by Ian Sandford, President of Eurofund Group
In 2026, the transformation of the placemaking industry will intensify. Homogenous malls with identikit line-ups struggle to meet new consumer demands, creating a compelling opportunity to shape new places, revitalise existing centres, and design destinations people genuinely want to visit.
Success will depend on a curated tenant mix that maximizes each asset’s potential and on partnerships that respond directly to consumer and community needs.
“The future is about places to be, not just places to buy.”
Ian Sandford
President of Eurofund Group
Retail remains a fickle business, subject to the whims of a fast-evolving consumer base. Habits and preferences shift, loyalties change, and attention spans shorten, making long-term planning complex. Yet the sector’s resilience is proven, its capacity for reinvention demands global vision and the ability to localize it to each asset’s unique circumstances, ensuring strategies are executed effectively.
Across Europe, significant potential is emerging. Germany, long under-appreciated by domestic investors, is attracting international capital, while the UK shows increased liquidity and repurposing opportunities, and Iberia offers prospects for dynamic urban destinations.
More broadly, we have the opportunity to lead meaningful urban regeneration in Old Europe, combining ESG standards with innovative ways of creating societal value through assets whose full potential remains untapped.
To secure a sustainable and prosperous future, the industry must respond decisively to major trends. Shopping centres and large urban developments are energy- and resource-hungry assets, and our responsibility is to address the needs of a society in flux, where time is scarce and change is relentless.
Our asset management ethos focuses on creating destinations that are “places to be” rather than “places to buy,” blending essential services—residential, needs-based retail, medical, wellness—with want-based retail, leisure, and F&B, shaping cities for tomorrow while fostering all-day, social, and service-oriented destinations.
