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Search Results for: project – Page 9

credit: Avison Young

Retail Parks Everywhere? – Polish Investment Market Report by Avison Young

Poland’s retail parks have grown from outskirts experiments in the 1990s to over 290 large hubs nationwide. Changing consumer habits and investor confidence are turning them into versatile destinations beyond just convenience shopping. Investment market report created by Avison Young allow details insights into major trends through a comprehensive analysis.

credit: MEC

“IF YOU WANT TO SHAPE THE FUTURE, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF THINGS”

MEC’s new Business & Project Development department underscores its commitment to the future of retail real estate. Instead of pure administration, the focus is now on holistic location development – strategic, practical, and market-oriented. Head of the unit, Jörg Wege, explains how vision meets everyday business, why hands-on expertise matters, and how this drives MEC’s growth.

credit: BIG CEE

BIG Čačak by BIG CEE officially opened its Doors

Serbia’s first lifestyle retail park, BIG Čačak, is now officially welcoming customers with 45 new stores and 500 parking spaces, offering a unique experience that combines shopping, gastronomy, and leisure.

NIQ Geomarketing study: European retail in 2024 and 2025

The share of private consumption allocated to retail – rather than savings, services, or leisure – continues to decline across the European Union. In 2024, this trend persisted for the third consecutive year, with EU citizens spending just 32.6 percent of their disposable income in retail. Croatia recorded the highest share, with nearly every second euro spent in retail. These insights come from a new, free study published today by NIQ Geomarketing, offering a comprehensive overview of retail trends across Europe.

credit: SmartGifty

When Shopping Becomes an Experience: Smart Retail Destinations

Retail and tourism are merging, as malls transform into destinations where visitors seek experiences, not just products. From Dubai Mall to Mall of America, the world’s shopping centers are reinventing themselves with entertainment, digital services, and personalized journeys. With innovations like SmartGifty, even regional players such as BTC City Ljubljana are proving how digital gift cards, loyalty programs, and smart platforms can turn retail hubs into tourist magnets. The future of shopping is experiential, digital, and sustainable. And it’s already here.

credit: Mitja Kobal/CC Real

CC REAL: FROM A CONSTRUCTION SITE CONTAINER IN ZAGREB TO AN INTERNATIONAL PLAYER IN RETAIL REAL ESTATE

The Vienna-based company CC Real is today among the most significant, albeit so far relatively low-profile, players in the European retail real estate market. In an interview with ACROSS, founders Fabian Kaufmann and Sven Vorih, describe the journey from their beginnings in Croatia to their current expansion strategies in Europe and Australia. The discussion covers experiences in times of crisis, strategic partnerships, refurbishment successes, and the question of why CC Real still firmly believes in the future of retail.

credit: ECE

„CHANGE IS IN OUR DNA”

Innovation and the safeguarding of future success require conviction and values – ECE celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025. This is more than just an anniversary: It is a commitment to continuous change and responsible business practices. ECE Marketplaces CEO Joanna Fisher, who has been with the company for nearly three decades, discusses the power of putting values into practice, her own journey from a working student to a top manager, and how true innovation can only be achieved through integrity and clarity.

CEO PERSPECTIVES 2025: WHEN THE TENANT THRIVERS, THE ASSET FLIES

“When the tenant thrives, the asset survives” is an old saying in retail real estate leasing management. But survival is only the baseline – the ambition must go further. Not just to “survive” – the asset should “fly.” But what will it take in 2025 for an asset to take off? For this cover story, 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.

Giles Membrey, Managing Director of Rioja Estates (left), Grantham Designer Outlet Village (right) /// credit: Rioja Estates

Grantham Designer Outlet Village gains momentum ahead of planned opening in 2028

With a growing list of premium brands already in legal discussions, Grantham Designer Outlet Village continues to gather momentum ahead of its scheduled opening in 2028. The 164 million Euro project, led by outlet specialists Rioja Estates and its partner, Buckminster Estates, will be located on a new purpose-built junction directly off the A1, the third busiest road in the UK. With 750 m of frontage to the A1 it will be directly visible to more than 17 million passing vehicles every year making it one of the best outlet locations in the UK.

credit: BIG CEE

BIG CEE to Open Serbia’s First Lifestyle Retail Park – BIG Čačak

BIG CEE will officially open Serbia’s first lifestyle retail park – BIG Čačak – on September 18. Covering 16,500 sq m and representing an investment of €25 million, the project introduces a diverse mix of well-known domestic and international brands, along with leisure and entertainment facilities designed for all generations.

