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THE LATEST PLACEMAKING NEWS

NEPI Rockcastle has decided to appoint Marek Noetzel as its designated CEO, effective 1 April 2026. Mr. Noetzel was confirmed as the company’s permanent COO in June 2022 and is responsible for its operations across 60 properties in eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

A new chapter begins for Gropius Passagen in Berlin-Neukölln. With the appointment of Christian Danne as Center Manager, one of the city’s top retail destinations is setting a fresh strategic course. Covering around 94,000 square meters of retail space, featuring over 150 stores, and welcoming roughly ten million visitors a year, Gropius Passagen remains a key anchor of Berlin’s retail landscape.

A special honor for Alexander Otto, CEO of the ECE Group: at this year’s MAPIC trade fair, Otto received the MAPIC Lifetime Award as a “Pioneer of Places” in recognition of his exceptional achievements and outstanding contribution to shaping and advancing the shopping center industry over the past three decades.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has been awarded two times at MAPIC 2025, Europe’s most prestigious retail real estate show, held each year in Cannes, France. Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier won Best Urban Regeneration Project and Westfield London was named the Most Influential Retail Property Project of the past 30 years.

At MAPIC 2025, NEINVER unveils a major evolution of Alpes The Style Outlets – its second outlet in France – redesigned to be more sustainable and to deliver a higher-quality experience for visitors and brand partners. The Spanish multinational, with three decades of European outlet expertise, also shares updates on its refurbishment and extension programme, which is accelerating across the portfolio.

Retail PIN, the German-based think tank for retail real estate, has published its new position paper, which explores how retail properties can generate impact today: economically, socially, and environmentally. The paper provides insights on management, leasing models, operations, and legal frameworks, offering a holistic perspective on the evolving retail property landscape.

As Europe’s retailers and landlords head into the most decisive quarter of the year, success hinges not only on footfall, but on clarity. With up to 40% of annual revenue at stake, real-time sales collection and automated reporting have become critical tools to track performance, manage risk, and capture opportunities. From tenant health to turnover rent, automation is transforming holiday trading from a logistical scramble into a data-driven advantage.

NEPI Rockcastle is on the path to growth: Its portfolio value is over €8 billion, net operating income has risen by 12%, and occupancy rates are close to 100%. In this interview, Marek Noetzel explains how the company has achieved such results despite geopolitical uncertainties, why retail parks are thriving while mega deals are stalling, and how photovoltaic and mixed-use projects are shaping the future of retail in CEE.

In Central and Eastern Europe, BIG has pursued a dual-track strategy: building a strong footprint in the Balkans via BIG CEE, and entering Poland only three years ago. Within this short period, the Polish arm has grown to a portfolio of 10 operating retail parks, with three more in development, making it one of the fastest-growing players in the country. To understand how BIG managed such rapid expansion in one of Europe’s most competitive retail markets, we spoke with Eran Levy, Chief Operating Executive of BIG Poland.

The largest single-asset retail transaction of the year in Poland has been finalized, as Echo Investment sells Libero shopping center to Summus Capital, an Estonian-based investment company. The value of the deal amounts to €103 million.

BIG CEE has rapidly grown into a leading force in Southeast Europe’s retail real estate market. CEO Lev Weiss discusses the company’s journey, from its first projects in Serbia to major milestones across the Balkans, and shares his vision for future expansion and brand building in the region.

The major development by NEPI Rockcastle, one of Europe’s industry leaders, is currently the CEE region’s largest retail project. The extension is underway and on schedule with an investmnet budget of approximately €300M and a grand opening planned for the first quarter of 2027.

VIA Outlets has successfully placed €500 million of senior unsecured fixed-rate green bonds due 2032. The issuance attracted strong demand from institutional investors resulting in a €1.8+ billion orderbook and an oversubscription of 3.6x. The bonds carry a seven-year maturity and a fixed annual coupon of 3.5%.