Advertisement
Facebook Linkedin Rss
ACROSS

Retail

STRATEGIES AND EXPANSION PLANS OF RETAILERS

Trade in Europe | ©Pixabay

Retail Trade Review and Outlook 2026: EU, CEE and Non-EU Member States

Retail in Europe is anything but straightforward. Highly saturated Western markets coexist with faster-growing economies in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, each following its own trajectory. Eurostat data reveal sharply diverging retail trade volume trends, suggesting significantly different growth paths across regions in 2026.

ALEXA at Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany /// © Sonae Sierra

Major Bershka reopening in ALEXA, Berlin

On the 11th of December, Bershka celebrated a major reopening in Berlin’s well-known retail destination owned by Union investment and managed by Sonae Sierra – ALEXA.

Vertical Shopping Mall in Xian | © STIR Architecture |

Asia’s Vertical Malls: Going Up as a Strategy in Dense Urban Environments

In Asia’s megacities, building upward is not a choice but a necessity – and shopping centers have turned this constraint into a strength. Liliya Shaykhutdinova analyses how leading Asian vertical malls successfully drive footfall across multiple levels, and explores which of these principles can inspire European multi-storey malls to rethink circulation, tenant mix and upper-floor relevance.

The country's largest MINISO store in Düsseldorf, Germany /// © MINISO

Largest MINISO store in Germany opens in Düsseldorf

On December 5, 2025, MINISO opened its newest store at Flinger Straße 27 in Düsseldorf, marking its largest retail location in Germany to date. The new store’s debut meets the expectations of local shoppers as well as trengthening the retailer’s growing presence across the European market.

Icons of Porsche, presented in Dubai 2025 | © Porsche AG

Luxury Brand Ranking: Value Climbs to New Heights

The global luxury and premium sector has risen to new record strength. Brand Finance’s latest Luxury & Premium 50 ranking shows the world’s top brands reaching a combined USD 317 billion in brand value – up 43% since 2019.

Cadbury is the most loved brand in the UK | © Cadbury World

Emotion Shapes Market Power of Brands

New research from UK’s Brand Finance reveals that brand love isn’t just a feel-good metric. It shapes consumer choice, shifts market share, and is redefining competition.

Industry leaders at the ACROSS Retail Talk. Clockwise, from top left: Reinhard Winiwarter (ACROSS), Thomas Reichenauer (ROS Retail Outlet Shopping / FREY Group), Cristina Santos (Sonae Sierra), Marek Noetzel (NEPI Rockcastle), Klaus Striebich (RaRE Advise) and Avi Alkaş (Alkaş & HAN Spaces)

Placemaking in 2026: The New Value

The final ACROSS Retail Talk of 2025 indicates that retail enters 2026 with sharper priorities and clearer opportunities. How resilience, recalibration, and disciplined investment are setting the tone for the year ahead.

ACROSS Retail Talks /// Wrapping Up 2025 – Predicting & Shaping 2026

The final ACROSS Retail Talks of 2025 brought together four senior industry leaders – Avi Alkaş (Alkaş & HAN Spaces), Cristina Santos (Sonae Sierra), Marek Noetzel (NEPI Rockcastle), and Thomas Reichenauer (ROS Retail Outlet Shopping / FREY Group) – moderated by Klaus Striebich and Reinhard Winiwarter. The panel looked back at the year 2025 and ahead towards 2026 – a year which will be shaped by customer-centric strategies powered by data, AI, and operational agility.

Marks & Spencer store in Merry Hill shopping center in Brierley Hill, England /// © Merry Hill

M&S OPENS FLAGSHIP STORE CONCEPT AT MERRY HILL, UK

Merry Hill announced that M&S has opened its latest renewal store concept at the top 10 UK shopping destination, featuring a brand-new Coffee Shop, fresh market-style foodhall, and expanded fashion, home & beauty offer.

New Bond Street, London - the world's most expensive shopping destination | © Cushman & Wakefield

World’s Main Streets: London’s New Bond Street Rises to No. 1

Cushman & Wakefield’s new ‘Main Streets Across the World’ report places London’s New Bond Street at the top of the global ranking – ahead of Milan’s Via Montenapoleone and New York’s Fifth Avenue. The report also confirms broad-based resurgence of Europe’s prime shopping miles.

Victoria Quarter in Leeds, England /// © Bevan Cockerill

APM MONACO TO OPEN FIRST STANDALONE STORE IN VICTORIA LEEDS, ENGLAND

The Victoria Leeds shopping center owned and operated by Redical has recently announced the planned arrival of APM Monaco, a fashion jewellery brand founded in 1982. APM Monaco has signed to open its first standalone boutique in the North of England, marking a key milestone in the brand’s expansion across the UK.