Advertisement

PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

Florentia Village Istanbul is Turkey’s first luxury designer outlet combined with a modern full price retail park creating a unique hybrid retail concept. Located next to Istanbul Airport, the outlet aims to set a new benchmark for retail, leisure and entertainment in the region through its scale, accessibility, attention to detail, service and innovative dual-concept structure.

“Das Gerber” in Stuttgart, Germany, stands for urban diversity, where retail, hotel, coworking, residential, doctors, daycare, leisure and gastronomy intertwine. The center’s transformation in the past years perfectly shows how strategic courage and partnership-based implementation can create an urban location with charisma.

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

SPAR subsidiary SES – Spar European Shopping Centers and, more specifically, its responsible SPAR Executive Board Member Marcus Wild, the Founder and long-standing CEO of the company, are the pioneers of numerous innovations within the industry. While it is rooted in retail, that’s not the only reason why the company has always relied on partnerships – with retailers at its shopping centers and, more increasingly, with new players outside the traditional retail scene. As a result of a joint venture concluded in the summer, health parks will be operated by SES at selected shopping centers in the future. ACROSS Managing Director Reinhard Winiwarter spoke with Marcus Wild about the long-term benefits of such partnerships, their impact on the future of shopping centers, and why thinking outside the box is always worthwhile.

On 23 April 2025, after a construction phase of around one and a half years, umdasch The Store Makers celebrated the opening of its expanded production and office space at its Czech site in Litomyšl. The investment in additional capacity is an important step for the shopfitting company to strengthen its own production and versatile service portfolio in Europe.

After a successful and dedicated period as Chief Investment Officer, Martin Brühl resigned from his position at Union Investment Real Estate GmbH on April 4, 2025.

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

FACTORY outlet centers across Poland, operated by NEINVER, are gaining momentum with new store openings and significant expansions from long-standing retail partners. The latest updates to the brand portfolio, totaling nearly 2,200 sq m of added retail space, underscore outlet retail’s growing appeal and NEINVER’s commitment to supporting brand growth.

NEINVER has begun the refurbishment of Las Rozas The Style Outlets, a landmark retail outlet center to the northwest of Madrid, owned by Neptune, a joint venture between NEINVER and TIAA, Nuveen’s parent company. The 3-million-euro renovation project will update the center inside and out, transforming it into a more modern and inviting space while remaining true to its trailblazing spirit as Spain’s first outlet center, established 29 years ago.

Designer Outlet Kraków is set to open its doors in May 2025, bringing an elevated outlet shopping experience to one of Poland’s most vibrant and fast-growing regions. Strategically located to serve both the city of Kraków and the entire Lesser Poland area, this new destination promises exceptional style, value and convenience—all under one roof.

STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

With over 120 international and Polish fashion and lifestyle brands, a vibrant F&B offering and a prime urban location, Designer Outlet Kraków launched with a celebratory ceremony hosted by KG Group and ROS Retail Outlet Shopping—marking a significant milestone for premium outlet shopping in southern Poland.

Levi Strauss & Co. has entered into a definive agreement with Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) to sell Dockers to Authentic for an initial transaction value of 275 million euros, with the potential to reach up to 345 million through a 70 million earnout opportunity in future years based on the performance of the Dockers business under Authentic’s ownership.

LATEST TRENDS

“Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier could emerge as a refreshing beacon of culinary innovation and diversity”, states Will Odwarka, F&B-expert, founder and CEO of Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting and member of the ACROSS Advisory Board. He takes a close look at the recently announced differentiation of the F&B offering at Hamburg’s new shopping destination. With this diverse concept he is positive that Hamburg will be able to show the power of food to cultivate community spirit.

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

Gift cards offer more than just convenience for customers—they are a treasure trove of data for retailers. By analyzing gift card purchases and redemptions, retailers can gain valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns, which can then be used to optimize sales strategies and drive business growth.

Mallcomm, has announced its completed rebrand to Kinexio, including a new name, logo and brand identity. The rebrand is a mark of the transformation that Mallcomm has undergone over the last 12 years, as the business has grown from a leading retail communications tool, to become a global enterprise software solution for commercial property management.

Data exchange in the shopping center industry is still in its infancy, states David Blumenfeld, Co-founder of NextRivet. While the benefits of data sharing between landlords and tenants are obvious, retailers are not enthusiastic about giving their landlords more insight into their business. For efficient data sharing, an honest and good lease relationship is essential. In this interview, Blumenfeld explains why data sharing is so important, but it requires a change in collaboration. Landlords are in the driving seat when it comes to data sharing. They have to prove the value of the data before demanding anything in return. The value of data is always the driving force.

“First, ask why!” That is the most important piece of advice that Mark Bruce, Data & Insights Director at Kinexio — formerly Mallcomm — can give. As data begins to redefine the retail experience, a key question that we must ask ourselves is: “Why should we share data?”. To many the idea of sharing data is clouded with questions around how it will be used, and what the implications will be. However, as businesses shape and implement their data strategies, there is a real opportunity to use data for good, especially in the landlord-tenant relationship and in order to maximize ROI.

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS