“The slogan of our current city administration, headed by the Five Star Movement, a populist party, is ‘decrescita felice’ (‘happy reduction’), which serves as a clear sign that their objective definitely does not include the growth of the city.”

“If we take a look at the commercial density figures, we find that Spain is below the European average – and even more so in relation to countries such as the USA, where the density is six times higher and the shopping center model is very different from the one in Spain.”

Retail parks continue to be sound investments.

“Recent research carried out by Leisure Development Partners, in cooperation with Mapic, has shown that introducing a leisure concept into a retail space increases its footfall by up to 4 percent and the retail spend by up to 16 percent.”

The Value of Feeling Good.

“Even though the French population is still growing, it is clear that the country is now well covered.”

How can the various issues and problems that exist in retail and the real estate industry be solved in this day and age?

“In our view the residential market is complementary to retail real estate, and combining them in a balanced way will only add to the strength of a location. In that sense, mixed-use developments tie in nicely with our retail background.”

“Establishing external partnerships with complementary digital-native merchants provides opportunities to offer complete solutions while increasing income through revenue share.”

“Things are staying the same and changing, all at the same time.”

“For example, retailers are able to see the precise assortment structures of their competitors and benchmark them against their own.”

“Inclusivity is the only way to keep shopping centers at the hearts of our communities.”

“Multiple trips to cinemas help familiarize people with the malls into which they are integrated.”

“Critics doubt that it really reflects the performance of shopping centers.”

“We have found that people who feel at home and receive genuine attention from attentive staff are prepared to stay longer and spend more. Attention is our secret ingredient for success.”

“Lord Wolfson, chief executive of British retailer Next, has called for lower rents and shorter leases on the 240 Next stores due for renewal over the next three years.”

Ken Hughes presented the industry meeting in the Catalan capital and captivated the auditorium with his keynote speech about Generation Z.

Commentary by Nelson Blackley, Retail Research Associate at Nottingham Trent University.

Currently, studies say that more than 50% of all purchases at brick-and-mortar stores are prepared online in advance.

An important judgement clarifying European rules on retail establishment; a very strict EU data protection regime; a binding number of charging points for e-vehicles for buildings with more than 10 parking spaces. These are a few examples of important, new rules for the retail property industry adopted by the EU in recent years — and together, they’re a good example of why European policymaking is increasingly important for our sector.