Retail real estate isn’t facing a single disruption but a convergence of pressures. Consumers are more intentional. Brands are more selective. ESG is no longer optional. Digital tools are embedded in every aspect of retail strategy. In this environment, retail space is not just a point of sale – it’s a performance driver, a brand builder, and a testing ground for innovation.
Landlords and operators are expected to deliver on all fronts – simultaneously. At NEINVER, we see this complexity as an opportunity. The underlying principle for us is simple: Tenant success is our success. This isn’t just a belief – it’s how we structure our work.
We’ve been in the outlet sector for over 30 years. That experience has taught us that relevance comes from staying aligned – with retailers, with consumers, and with the realities of how people shop and spend time today. We started with a real estate mindset and have evolved into a retail-minded platform, shaped by partnerships, execution, and continuous learning.
EVOLVING THE OPERATOR-TENANT RELATIONSHIP
In today’s outlet sector, leasing is no longer just a transaction. Retailers look for partners who understand format innovation, commercial momentum, and operational flexibility. Our teams work directly with brands to shape how stores function: from layout and staff training, including through our Retail Academy, to data sharing and KPIs.
We’ve built tools that give brands access to real-time performance data, allowing them to adjust quickly. This also helps us to shape tenant mix, rethink layouts, and focus our investment where it has the most impact. The result is a relationship that is both more strategic and more operational. This kind of partnership is increasingly visible across the retail sector. For us, it has long defined how we manage, lease, and grow our centers.
ALIGNMENT IN ACTION
Data shapes how we operate. Through real-time analytics, we, as well as our tenants, track sales, footfall, conversion, and many other indicators.. These insights inform decisions across leasing, marketing, and space planning – making our platform not just reactive, but predictive.
However, the numbers only tell part of the story. Experience still matters. Outlets have become places to spend time, not just spend money. That’s why we invest in how people use our spaces – from upgraded food plazas, like at our The Style Outlets centers in Viladecans (Barcelona) and Castel Guelfo (Bologna), to the current renovation of Las Rozas The Style Outlets and the upcoming refurbishment of San Sebastián de los Reyes The Style Outlets, both located in Madrid, to the recent redesign of our loyalty program, The Style Club, which now works as a connected tool for engagement and brand discovery.
This combination of performance data and real experience is what helps brands connect with consumers in ways that matter – and keep them coming back.
THE OUTLET’S EXPANDING ROLE
As brands rethink their omnichannel strategies, outlets are now part of a broader value chain: hubs for brand exposure, consumer acquisition, and format experimentation. Outlet centers have matured into core parts of retail strategy and are high performance brand touchpoints.
At NEINVER, we support this development by offering flexible entry formats for emerging brands, infrastructure for omnichannel integration, and tools that help retailers understand performance in real time. In 2024, our centers achieved record sales of €1.63 billion and 98% occupancy. Those numbers are important, but what matters more is how they were achieved: through consistent alignment, careful execution, and trusted brand relationships.
REINVENTION THROUGH DISCIPLINE
Relevance doesn’t come from reacting. It comes from good management, staying close to what matters, and knowing when and how to evolve.
We are expanding our retail mix to reflect lifestyle shifts: more sports, more food, more lifestyle, and more entertainment. We’re adding new-to-outlet brands to the portfolio to meet shopper demand for novelty while supporting brand needs for capital-efficient growth. We embed ESG into operations, not just reporting. From energy efficiency and fit-out standards to waste reduction and logistics, sustainability is part of our daily collaboration with tenants.
And our renovation strategy is focused, not inflated. We make improvements where they create real uplift – to the customer journey, to brand performance, and to long-term center value.
STAYING ALIGNED, STAYING EFFECTIVE
After three decades in outlet retail, we know that consistency matters as much as adaptation. The value of the asset is not defined by ambition – but by how well it supports the brands inside it.
That’s why our current focus is not on reinvention, but discipline. Staying close to what retailers need. Being precise about what we change. Keeping our spaces relevant by managing them with care, not slogans. Retail will continue to shift. The fundamentals, however, remain the same: When you align with your tenants, act with clarity, and manage for performance, the asset follows.
That’s how we’ve built our platform, and that’s how we intend to move forward.
Daniel Losantos
CEO of NEINVER
