HOME - ACROSS

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2026 FROM THE ACROSS TEAM

We would like to thank you for your continued interest in ACROSS – our magazine, newsletter and other offerings. We will now take a short break until January 6th and promise to be back with exciting new content and offerings in the new year.

Will & Johnny: Veganuary, Dry January and the New Reminder on the Menu

F&B experts Will Odwarka and Jonathan Doughty explain, why January’s abstinence movements are forcing the food & beverage sector to rethink its long-term strategy.

The latest Eurostat data confirm that while retail turnover has continued to rise, volume has followed a far more moderate path. A 2025 review and 2026 outlook.

European shopping centers are undergoing a profound transformation. As demographic change, urban lifestyles, and the rise of preventative health converge, fitness, healthcare, and wellness uses are emerging as powerful anchors for retail destinations. A new report by CBRE shows that they are far from being niche add-ons.

Retail in Europe is anything but straightforward. Highly saturated Western markets coexist with faster-growing economies in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, each following its own trajectory. Eurostat data reveal sharply diverging retail trade volume trends, suggesting significantly different growth paths across regions in 2026.

The personalities now stepping into decision-making positions and shaping the next chapter of placemaking and retail in 2026.

Liliya Shaykhutdinova analyses how leading Asian vertical malls successfully drive footfall across multiple levels, and explores which of these principles can inspire European multi-storey malls.

Download our 110-page Online Special and discover the stories, trends, and data driving the next chapter of placemaking.

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.

Go to Special

TICKER

THE LATEST PLACEMAKING NEWS

REWE Group Concludes a “challenging” but “successful” first half year

Oct 20, 2025

Conference “MPC Echo” Held at Sava Center: Inspiration for a New Era of Commercial Spaces

Oct 20, 2025

OUT NOW: THINK BIG – Why Now Is A Good Time To Think Bigger About Projects. We Have Some Notable Examples.

Oct 20, 2025

THE RISE OF THE VILLAGE-STYLE OUTLET

Oct 17, 2025

Property Investment Market in Poland

Oct 17, 2025

Shaping Retail in Albania: QTU Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Oct 16, 2025

MAGAZINE

LATEST ISSUE

DEVELOPMENT

PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

REVITALIZATION AND ASSESSMENT OF RETAIL REAL ESTATE: CASE STUDY OF RATHAUS GALERIE ESSEN

Retail property revitalization and valuation is a complex process that aims to increase a property’s value and make it more attractive to retailers and customers. HBB sheds light on the various aspects of this process, including analyses, costs, steps, success factors, and necessary partners. A site-specific approach is elementary, as the Rathaus Galerie Essen example shows.

“CREATING VIBRANT LIVING SPACES”: TURNING KING CROSS ZAGREB INTO CROATIA’S MOST MODERN SHOPPING DESTINATION

Renovating existing buildings and reducing new construction is the order of the day. Christoph Andexlinger, CEO of SES, uses the example of KING CROSS Zagreb to explain how the company is developing the established, aging center into a state-of-the-art mall with a high quality-of-stay via a complete refurbishment, thereby elevating it to the next level of success.

Place of the Week: Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier is on the home stretch

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield celebrates topping-out ceremony at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier with more than 300 guests. There is enough reason to celebrate: The Pre-letting rate in retail, food & beverage and leisure is at 85 percent

PLACE of the Week: Forum Gdańsk – A best performer with further potential

Although NEPI Rockcastle has only acquired Forum Gdańsk nine month ago, it is already one of the company’s darlings. In the first quarter of 2023, the center grew by 40 percent in sales compared to the previous year. The Forum Gdańsk can now finally exploit its full potential.

MANAGEMENT

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

IPH Group Expands Its Management Team And Recruits Christian Zimmermann As Director

Christian Zimmermann will join the IPH Group as Director starting November 1. In his new role, he will make a significant contribution to the strategic development of the company, open up new business areas and expand existing services such as specialty leasing, consulting, certifications and ESG.

Marjan Gigov Joins Cushman & Wakefield As Specialist For Leasing Premium And Luxury Retail Spaces In Central Europe

Marjan Gigov joins the leading real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield as an Associate and Specialist for Leasing Premium and Luxury Retail Spaces in the Czech Republic and Central European region. In this role, he will be primarily responsible for leasing spaces and projects on Prime High Streets.

MPC Properties Appoints Lucien Smits as New Chief Financial Officer

MPC Properties, a regional leader in the development, construction, and management of modern shopping destinations and business centres, with the longest market experience and expertise, has appointed Lucien Smits as its new Chief Financial Officer.

