I had the privilege of taking part in several select industry events and expert discussions over the last few weeks. Again and again, my interlocutors engaged in lively discussions about the future of retail and the shopping center industry. Rightly so: The technologization and digitization of retail in the last decade has been a quantum leap.

Once again, Germany has come out on top as the country where brands are most eager to find outlet space, according to a report released at Mapic by ecostra. Its annual survey of mainly fashion brand manufacturers put Germany as their No. 1 destination, with 59% of all responses.

In the planning and implementation of sustainable building, the objective of a balanced project to profit environment, people, and economy is in the foreground.

In an article for the textile industry entitled “The party is over,” which appeared after Expo Real in Munich, Jörg Nowicki described the reluctance of retailers to rent new spaces. As it turns out, there is, in fact, a significant imbalance between the bullish investment market in commercial real estate and the slowing desire for expansion among retailers.

The media are currently full of reports on VoD, (“video on demand”) services. These reports hardly distinguish between pay-per-view and subscription services or between these and the streaming of live events. Nevertheless, this trend, combined with the ever-improving quality of normal smart TV devices – never mind that of integrated home entertainment systems – would seem to suggest that cinema is in grave danger.

The retail sector is once again on the move and this can be seen in many megatrends in the retail market. Many of these megatrends are driven by the successful online market.

From consumer goods to the shopping center industry, the term “Big Data” has reached the shopping center world. It is the new buzzword in the business. But what is it and is it really so important? I think it is.

The pressure to change in the retail sector is highly dependent on the personal attitudes and behavior of its target groups.

The UK currently has 23 sq ft of retail space per capita. Although this is half the rate found in the US, it is significantly more than in other developed countries like Canada (13 sq ft) and Australia (6.5 sq ft).

The Spanish economy seems to be recovering. Nowadays, the country enjoys growth forecast at 3.1% according to the IMF, and consumer confidence is increasing in view of the latest public data. Many things have improved, but it is necessary to continue working on reducing unemployment rates and on making family spending growth possible.

What impact will online retail have on the space requirements of the stationary trade?

Since early 2007, I have had the privilege to be involved in the topic of sustainability in the real estate sector.

When historians one day do a detached and objective analysis of the events that are taking place in Europe during this summer, they will certainly highlight the negative connotation of a multitude of occurrences already called the “perfect storm.”

Due to developments in the retail landscape in the midth of Europe and internationally, typical department stores everywhere are threatened with extinction.

When international retailers and consumers think of the UK retail industry, London has traditionally dominated the outlook.

I was recently very pleased to be invited to speak at the ICSC European Retail Property School in Frankfurt, addressing a group of young delegates who were largely at the early stages of their careers.

The 7th Magdus European Outlet event was held in Paris on June 11 and 12. The main topic of the presentations was “Outlets: seizing opportunities for growth”.

For the shopping center industry sustainability has become in the past years much more than simple positioning. It is considered a relevant economic, social and environmental aspect that has a significant impact on corporate value.

Customer focus is at the very heart of what we do as a shopping center operator. That sentence is correct, but ostensibly nothing new.

The retail market is in perhaps the most interesting phase since the emergence of the internet and online trading. Technological change has made great leaps in recent years and changed consumer behavior significantly.

The last twelve months have been incredibly active in the retail business at Land Securities and this has been driven by a strategy that has completely transformed our retail portfolio by focusing on schemes that deliver dominance, experience, and convenience in their respective catchments. This transformation is best demonstrated with an in-depth look at the drivers of success that consumers and retail brands have responded to. This has ultimately resulted in having a retail portfolio that is made up of fewer properties overall, but a higher number of bigger, better, flagship centers located in prime shopping locations.

To combine the practical with the useful is a great thing and, because Copenhagen is also quite beautiful to look at in late spring, my participation in the ICSC European Marketing Conference in early June was a great experience. I enjoy the eager discussions with marketing experts from all over the world. Exchanging views and sharing is, after all, an important part of my daily work. Not infrequently, new and exciting friendships sprout on such occasions.

The world of Mobile Location Analytics (MLA), and location-based services is one of today’s fastest-growing technology sectors – and its application in property is the highest growth area of all. With a compound annual growth rate forecast at 28% for 2015 to 2019 and an estimated market size of $43.3 billion in 2019, it’s one that clearly needs to be taken seriously by all owners. Why does it exist at all?

An efficient and modern retail real estate property revolves around the principle of the division of labor, especially when leasing advertising space.