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Slovenia’s first Fashion Outlet Village is scheduled to open in 2024/2025. The HG Invest investor group around the Tyrolean company Huter Invest is developing it. Nikolaus Huter, Managing Director of Huter Invest, spoke to ACROSS about the development, the advantages of locations close to the border, and why more and more offline shopping locations should be converted to outlet centers.

“Without experimenting, you cannot learn anything,” states Ihsan Elgin, Executive Board Member of Finberg. As an investor, he is very serious about the impact of the metaverse on life and business. The convergence of virtual and real realms within the metaverse allows companies to fasten collaboration as well as to enhance communication, and this is only one of his conclusions.

“The rapid change in the world now necessitates being more than an observer and follower; it requires rapid implementation,” states Yurdaer Kahraman, FIBA CP CEO and Member of the ACROSS Advisory Board. Therefore, he values the Metaverse as an engaging way to reach a younger, digitally connected consumer audience. He shows the perspective of a company that took the metaverse path very early.

E-Commerce does not run over shopping centers because they offer much more than a shared space where people purchase different products. To enhance the appeal of traditional shopping mall experiences, especially to Gen Z customers, enriching these “add-ons” is crucial. A new generation and metaverse-based loyalty programs can be a big part of this. Ahmet Usta, ELYT.net Co-Founder, explains what Metaverse business cases make sense for the placemaking industry.

A metaverse use case in practice: Fiba Commercial Properties and Elyt.net introduced at İnegöl Shopping Mall, Turkey, a metaverse-based, new-generation loyalty program. The important learning: Consumers are ready. The interest in the program was unbelievably high. Visitors were happy to receive gifts and be part of an application that involved innovative technology like NFT.

Mixed-use is the order of the day for the entire placemaking industry. As a result, shopping centers have increasingly become home to coworking and flex office solutions. While the flex office market in the US shows a growth rate of 25 percent, more and more European shopping center operators are taking advantage of this fresh source of revenue.

A close cooperation with the brands is the key for success. Fran Gutiérrez, Retail Director NEINVER, explains how this looks like in practice. NEINVER not only supports their brands with technological tools. The company has prioritized people and training as two main pillars in its retail strategy to support brands’ growth.

Inflation encourages consumers to go in search of even greater value for money, states Giles Membrey, Managing Director of Rioja Estates. Therefore, he argues, Outlets are becoming more attractive to costumers. Furthermore, also internet sales are a driver of Outlets.

NEPI Rockcastle has raised the equivalent of 143 million Euro equity from its latest scrip dividend, corresponding to approximately 85% of the final dividend payment for the year ended 31 December 2022. As a result, NEPI Rockcastle’s total issued share capital will increase by 4.75% to approximately 636 million ordinary shares and its capital base is strengthened for investment in future growth.

“Retail has become an experiential interface, and the outlet proposition offers a key difference,” states Daniel Losantos. On the occasion of the ACROSS anniversary, the CEO of NEINVER took the opportunity to reflect on the last few years and to look ahead to the future, despite the uncertainty in which we find ourselves today.

“It is all about people and opportunities”, states Cristina Santos. The Managing Director of Property Management of Sonae Sierra talked to ACROSS founder Reinhard Winiwarter about the management contract for Prishtina Mall, the company’s principles in property management and the potential of new regions.

Eurovea will soon become Slovakia’s largest and widest-ranging shopping center, with 320 shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes covering 85,000 sq m. Work is well advanced on the center and surrounding area to complete construction, approvals, and preparations for the grand May opening.

Rüdiger Dany, CEO of NEPI Rockcastle, believes that one of the biggest mistakes made in the last 15 years was not being able to seize and take advantage of opportunities during a crisis or difficult situation. He has worked in very different markets, with different stories and problems, but his general takeaway is clear: The investments and development plans of a company should never be stopped unless it is absolutely necessary.

Steffen Hofmann is a Managing Partner at ambas. Having worked in eight European markets, he has a deep understanding of the mechanisms of international investment markets. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of ACROSS, he discusses the historic evolution of the retail real estate industry from the perspective of the financial market.

Few changes have been as noticeable in business and society as the technological developments of the last 15 years. New platforms and digital ecosystems have opened up huge new global opportunities. Within the shopping center industry, a whole new segment has emerged: The Proptech sector. Peter Tonstad, CEO of Placewise, looks back, explains the most important developments, and reveals the biggest challenges facing retail real estate.

For the past 15 years, we have lived in a V.U.C.A. world, one of vulnerability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. In order to be successful in the future, we need to look at places not through the lens of real estate, but through the lens of content, argues Ibrahim Ibrahim, Managing Director of Portland Design.