The Final Chapter of the European Shopping Places Trust: A Legacy of Education, Research, and Empowerment

In 2025, after more than a quarter of a century of dedicated service to Europe’s retail real estate community, the European Shopping Places Trust (ESPT) will close its books. For the professionals, students, researchers, and industry leaders touched by its work, this moment is less an ending than a milestone. This is a chance to reflect on what has been achieved and the legacy that will endure.

Will Odwarka is the Founder and CEO of Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting. /// credit: ACROSS, Will Odwarka

Will’s F&B Insights: Competitive Socializing – A New Catalyst for Malls and Mixed-Use Destinations

Retail is reinventing itself – one game at a time. As the mega-multiplex era fades and streaming dominates screens, malls and mixed-use destinations are turning to competitive socializing. Mini-golf with cocktails, high-tech darts, F1 simulators, and bowling-meets-karaoke mash-ups are the new anchors of experience. More than just entertainment, these hybrid venues are reshaping consumer journeys, driving footfall, and transforming retail spaces into cultural playgrounds as Will Odwarka explains in his latest column for ACROSS.

credit: Nicolas Boffi/MIPIM

MIPIM Appoints Nicolas Boffi as New Director

RX France has announced the appointment of Nicolas Boffi as the new Director of MIPIM, the global urban festival. An engineer and urban planner by background, Boffi has over 20 years of experience in real estate and urban development, working across project management, business development and public affairs.

credit: Sonae Sierra

Sonae Sierra signs agreement to acquire Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s German third party real estate management business

Sonae Sierra, a vertically integrated real estate company and a leading player in the European Shopping Center space, has signed an agreement with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield to acquire its German business unit dedicated to the management of shopping centers for third parties – Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Real Estate Management (“URW REM”). The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities.

NEPI ROCKCASTLE ACHIEVES 12.1% GROWTH IN H1 NET OPERATING INCOME – PORTFOLIO SURPASSES €8BN FOR FIRST TIME IN COMPANY’S HISTORY

NEPI Rockcastle N.V., Europe’s third largest listed retail real estate company by portfolio value, achieved a 12.1% growth in NOI (net operating income) year-on-year in the first half (H1) of 2025 to €307 million as a result of the large acquisitions completed in 2024 and a continued improvement in the existing portfolio through active asset management, despite a challenging macroeconomic background.

credit: SES

New life for historic site: SES Breaks Ground on €28 Million S-PARK Varaždin Retail Development

Austria-based developer SES Spar European Shopping Centers has launched construction of its latest project in Croatia: a modern retail park on the historic former Varteks textile factory site in Varaždin. Scheduled to open in 2027, the €28 million investment will include the region’s first Interspar hypermarket, 12 shops, restaurants, and services across 11,500 square meters.

credit: Stratosferica

Urban Optimism in Action: The Utopian Hours Festival in Turin, October 17-19, 2025

ACROSS Magazine speaks with Giacomo Biraghi, co-founder of Stratosferica and one of the driving forces behind the Utopian Hours festival, a one-of-a-kind international gathering in Turin that reframes how cities are celebrated, studied, and shaped. In this interview, Biraghi discusses the ethos behind the event, its approach to urbanism, the evolving role of retail real estate, and how Turin is benefitting directly from this growing global platform.

credit: Kaufhaus Tyrol

Kaufhaus Tyrol in Innsbruck Sold – New Operator Takes Over Following Signa Bankruptcy

The Kaufhaus Tyrol, a prominent shopping center located on Innsbruck’s Maria-Theresien-Straße, has been sold following the bankruptcy of Signa Prime Selection AG. The newly established company KHT AcquiCo SARL has acquired the property. While the exact purchase price remains undisclosed, reports suggest the sale amounted to approximately €140 million.

credit: MEC

MEC Leases 74,000 sq m of Retail Space in First Half of 2025

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.

credit: Rhubarb Hospitality Collection

Anchor partners for the fine dining cluster at Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier: ‘Elemente’ and ‘Air Bar 13’ to open in the first quarter of 2026

Hospitality Collection (RHC) is the key anchor tenant for the exclusive fine dining and bar offering at the waterfront of the urban quarter. Together with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), interior fittings for the two future food & beverage and event hotspots have started. The South American restaurant ‘Elemente’, which was specially designed for the location, and the rooftop venue ‘Air Bar 13’ will bring cosmopolitan appeal directly to the river Elbe. The concepts are scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2026.