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PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

Following the recent addition of 12 new tenants that will further differentiate the retail and lifestyle destination’s offering, the letting of office space at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier also continues to progress successfully. The Hamburg-based management consultancy WAYES, which focuses on restructuring, litigation, transactions, planning, interim management and tax consultancy, and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) have signed a long-term office lease agreement.

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

Kaufland’s success story is characterized by the balance between the advantages of standardization within a large group and regional integration. In an interview with ACROSS, Michael Hiese, Chief Real Estate Officer at Kaufland International, discusses the company’s growth strategy, his optimistic outlook, why location is more important than asset class, and what makes a Kaufland store truly distinctive.

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

This summer, ROS Retail Outlet Shopping joined the French FREY Group to grow together in the outlet sector. In this interview, Antoine Frey, CEO of FREY, and Thomas Reichenauer, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping, explain which values and visions both companies have in common, what plans they are pursuing, especially with their first project in Malmö, and why they feel particularly comfortable in the outlet and outdoor shopping sector in the long term.

NEINVER is celebrating three anniversaries this year: 25 years of Getafe The Style Outlet in Spain and 20 years of Castel Guelfo and Vicolungo in Italy. All these centers are success stories. Their developments show that every center is individual and, when managed well, will develop its own success story. Nevertheless, Eduardo Ceballos, Asset Management Director at NEINVER, explains some common trends that every center should follow.

When it comes to measuring success, outlets are undergoing a noticeable change, with a gradual shift away from traditional KPIs – such as sales per square meter – and towards a more comprehensive assessment. These days, the critical metric for success is no longer how much revenue a store generates, but how much of an “experience” it provides per square meter, explains Giles Membrey, Managing Director, Rioja Estates.

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STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

MEC, a leading specialist in the management of retail properties, remains on its growth trajectory in the first half of 2025. The company signed a total of 124 new and renewed lease agreements across its portfolio, covering approximately 74,000 sq m of retail space. A standout success story is the Halle Center Peißen, where MEC has demonstrated its comprehensive management and implementation capabilities.

The retail world is undergoing radical realignment. Discounters thrive through efficiency. Luxury brands shine with immersive storytelling. In between, the middle market is eroding. Locations that don’t tell a compelling story are losing relevance. MK Illumination sees this polarization not as a crisis, but as a creative opportunity. Where emotion enters the equation, value returns – and light is the most powerful medium for creating that emotional connection.

Opened at the beginning of April, the new 1,100 sq m Smartseller store offers travellers an innovative duty-free shopping experience combined with high-quality food and beverage offerings and a sense of regional identity. The Store Makers at umdasch took on the entire project management for the store construction and ensured a smooth and high-quality implementation with the delivery and installation of furniture, light sculptures and catering elements.

Retail is no longer defined by the mid-market segment. Across the globe, a growing divide is reshaping the sector: Luxury brands are thriving on exclusivity and immersive experiences, while discount retailers are rapidly expanding through pricing power and operational scale. Mid-market players – the dependable heart of shopping centers – are being squeezed out, explains Yurdaer Kahraman, CEO and Board Member of Fiba Commercial Properties.

LATEST TRENDS

As the nostalgic memories of greasy fast food and sticky trays fade away, the death of the old-fashioned food court looms over the culinary landscape. An expert in the world F&B development, Will Odwarka, founder and CEO of Dubai-based firm Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting, states in his newest column: “With the rise of trendy market halls, food halls, and multi-purpose restaurant experiences, traditional food courts are struggling to keep up with the ever-evolving dining scene. But wait a minute, is that really true?”

The Compass Group has been won as the operator of the Foodhall in the new FOUR Frankfurt city quarter. Food Affairs GmbH, a company of Compass Group Deutschland GmbH, intends to curate the approximately 3,000 sq m space according to international standards and develop it into one of Frankfurt’s top food addresses.

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS

The family business Bucherer was founded in 1888 in Switzerland, is in the 3rd generation and is led by Jörg G. Bucherer as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The headquarters are located in Lucerne, the company has more than 2400 employees.

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