This year, the ACSP Congress 2026 installed by the Austrian Council of Shopping Places (ACSP) is returning to Vienna in October, with a special focus on experiential and entertainment offerings.
Merry Hill has announced the opening of Carnival Golf & Games, in a 23,700 sq feet unit at the top 10 UK super regional centre, another major milestone as the destination builds on a standout year of leasing success.
Global Mutual has announced the signing of leading indoor adventure park operator Flip Out at Livingston Designer Outlet, marking a significant step in the outlet’s ongoing strategy to develop its full day-out destination offering.
URW’s in-house media agency, Westfield Rise has partnered with Universal Pictures to bring magic into Westfield London upon the release of the new Wicked movie.
The popular shopping and leisure center at the Alexanderplatz Berlin, ALEXA is hosting a major American football event from the 7th to the 8th of November: “Touchdown ALEXA”.
BALFIN Group is diving into the world of family entertainment with its latest venture, “HyperActive,” a massive gaming and entertainment hub in Kosovo. As part of its expansion strategy, the Group has acquired a 40% stake in the company, setting the stage for significant growth in the region and across Europe.
“The industry must embrace creativity and innovation, ensuring every offering delivers something distinctive and exciting,” says Roger Goyk, Director Retail at Brookfield Properties Germany, and Member of the ACROSS Advisory Board, in ACROSS Magazine’s new “Outlook 2025”.
Over the past decade, the retail landscape has undergone a seismic transformation redefining the very essence of the sector. Customers’ expectations of convenience, personalization, experience, community, and sustainability have changed dramatically. The purpose of physical stores is being redefined, with goods and products taking a backseat to experiences. Today, successful retail destinations are those that cultivate connection, joy, and community.
Major milestone as UK’s largest independent competitive socialising operator targets continued European expansion with ambitious 16,700 sq m dealmaking goal for 2025.
The UK’s leading boutique bowling and competitive socializing concept, Lane7, celebrated the opening of its first German location on Nov. 7 in the heart of Berlin, at Potsdamer Platz.
Thanks to their diverse mix of tenants and sectors, today’s shopping centers are more than just places to go shopping: They’re experience destinations and community hubs that enjoy a great deal of popularity – as illustrated by ECE Marketplaces’ latest success figures. Entertainment concepts have increasingly become attractive complements to and additional drawing cards for the respective locations, as current ECE center portfolio examples show.
The food hall market in Europe has seen significant growth and transformation over recent years. In less than a decade, the number of European food halls has almost doubled, with the UK, France and Italy leading the pack. Despite a pandemic and cost of living crisis across the continent, landlords and operators are seeing the benefit of the flexible model for our ever-changing modern world. There’s even been some new openings since C&W released our ‘Food Halls of Europe’ report in July 2024, including Time Out Market in Barcelona and Mercato Metropolitano in Ilford, London.
The Rhein-Ruhr Zentrum (RRZ) in Mülheim, Germany, has gained a new anchor tenant: leisure provider ADVENTICA. The owners of the center, Eurofund Group and Signal Capital Partners, have now signed a long-term lease for 3,300 sq m of space. The opening of ADVENTICA’s first German location is planned for the second quarter of 2025, while renovation work will begin in early October.
As part of its ambitious strategy to grow the number of sites it operates, entertainment and leisure operator, the Lane7 Group, has announced the opening of its first venue in continental Europe at The Playce, Potsdamer Platz in Berlin in September, as well as two venues opening in Dublin in the coming months. While continuing the pace of its UK expansion – with a second London venue, in Camden, opening in October – Lane7 now seeks to grow its European portfolio by some 10 venues over the next 2 years.
Climate-controlled indoor entertainment formats are becoming increasingly popular, and are starting to spread outside of the Middle East, for example to Europe, shares Pragma Consulting as part of their latest insights.
Fiba Commercial Properties, a leading investor in commercial real estate in Turkey, Europe, and the Far East, continues to distinguish itself with remarkable achievements. Notably, its İnegöl AVM and Downtown Bursa Life and Entertainment projects have made a significant impact, earning spots as finalists in the prestigious Global RLI Awards 2024—one of the highest honors in the retail and entertainment sector.
In recent years, leisure expenditures and household income in Austria have changed significantly. Leisure activities like dining out and entertainment have gained considerable importance in the retail and real estate sector as well.
