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Acquisition

Hilee GmbH and INTERRA Immobilien AG have acquired the inner-city shopping center Palais Vest in Recklinghausen. Opened in 2014, the center is one of the leading retail locations in the northern Ruhr region and plays a defining, center-forming role within Recklinghausen’s city center.

VIA Outlets has acquired The Outlet Stores Alicante, an established centre in the southeast of Spain serving the broader Costa Blanca region, from previous owner UBS Asset Management.

ANTA Sports Products Limited announced it has reached a share purchase agreement with Groupe Artémis, the investment company of the Pinault family, to acquire a 29.06% stake in PUMA SE, the company behind iconic global sports brand PUMA. The stake is valued at EUR 1.5 billion in cash. The transaction marks a significant step in ANTA Sports’ globalization strategy, further enhancing its reach, recognition and competitiveness in the global sporting goods market.

VIA Outlets has acquired Scalo Milano Outlet & More, a modern, well-connected outlet centre located to the south of Milan. VIA Outlets has purchased 100% of Locate District S.p.A., the owner-operator of the centre, previously held by the Lonati Group.

Union Investment announced the profitable sales of Palladium shopping center in Prague, a landmark asset acquired for the UniImmo: Deutschland fund in 2015. The buyer is the largest real estate fund of REICO Erste Asset Management, making the transaction the largest commercial property deal ever recorded in the Czech market.

One of Europe’s most significant privately owned real estate companies, Redevco is strengthening its retail real estate arm by acquiring the 10,000 sqm large Vimbuch Center in Bühl, Germany. The retail destination is now revitalized and fully leased to REWE, Penny, Rossman and 11 other tenants for long-term.

The largest single-asset retail transaction of the year in Poland has been finalized, as Echo Investment sells Libero shopping center to Summus Capital, an Estonian-based investment company. The value of the deal amounts to €103 million.

A surprise move in the retail sector: Austria’s Leder & Schuh AG, best known for its flagship brand Humanic, has been sold to the Slovenian investment firm Advance Capital Partners. Despite the change in ownership, the company’s headquarters for its 210 stores and 1,700 employees will remain in Graz, Austria.

Part of the Austria based Erste Group, REICO is soon to acquire PALLADIUM Prague shopping center, in Prague, Czech Republic. As of today, the value of the transaction has not been revealed, and the transaction is currently being assessed by the Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS).

M Core has completed the acquisition of Southwater Square, a 99,000 sq ft leisure scheme located in the heart of Telford town centre. The scheme forms part of the wider Southwater regeneration. It is anchored by a strong line-up of national operators, including Cineworld, Premier Inn, Miller and Carter, Zizzi, Willow, Pizza Express, Nando’s and Bella Italia.

Berlin’s largest shopping centre, Gropius Passagen has just been acquired by Hayfin from Nuveen and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. The centre is a highly important retail destination in Neukölln, Berlin, Germany, with an approximately 95.000 sqm lettable space, around 150 tenants.

DICK’S Sporting Goods has completed its $2.4 billion acquisition of Foot Locker, emerging as a new global sports retail leader. The deal is set to strengthen DICK’S presence across North American, European, Asian and Australian regions, as well as retaining Foot Locker and its family of brands, including Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, WSS and atmos.

“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.

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.

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.

French retail real estate group FREY has cemented its position among Europe’s top three outlet operators with a €410 million acquisition of three flagship shopping villages in Italy. Backed by a €650 million strategic partnership with Cale Street, the deal brings Franciacorta (Lombardy), Valdichiana (Tuscany), and Palmanova (near Trieste) under FREY’s umbrella, adding 90,000 sq m of retail space and 11 million annual visitors to its portfolio.