Commentary by Erik J. Engstrand, CEO of Safe ShoppingCenters.

Over the past two decades, Portugal has been a consumer-driven country, catapulting the country’s retail sales area very close to 1.00 sq m per capita.

Josip Kardun and Árpád Török further strengthen the ACROSS Advisory Board

The shopping center industry has a problem: the security of its customers. No, it’s not that centers have a security issue. Nevertheless, in these times of terror and armed attacks, it is difficult to balance an easygoing and unhindered shopping experience with the best-possible security for our customers.

Over the past 18 months, the Hungarian property market has seen one of the most successful and dynamic expansions of any country in CEE, with Budapest identified as having the highest rate of return in the entire region.

Great achievements and great challenges await cinemas in the coming year: After a highly fluctuating year for cinemas in 2016, cinema operators and entertainment venues can expect big blockbuster sequels and thus high footfall in 2017.

The ACROSS Advisory Board has gained two new members: Jonathan Doughty, EMEA Head of Foodservice Consulting at JLL, and Christof Papousek, CFO of the Constantin Film group of companies.

The European shopping center industry can look back on an exciting year 2016.

Retail properties are defined by their users: retailers. If their occupants are doing well, the objects are considered to be attractive, sustainable investments.

Anchor tenants play a very important role in making of a retail destination. The stronger—and traditionally the bigger—the anchor store is, the better the chance that a shopping center will attract consumers.

Classic retail property development offers the market ever fewer new projects.

We know that as consumer habits in the UK and beyond evolve, our customers no longer see leisure, shopping and dining as completely distinct activities. And they’ll also not think twice about switching back and forth between online and offline channels to explore, share ideas or buy.

While the threat from e-commerce is a dominant theme for retail real estate in the Nordics, the well-located retail centers in Nordic capital city regions driven by local supply offer a more positive outlook.

ACROSS asked local industry players how they assess the Brexit’s impact on the British retail real estate market. Here are their statements.

Brexit is no longer just a word—since June 23rd, it has been a real threat. While British exit advocates celebrate the country’s seeming newfound sovereignty, the shock is all the more severe for Brexit opponents. No wonder, since it means the wholesale redefinition of the closely linked economic relations between the UK and the EU.

On June 30, Bill Kistler was appointed as ICSC’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director of EMEA. In his interview with ACROSS, he talks about his goals, cooperating with the EU—and a positive future for the industry.

A lot has been said and written in the past years about the necessary reorientation of shopping centers and other retail locations, and at least as many measures were also realized since then.

In 2009—for the first time in history—the world’s urban population exceeded its rural population. By 2030, the number of people living in cities around the world is expected to increase by one billion.

The re-introduction of Sunday business hours for shopping centers in Hungary was announced and introduced unexpectedly and with surprising speed, even quicker than the introduction of the obligatory Sunday shopping ban in March 2015. Why was it so urgent?

The tax on retail sales coming into force on September 1, 2016 will not contribute to the decrease in the number of shopping centers in Poland. The tax will increase the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized businesses in comparison to large entities operating in the commercial sector and will increase the state’s revenues.

Since McDonald’s opened its first UK restaurant in Woolwich in 1974, Europe has had a taste for all things American, fueled in part by the exposure we have to US brands on film or TV. The enthusiasm and success rate for US retailers expanding into Europe is mixed, however.

The shopping center sector is permanently evolving according to the visitors’ lifestyle changes and their demands for innovations.

From having been the owner and principal of an architectural service firm in North America to a member of a large, multi-disciplinary, European architectural practice, I have had the welcome experience of working on commercial and retail projects on multiple continents.

Why is everybody talking about food in shopping centers this year? Because it matters, of course.