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The 4th ACROSS Study Tour takes us to the United Arab Emirates. Exciting shopping-places, unique store concepts and forward-looking ideas. NOW FULLY BOOKED

What will it take in 2025 for an asset to take off? For this special, we asked leading figures in the European retail real estate sector what they see as the most significant current challenges, as well as the solutions needed, for retail assets not just to survive but to prosper.

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THE LATEST PLACEMAKING NEWS

FLEXIBILITY VS. STABILITY IN RETAIL LEASING: HOW TO BUILD SMARTER PORTFOLIOS IN AN UNCERTAIN MARKET

Oct 09, 2025

MEC Wins Management Mandates from Deka Immobilien for Three Retail Locations in Germany

Oct 09, 2025

Vote of Confidence: MEC Secures Contract Extensions for 19 Retail Properties

Oct 08, 2025

Portrait credit: ROS | Image credit: FREY

RESHAPING THE EUROPEAN OUTLET INDUSTRY WITH PROVEN EXCELLENCE

Oct 08, 2025

FROM PROMENADES TO OUTLETS: FREY’S BOLD PATH TO MARKET LEADERSHIP

Oct 08, 2025

Special Issue “FREY & ROS: Shaping Europe’s most desirable Outlet Destinations with the Ambition to lead in open-air Retail”

Oct 08, 2025

LATEST ISSUE

PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

City Outlet Geislingen Is Expanding

City Outlet Geislingen with over 40 home, fashion & lifestyle brands in 25 stores is being expanded to include four new stores. Construction work will begin in July 2024 and the opening is planned for late summer 2025.

NEPI Rockcastle Exits Serbia with 177 Million Euro Asset Sale To BIG CEE

NEPI Rockcastle has announced that, through its wholly owned subsidiary NE Property B.V., it has entered into a binding agreement to sell 100% of the shares in the subsidiary holding, the retail property known as Promenada Novi Sad, to a Serbian subsidiary of CEE BIG BV.

Designer Outlet Algarve’s Premium Outlet Village Expansion Begins

Designer Outlet Algarve, the premium outlet village for the south of Portugal and Spain, kicks off construction for its center extension. By the summer of 2025, up to 25 new stores will open on an additional 4,000 sq m of gross lettable area, creating around 150 jobs.

Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier Has Announced 12 New Tenants

In recent months, further brands have been brought on board that will further differentiate the retail and lifestyle destination’s offering. With the Grand Opening on October 17, the city of Hamburg will welcome a vibrant new destination in the heart of HafenCity – a place that dynamically combines retail, residential, office space and leisure attractions.

MANAGEMENT

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

Management Change At Outletcity Metzingen

COO Regine Schöllkopf-Pinakidis has been appointed as CEO at Outletcity Metzingen, forming a new management board with CFO Michael Henseling.

Eurofund Group Strengthens Its German Team

Eurofund Group is further expanding its presence in the German market and is strengthening its team with Marc Heppner as the new Director Development.

ECE Marketplaces Has Achieved Strong Leasing Performance And Over 820,000 sq m Of Leased Shopping Center Space

The shopping center operator ECE Marketplaces has once again achieved a strong leasing performance in the shopping centers under its management in 2024 that exceeds the already very successful results of the previous year.

BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES: CHALLENGES OF ASSET MANAGEMENT IN 2024 (GLOBALLY) AND HOW TO FIND ANSWERS TO THOSE

In many ways 2024 has been a challenging environment for the sector. German consumers have been caught between slow wage growth and wider political uncertainty, both domestically and abroad. A weakened overall market in Germany also effects Potsdamer Platz. However, when consumer demand tightens you can still be successful if you have the right tenant mix.

OUTLETS

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

VIA Outlets Reconfirms Sustainability Credentials With Top 5-Star ESG Rating

VIA Outlets has achieved the top 5-star rating in GRESB’s 2024 Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark Report for the fifth consecutive year, along with the second-highest Fitch ESG Entity and ESG Framework Ratings.

EUROPE HAS BECOME SATURATED, SO WHERE NEXT FOR OUTLETS?

In recent years, Europe has seen a proliferation of designer outlet malls, catering to savvy shoppers seeking luxury brands at discounted prices. However, the market in Europe is now showing signs of saturation, prompting developers and investors to look beyond traditional borders for new opportunities, says Giles Membrey, Managing Director, Rioja Estates. This shift is driven by various factors, including market maturity, consumer saturation, and the quest for untapped potential in emerging regions.

European Outlet Review

The number of stores operating at European outlet centres increased by 0.5% to 15,748 in the twelve months to August 2024. This is the greatest number ever recorded. The number of brands operating at European outlet centres also increased 1.4% to 4,536. This is 0.7% greater than in 2019.

