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Food & Beverage / Leisure

LATEST TRENDS IN FOOD & BEVERAGE AND LEISURE CONCEPTS

The F&B sector has changed significantly in recent years, not only in terms of the size of the market, but also in the variety and quality of the offering. As rents continue to rise in Europe, space previously dominated by fashion retailers is now being occupied by trendy gastronomic restaurants. People have evolved from collecting “things” to collecting “experiences”, and shopping centers have adapted to this change by improving and expanding their gastronomic offerings. Food and beverage (F&B) will play an even more crucial role in the success of retail real estate.

ACROSS DISCUSS – the new video discussion format from ACROSS. According to the motto “from insiders for insiders,” we examine the top topics in the industry in exciting, entertaining discussion settings.

As a participant and contributor to the world of hospitality for over 30 years, Will Odwarka shares in this column insights, thoughts, and concepts that represent the contemporary challenges of our industry either as part of a retail environment or as standalone operations. He will do this without sugarcoating and superficial bumper sticker statements.

The European shopping center market overvalues design and investment but needs to pay more attention to atmosphere, interaction, and service, says Will Odwarka. This hurts the centers and especially their gastronomy section. The founder and CEO of Dubai-based Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting explains in his conversation with ACROSS editor Reinhard Winiwarter why excellent, personable service is the prerequisite for everything in the field of gastronomy.

The Aida story began in 1913 with the founder Josef Prousek and his wife Rosa. Their name was the motto for the pink design, and his favorite opera Aida served as the namesake.

“We want to see people in our meeting places every day, so we are moving towards creating “work/live/play” retail spaces for everyone”, explains Jens Nielsen, Global Commercial & Digital Director at Ingka Centres. Following this approach, F&B has become a main focus of attention. Ingka developed the Saluhall concept to be a joyful community experience. The flexibility of the new sustainable and social concept offers people the freedom they look for, and the ability to experience life together.

“What a ‘better everyday life’ means in terms of shopping center experiences has significantly changed over the last 15 years, states Vasco Santos, Global Sales & Leasing Director at Ingka Centres. As a result, the key performance metrics for such spaces have also evolved,” he explains. We might take the same numbers into consideration, but the way in which these numbers should be interpreted is new.

A small retailer in southern Germany has become one of Europe’s leading food retailers with major expansion plans: This week Kaufland opened in Bucharest its 1500th store – a great milestone in the Kaufland success story. Angelus Bernreuther, Head of Investor Relationship Management, looks back at Kaufland’s corporate history and explains how, starting with its solid roots, the future of the company is being shaped, especially during challenging times.

The renovation of Angel Central Shopping Center in London is a great example of why the community should not only be involved in the selection of the offer but also in architectural decisions. This article was created as part of reporting on the ACROSS readers’ trip to London in cooperation with the ACSP.

Food halls contradict the traditional real estate model. However, they are a successful format attracting all generations. Here are some examples from Poland.

Potsdamer Platz in Berlin will become an arcade game haven this summer. Gamestate will launch an entertainment center inside the Arkaden mall, which will open as a high-street venue after a two-year period of restructuring and modernizing.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) brings Culturespaces on board as the key partner for the mixed-use quarter’s art, culture, and edutainment segment. With Port des Lumières, Culturespaces will open a branch of its digital art center in Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, which will cover an area of around 3,100 sq m.