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Left: Facade of Westfield SCS | Right: Portrait of Zsolt Juhasz /// Credit: Dragan Dok/SCS

Shopping, Playing, Enjoying: How SCS has positioned itself as one of Austria’s most modern Leisure & Retail Destination

Westfield Shopping City Süd (SCS) demonstrates what the future of shopping centers looks like: Top international brands, nationwide store premieres, and an expanded premium segment meet a new entertainment area featuring bowling lanes, escape rooms, karaoke, and arcade games. A culinary offering ranging from iconic US burgers to French bakery artistry and Thai brunch creations is added to the mix. The result: a destination that no longer only attracts people for shopping, but brings together visitors of all generations more often, for longer, and in more diverse ways – setting new benchmarks for footfall.

Image credit: MPC Properties /// Portrait credit: Miomir Milic

GREEN CONSTRUCTION, HEALTHY SPACES: MPC PROPERTIES’ SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY

From pioneering Serbia’s first LEED-certified shopping center to installing solar plants and creating rooftop gardens, MPC Properties is setting new benchmarks in sustainable real estate. This exclusive article by Slobodan Cupać, Head of Technical Operation and Facility Management, reveals how green construction, energy efficiency, and community engagement are shaping a healthier, more resilient future.

Credit: HyperIn

FROM EXPERIENCES TO INSIGHTS, FROM INSIGHTS TO GROWTH: THE MODERNCRE ALGORITHM

Commercial advantage belongs to those who move with insight, not instinct: As much of Europe’s real estate market cools, the Nordics are bucking the trend, driving growth not through location alone, but by redefining value around experience, insight, and resilience. A new framework, the “Modern CRE Algorithm”, shows how smartly designed tenant experiences and data-driven intelligence are turning properties into thriving ecosystems.

NIQ Geomarketing study: European retail in 2024 and 2025

The share of private consumption allocated to retail – rather than savings, services, or leisure – continues to decline across the European Union. In 2024, this trend persisted for the third consecutive year, with EU citizens spending just 32.6 percent of their disposable income in retail. Croatia recorded the highest share, with nearly every second euro spent in retail. These insights come from a new, free study published today by NIQ Geomarketing, offering a comprehensive overview of retail trends across Europe.

credit: Stratosferica

Urban Optimism in Action: The Utopian Hours Festival in Turin, October 17-19, 2025

ACROSS Magazine speaks with Giacomo Biraghi, co-founder of Stratosferica and one of the driving forces behind the Utopian Hours festival, a one-of-a-kind international gathering in Turin that reframes how cities are celebrated, studied, and shaped. In this interview, Biraghi discusses the ethos behind the event, its approach to urbanism, the evolving role of retail real estate, and how Turin is benefitting directly from this growing global platform.

credit: umdasch

Digital, local, sustainable: the new DNA of travel retail

Travel retail is an industry in transition, driven by a resurgence in travel activity, new consumer expectations, technological innovations, and a growing demand for sustainable concepts. Michael Ripfl, Sales Director for Nordics & Travel Retail at umdasch The Store Makers, provides an in-depth insight into current developments, long-term trends, and specific project examples. It becomes clear that what once began as the “sale of spirits and tobacco” has now evolved into a complex interplay of retailtainment, locality, and an innovative customer approach.

Thomas Reichenauer, Co-Founder an Managing Director of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping (left); Designer Outlet Berlin, newly acquired by FREY and ROS (right). /// credit: ROS Retail Outlet Shopping

Acquisition of Designer Outlet Berlin: Strategic Step for FREY and ROS to Become European Market Leaders

With the acquisition of Designer Outlet Berlin just last week, and the upcoming opening of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping’s new location in Kraków, Poland, the current projects under ROS and FREY are a testament to their vision as well as the segment’s potential. In an interview with ACROSS, Thomas Reichenauer, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ROS, goes into detail about their current high-profile projects on the outlet market, where they see further potential, and the advantages brought by the merger between ROS and FREY as they aim to become the market leaders in Europe.

Opening Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier / credit: URW

A new meeting place for the people of Hamburg: Grand Opening of Westfield Hamburg

The time has finally come: the new giant shopping mall Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier has opened. The Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher, URW CEO Jean-Marie Tritant and Theda Juliane Mustroph, General Manager of Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, symbolically cut the ribbon. With the 100,000 sq m mall and a promising gastronomy and entertainment concept, URW wants to set new standards in Hamburg.

Montse Ortega is Head of Visual Merchandising & Experience at NEINVER. /// credit: NEINVER

THOUGHTFUL VISUAL MERCHANDISING TRANSFORMS OUTLET EXPERIENCES

Retail spaces must go beyond static displays and generic signage. Montse Ortega states that a well-executed VM strategy orchestrates movement, builds anticipation, and influences purchasing decisions. NEINVER’s Visual Merchandising & Experience expert explains how thoughtful Visual Merchandising enhances engagement, drives sales, and creates a shopping experience that customers want to return to.

Design of Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlet's extension in Portugal (left), and Johan Caspar Bergenthal, COO and member of the Executive Board at VIA Outlets (right). /// credit: VIA Outlets

“PERFORMANCE IS THE DECIDING FACTOR FOR OUR LEASING STRATEGY”

The focus is always on the success that can be achieved together: Johan Caspar Bergenthal spoke with ACROSS Magazine about the success factors driving VIA Outlets and the industry in general. In addition to the consistent growth generated by VIA Outlets’ 3R strategy, the former shopping center industry executive cites the close collaboration with brands, something he hadn’t experienced before during his time in the full-price retail world.

Left-to-right: Castel Guelfo The Style Outlets in Bologna, Italy, and José María Escobar the Technical Director at NEINVER. /// credit: NEINVER

REVITALIZING RETAIL: NEINVER’S COMMITMENT TO MODERNIZING OUTLET CENTERS

Outlet centers are evolving to enhance customer experience, with renovations playing a key role in transforming shopping into a social experience. NEINVER, a leading outlet developer, investor, and operator, is actively advancing its plan to modernize the portfolio with refurbishments completed or underway across its Spanish and Italian portfolio. ACROSS spoke with José María Escobar, NEINVER’s Technical Director, to learn more about the latest and upcoming renovation projects.