People On The Move

Recruitments, promotions and appointments.

OUTLETS

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

“OPTIMIZATION AND RENEWAL ARE THE KEY STRATEGIES FOR ALL OUTLET PLAYERS”

All outlet players have worked hard to improve their attractivity, engage new retailers, offer more exciting Food & Beverage formats, provide more premium hospitality services and realize strong marketing campaigns, states Caroline Lamy, CEO of Magdus and the CL Outlet Consulting company. In this interview, she gives an overview of the European Outlet market.

Designer Outlet Kraków forges ahead: open shell to be finished by March

The construction of Designer Outlet Kraków is at an advanced stage, with the building reaching the open shell phase. Located in Kraków’s city center at one of the most popular arteries in the city, Designer Outlet Kraków will benefit from a catchment area of almost 5 million inhabitants and a great tourism potential. The opening is planned for spring 2025.

VIA Outlets ACHIEVES Brand RECORD SALES OF 1.36 BILLION EUROS in 2023

VIA Outlets brand sales soar by over 11.5% to a record 1.36 billion Euro in 2023 driven by a 7.5% jump in footfall and extensive remodelling and remerchandising projects across the portfolio

We talk about guests; not about customers!

In its 25th anniversary year, the Designer Outlet Parndorf celebrates the most successful year in the location’s history. ACROSS spoke to Mario Schwann, General Manager Designer Outlet Parndorf, about the return of international visitors, why maximum service orientation almost like in a first class hotel is the be-all and end-all, and what trends and developments are taking place at the location.

RETAIL

STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

Levi Strauss To Sell Dockers To Reebok-Owner Authentic Brands Group

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.

Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr Zentrum Starts A New Chapter As The Center’s Refurbishment Commences

The Rhein-Ruhr Zentrum (RRZ) in Mülheim, Germany, has entered a new era with the start of the conversion work. A total of around 180 million euros is to be invested in the comprehensive redesign of the center. After an intensive planning phase, the first conversion work has now begun.

M&S Faces Heavy Financial Impact Following The Recent Cyberattack Despite Strong Results In The Past Financial Year

Amid a multimillion-pound class lawsuit launched by Scottish customers against Marks & Spencer following the theft of personal data due to the recent cyberattack, the company can also expect a cyber incident impact of around 300 million pounds on its 2025/26 operating profit, looming over its highly positive results in the 2024/25 period.

CC Real Has Reinvented One Of Helsinki’s Most Iconic Shopping Destinations

The extensive redevelopment of the ITIS Shopping Center in Helsinki has now been successfully completed. With an investment of 60 million euros, CC Real has fundamentally repositioned the center by the end of 2024 and transformed it into a modern, future-proof urban destination.

FOOD & BEVERAGE / LEISURE

LATEST TRENDS

URW Introduces Digital Art Center in Hamburg

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) brings Culturespaces on board as the key partner for the mixed-use quarter’s art, culture, and edutainment segment. With Port des Lumières, Culturespaces will open a branch of its digital art center in Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, which will cover an area of around 3,100 sq m.

3,252 sq m Leisure Concept Babylon Park signs for UK Debut

LabTech, owners of Camden Market (London), have announced the signing of a UK debut site for Babylon Park, a new family entertainment leisure concept, at Camden Market Hawley Wharf (shopping & dining destination).

New ‘food hall of the future’ at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin

Brookfield Properties has concluded a strategic deal with Manifesto Market to join the redesigned Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. Both were supported by ECE Marketplaces. Manifesto will operate a flagship food hub of 4,400 sq m.

Liverpool ONE welcomes coffee operator bean as permanent tenant

The retail-led, mixed-use complex in Liverpool’s city center has added the coffee operator Bean. The brand has opened a permanent space on Manesty’s Lane having relocated from its pop-up on South John Street.

PROPTECH

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

The Future Began Yesterday

The technological challenges that brick-and-mortar retail faces – a deliberately critical scenario.

Always at your service!

Shopping centers gain their competitive edge with innovative support options that bind customers to them and motivates these customers to return.

“Every decision maker in the industry is interested in speaking with us”

The Norwegian Boostcom Group is a world-leading PropTech supplier for shopping centers. In an interview with ACROSS, CEO Peter Tonstad explains how he manages to reach up to 80% of mall visitors.

Everyone Needs to Be Aware of What is Happening, When, and Why

Dutch company Chainels’ platform provides the tools that are necessary to reach and engage mall stakeholders.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent	1 year	Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
elementor	never	This cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time.
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Duration	Description
_ga	2 years	The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_135750163_2	1 minute	Set by Google to distinguish users.
_gid	1 day	Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.

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