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PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

Following a customer-centric approach, the ‘Trading-Up’ strategy carried out by ROS Retail Outlet Shopping across its entire portfolio has achieved full potential in 2023. In particular, the Polish centers managed by the operator have registered up to 20 new openings, occupying a total gross lettable area of 3,000 sq m. Expectations in the Polish market are also on the rise with the anticipated center extension of Designer Outlet Gdańsk, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2024.

NEPI Rockcastle, Europe’s third-largest listed retail real estate company and the biggest owner and operator of shopping centers across CEE markets by value, is to invest around 600 million Euro in its development and asset refurbishment pipeline to meet strong demand from retailers aiming to tap into the region’s increasingly affluent consumer base.

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

Unlike English retailers who focus on margin percentages, many German retailers prioritize profit per unit (Deckungsbeitrag), focusing on actual money earned rather than relative percentages. John Brenninkmeijer argues that to optimize assortment decision-making for a store, managers should consider the Dollar Contribution “Deckungsbeitrag” of products and the possible Opportunity Cost incurred when choosing one option over another.

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

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.

Tourism and shopping belong together – this is most visible within the outlet industry. Many outlet centers are located in leading tourist zones and traditionally work together with the tourism authorities. Outlets and tourist destinations understand and present themselves as a unit. This means that the outlet industry is one step ahead of the shopping center industry, but there is still a lot of potential here, since 10% of the European outlet centers have hotels at their sites.

STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

Austria’s largest shopping center kicked off the spring season with two special events. For the first time, Westfield Shopping City Süd teamed up with STYLE UP YOUR LIFE! for the Westfield Club Shopping Night, where selected stores offered extended opening hours exclusively for Westfield Club members. Immediately afterwards, all fashion enthusiasts had the opportunity to discover the latest trends of the season at the Colorful Spring Days.

Following non-food discounter Action’s positive results in net sales growth and successful expansion strategy last year, the retailer is aiming for further market entries in 2025.

LATEST TRENDS

The F&B sector has changed significantly in recent years, not only in terms of the size of the market, but also in the variety and quality of the offering. As rents continue to rise in Europe, space previously dominated by fashion retailers is now being occupied by trendy gastronomic restaurants. People have evolved from collecting “things” to collecting “experiences”, and shopping centers have adapted to this change by improving and expanding their gastronomic offerings. Food and beverage (F&B) will play an even more crucial role in the success of retail real estate.

ACROSS DISCUSS – the new video discussion format from ACROSS. According to the motto “from insiders for insiders,” we examine the top topics in the industry in exciting, entertaining discussion settings.

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS

Steffen Hofmann is a Managing Partner at ambas. Having worked in eight European markets, he has a deep understanding of the mechanisms of international investment markets. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of ACROSS, he discusses the historic evolution of the retail real estate industry from the perspective of the financial market.

Investors feel safe again in Poland. The total volume of investment transactions in H1 2022 amounted to almost 2.9 billion Euro, which was more than 40% more than in the same period last year. 28% of all investments were made in the shopping center sector.

WHERE THE INDUSTRY MEETS