Search Results for: retail report – Page 22

Since early 2007, I have had the privilege to be involved in the topic of sustainability in the real estate sector.

The 7th Magdus European Outlet event was held in Paris on June 11 and 12. The main topic of the presentations was “Outlets: seizing opportunities for growth”.

For the shopping center industry sustainability has become in the past years much more than simple positioning. It is considered a relevant economic, social and environmental aspect that has a significant impact on corporate value.

Customer focus is at the very heart of what we do as a shopping center operator. That sentence is correct, but ostensibly nothing new.

The retail market is in perhaps the most interesting phase since the emergence of the internet and online trading. Technological change has made great leaps in recent years and changed consumer behavior significantly.

The concept of what constitutes a good “brand” is not always clear in a retail context, let alone within the shopping center world. It is tempting, and indeed quite common, simply to refer to a brand by name – the world’s great brands such as Apple, Coca-Cola, Louis Vuitton etc. are instantly recognized by name. But what’s in a name and what makes a great brand?

Customers are constantly being offered more opportunities and methods for consumption, both online and offline. Every retailer has to recognize and follow this trend in order to avoid losing out to the competition. We must find a combination of e-commerce, mobile apps or social media, and traditional retail stores. Today’s end consumers are digitally networked at all times and around 63% of buyers use devices like mobile phones and tablets to learn about products in advance or to buy them online.

As the retail and shopping center climate continues to heat up across Europe and ongoing investment strongly suggests that the future looks promising, it is vital that we remain clear on what it is that really drives our market: the people within it.