“It has been a challenging year for H&M group and the industry but after a difficult first half, there are signs the company’s transformation efforts are beginning to take effect. Improved collections generated better full-price sales and lower markdowns towards the end of the year. This gave us confidence to accelerate our transformation plans in the fourth quarter with a particular focus on the upgrade of our logistics systems. Inevitably resulting in increased costs but will lead to a range of improvements for customers.” Karl-Johan Persson, CEO

Oasis Retail Development & Consulting enters association with Austrian-based group Supernova for the development of Prima Shopping Center Sibiu, a retail park of 40,000 sq m localized North of Sibiu, near Hornbach.

Sloane Stanley are excited to welcome leading online CBD retailer, thedrug.store, to its first bricks and mortar venture in the heart of Chelsea, trading until February 3 at 341 King’s Road.

The sale of Stockmann’s Nevsky Centre shopping centre to the new owner PPF Real Estate has been completed.

MK Illumination, the world market leader in festive decorative lighting, knows the importance of transforming spaces with emotive and experiential lighting concepts that drive footfall, improve visitor flow, and encourage longer stays.

Lendlease and Invesco Real Estate, the global real estate investment manager, have announced that luxury crystal jewellery brand, Swarovski, is to open their latest store at Queensgate shopping centre in Peterborough this Spring.

DC Developments takes over development, realization and marketing of around 400 apartments in buildings A and E3 eastward of San Francisco Street, after Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield will previously realize the retail area.

DIC Asset AG, one of Germany’s leading listed property companies, reported that the Kaiserpassage a shopping arcade in the Bahnhofsviertel sub-district in Frankfurt am Main will reopen for business in mid-February.

Realm, the specialist asset manager, has seen strong performance over the Christmas period across the key outlet assets it manages – Livingston Designer Outlet, Resorts World Birmingham, Dalton Park in County Durham and London Designer Outlet in Wembley.

Global fashion brand, Polo Ralph Lauren, is set to open its latest store in Liverpool ONE this spring. It will occupy a 1,900 sq ft space and will include both womenswear and menswear collections.

Sonae Sierra, the developer and service provider for vibrant retail-centred properties, has acquired a 50% stake in Balmain Asset Management Group’s Central European platform.

Phase 2 of the Duty Free zone, laid out on an area of 53,000 sq m at Istanbul Airport, was opened on January 15, 2019.

Another accolade for the “Digital Mall”: On January 17, ECE’s digital innovation project received the “European Innovation Retail Award 2019 (“Europäischer Innovationspreis Handel 2019”) of the German Council of Shopping Centers (GCSC) at an award ceremony in Frankfurt am Main.

JSE-traded EPP, the pure Polish retail property fund, delivered a total return of 21% in 2018 to significantly outperform the market, making it the top performing listed property company of the year. This is a significant difference from the benchmark index (SAPY) total return of -25%.

The Supervisory Board of Wereldhave NV announces that Dirk Anbeek, CEO of the Company, will leave Wereldhave after ten years per April 1, 2019, having accepted a position elsewhere, outside the real estate sector.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Germany looks back on a successful business year; the strategic focus for 2019 further on lies on optimizing the existing portfolio.

Kintyre, the Frankfurt based investor and real estate manager, has announced the appointment of Guido Beddig (50), a well-known and experienced asset and property manager, to its senior management team.

BNP Paribas Real Estate has strengthened its European presence by signing an alliance contract, regarding Advisory services (Transaction, Consulting, Valuation) and Property Management, with the Austrian real estate company EHL IMMOBILIEN GmbH, headquartered in Vienna. Founded in 1991 and managed by Michael Ehlmaier, EHL IMMOBILIEN GmbH employs 193 people, based mainly in Vienna.

SIGNA has acquired Gänsemarktpassage in Hamburg from MEAG, the asset manager of Munich Re and ERGO.

The ACROSS Advisory Board is happy to announce its latest addition and welcomes Jan Tanner as its new member.

Trei Real Estate GmbH (Trei), an international developer and property company from Germany for residential and retail real estate, has decided to enter the US housing market. As their first investment, Trei is developing a multi-family property in North Carolina.

Center operator Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Germany and the Swedish Digital-Out-of-Home (DOOH) provider Visual Art have been working together since the beginning of January 2019.

Union Investment has renewed its management contract with Prelios Immobilien Management for the LAGO Shopping Center in the heart of Constance. The service agreement comprises centre management, property management, letting and car park operation.

Thor Equities Group, a global leader in urban real estate development, leasing and management, has announced the promotions of Toby Cooper and Luke Condon to Managing Director.