apps across the retail sector is expected to increase further, according to the latest research from global real estate advisor, CBRE. Online sales have helped many retailers offset some of the lost revenue from store closures during the lockdown period.

The Frankfurt-based asset and property manager GPEP GmbH appointed real estate economist Mischa Koch as Head of Key Account Management and Business Development in early June.

Hines, the international real estate firm, has signed a long-term lease with food wholesaler Kaufland for the Mira shopping center in northern Munich, Bavaria.

Capital & Regional and The Mall Maidstone team are excited to welcome Gavin Cockayne as the new General Manager at the Mall Maidstone, while wishing a fond farewell to Andy Davy, who is retiring from the role after an incredible eleven-year career at the company.

MAPIC will be held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes from 17 to 19 November, 2020. Its theme of Embracing Collaborative Retail, along with the entire programme, has been designed to support and give an extra boost to the international retail property industry, which has been hit hard by the current health crisis.

Since reopening last Monday 15th June 2020, average transactional spend has increased by 11% across the three quarters of stores which have reopened.

The Supervisory Board of Commerz Real has appointed Gabriele Volz as Chief Executive Officer of Commerz Real. She will take up the position on 1 January 2021.

Real Estate investor Altera Vastgoed NV announced that Roelie van Wijk-Russchen was appointed as member of the Supervisory Board of Altera by the General Meeting of Shareholders on 24 June 2020.

Union Investment Real Estate GmbH is expanding its senior leadership team. With effect from 1 July 2020, Christoph Holzmann (43) will be appointed to the Management Board of the Hamburg-based real estate investment manager as its fourth member, subject to approval by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).

In the extraordinary circumstances following the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, Citycon continues to show strong result.

The French bistro La Parisienne opens in September.

Up at The O2 has announced it will officially reopen its doors on 4 July offering a more intimate and memorable experience than ever before and with enhanced health and safety measures in place. In line with social distancing guidelines, each climb has been reduced to less than half the capacity previously in place (from 30 to 10 people), giving a more exclusive experience to visitors.

FitForCommerce, a specialized omnichannel and digital consultancy, announces the appointment of Rupert Wood to the FitForCommerce Malls & Meeting Places practice as an Executive Advisor.

Chapman Taylor is creating the masterplan for an innovative new urban district adjacent to King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi city of Jeddah.