NEINVER And Nuveen Real Estate Secure €73 Million Refinancing Deal For Their Outlet Center In France

NEINVER and Nuveen Real Estate have successfully carried out a 73-million-euro debt refinancing for the French center Roppenheim The Style Outlets, located close to Strasbourg and owned by Neptune – a joint venture between NEINVER and NUVEEN’s parent company, TIAA.

RETAIL

STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

Matalan Plans Multimillion Pound Investment In The UK

Following its multi-year transformation program, the fashion and homeware retailer aims to invest over 25 million pounds into its UK store estate this year.

Takko Fashion Achieves Record Results In FY 2024/2025 And Continues Growth In Q1

Discounter Takko Fashion has recorded the highest sales in the company’s history for the 2024/2025 financial year. The company is thus continuing its growth course consistently and against the industry trend.

Cushman & Wakefield Takes Over Property Management And Leasing Of Aupark Bratislava

As of June 2025, Cushman & Wakefield has taken over the property management and leasing of the Aupark Bratislava shopping center, bringing the best of its retail expertise from across Central and Eastern Europe.

NEPI ROCKCASTLE CEO RÜDIGER DANY TO LEAVE COMPANY IN MARCH 2026

Rüdiger Dany, CEO of NEPI Rockcastle, the leading owner, operator and developer of shopping centers across Central and Eastern European markets and the third largest listed retail real estate company in Europe by value of assets, is leaving his position in March 2026.

FOOD & BEVERAGE / LEISURE

LATEST TRENDS

Frankfurt Is To Get A Grandiose Food Hall

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.

Traditional Viennese confectioner Aïda starts expansion in Germany

In the 111th year of its existence, the first branch outside Austria is now opening at “Franz Josef Strauß” Airport in Munich.

URW: New Highlights at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier and Westfield Shopping City Süd

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Germany welcomes Rhubarb Hospitality Collection as anchor tenant at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, while Westfield Shopping City Süd celebrates new dining & leisure destination with retail partners and top stakeholders.

Will’s F&B Insights: The Inconvenient Truth of Customer Satisfaction and Memorable Experiences in Retail Spaces

It is a complex task to ensure project profitability. There is a struggle between doing what is right and what is reasonable. As 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: “However, in an ever-growing and competitive landscape, it is crucial to establish distinguishing factors that are recognizable and embrace them wholeheartedly.”

PROPTECH

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

Seppä Shopping Center First To Reward Finnish Shoppers For Loyalty With Seppä Klubi Mobile App

Seppä is the first Finnish shopping center to introduce a loyalty application, Seppä Klubi, which rewards loyal customers for their purchases and behavior. The Seppä Klubi will launch this coming June and can be downloaded for both Android and iPhone.

How EPP uses Chainels to put its tenants first

EPP uses Chainels to optimize tenant communication, turnover reporting and maintenance tracking across their diverse portfolio of retail and office assets.

Chainels continues to expand in France and increases its presence at Accessite

Chainels has increased its footprint in France through a collaboration with Accessite, a major player in the French retail property market. Accessite will use Chainels’ tenant experience platform and plan to deploy the white-labelled app, TALKIE by Accessite, to more of its shopping centres.

Proptech Is by No Means a Hype – 15 Years of Evolution and Adaptation

Few changes have been as noticeable in business and society as the technological developments of the last 15 years. New platforms and digital ecosystems have opened up huge new global opportunities. Within the shopping center industry, a whole new segment has emerged: The Proptech sector. Peter Tonstad, CEO of Placewise, looks back, explains the most important developments, and reveals the biggest challenges facing retail real estate.

INVESTMENT

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS

Tapestry acquires Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo

“The merger will create a new, strong global luxury house,” Tapestry chief executive Joanne Crevoiserat said.

Eurofund Group and Signal Capital Partners joint venture to invest 180 million euros in Rhein Ruhr Zentrum

In its 50th year, Rhein-Ruhr-Zentrum will undergo a transformation into a unique, experiential ‘Shopping Resort’.

LVMH buys Vuitton flagship store building on Champs Elysées

Built in the 1920s by architect Charles Henri Besnard, the building was originally commissioned by Georges Vuitton, the only child of the luxury brand’s founder.

Place of the Week: A new generation loyalty program for İnegöl shopping mall

A metaverse use case in practice: Fiba Commercial Properties and Elyt.net introduced at İnegöl Shopping Mall, Turkey, a metaverse-based, new-generation loyalty program. This makes the shopping center one of the first in the placemaking industry to implement metaverse technology in concrete terms.

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THE LATEST PLACEMAKING NEWS

LATEST ISSUE

PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

LATEST TRENDS

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS

WHERE THE INDUSTRY MEETS