Ten years ago almost on the day, Time Out Market Lisbon opened its doors to the public as the world’s first editorially-curated food and cultural market. It was the culmination of an idea from Time Out Lisbon’s editors to bring their ‘best of the city’ ethos to life and together under one roof: a curated mix of the best chefs, restaurateurs, drinks and cultural experiences. To date, Time Out Market Lisbon — a highlight of the first ACROSS Study Tour in 2023 — has welcomed over 35 million guests, making it one of Portugal’s most popular destinations and sparking a global foodie phenomenon with currently eight Time Out Markets around the world spread across four continents.
Following a customer-centric approach, the ‘BOLD’ strategy carried out by ROS Retail Outlet Shopping across its entire portfolio reached full potential in 2023. The operator’s average sales soared by +16.5% across the portfolio in 2023, fuelled by an enriched brand mix, a stronger shopping experience and the ability to adapt to evolving market conditions.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Germany welcomes Rhubarb Hospitality Collection as anchor tenant at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, while Westfield Shopping City Süd celebrates new dining & leisure destination with retail partners and top stakeholders.
Despite a challenging market environment across the board, the Tyrolean lighting artists from MK Illumination were able to achieve some real highlights this year. With revenue estimated at 165 million euros, the globally active company will have had the most successful year in its history once again.
It is a complex task to ensure project profitability. There is a struggle between doing what is right and what is reasonable. As an expert in the world F&B development Will Odwarka, founder and CEO of Dubai-based firm Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting, states in his newest column: “However, in an ever-growing and competitive landscape, it is crucial to establish distinguishing factors that are recognizable and embrace them wholeheartedly.”
This year, the ACSP Congress 2026 installed by the Austrian Council of Shopping Places (ACSP) is returning to Vienna in October, with a special focus on experiential and entertainment offerings.
Time Out Market will open its first London location in 2028, transforming a landmark building at Piccadilly Circus into the global flagship of its growing food hall portfolio. The project underlines the increasing role of food, culture and entertainment in shaping successful urban destinations.
In his new book Culture Stores, Ibrahim Ibrahim and Koral Ibrahim argue that the future of physical retail lies not in transactions, but in creating places where people connect, participate and belong.
Rather than opening new locations, Cuisyn and Haus der Bäcker are preserving restaurants and bakeries without succession plans. Their acquisition model safeguards jobs, local identity, and vibrant city centers.
CC Real has taken over the management of Avenue Mall Zagreb, further expanding its shopping center management platform in Croatia and highlighting the growing importance of specialized asset and property management across Central and Southeastern Europe.
BIG Poland adds the 11,000 sqm Grodzisk Sfera Park retail park to its portfolio, marking its second asset in the Mazovia region and bringing total GLA to nearly 258,000 sqm.
Transaction represents largest acquisition in Couche-Tard history and establishes controlling position in one of Europe’s leading convenience and digital retail platforms.
With her international expertise in procurement, private label and assortment strategy, she brings valuable input for BBE’s clients and for the company’s strategic development.
Norges Bank Investment Management and Sonae Sierra have formed a joint venture, which has signed an agreement to acquire eight shopping centers in Spain, comprising more than 250,000 sqm of gross leasable area and a gross value of approximately EUR 1.5 billion.
CACI found through its spend data that consumers are increasingly trading down from traditional restaurants in favor of coffee shops and food-to-go concepts, as ongoing cost pressures continue to shape spending habits.
Following store projects across Germany, Roermond, and London, Schwitzke & Partner is supporting Kapten & Son’s European expansion with a new store on Amsterdam’s Kalverstraat.
Gránit Pólus Group has closed a €290 million green loan agreement to refinance the Westend complex, marking Hungary’s largest real estate refinancing transaction in five years.
CC Real secures €130 million refinancing agreement with Erste Bank Croatia for City Center one Split, strengthening the capital structure of one of Croatia’s leading retail assets.
UK retail group Frasers Group has disclosed a 4.16% exposure to British luxury brand Burberry, continuing its strategy of building strategic investments across the fashion sector.
With the new snack bar concept imBrot – Der Sandwich Store on Vienna’s Wipplingerstraße, umdasch The Store Makers has created a brand world that puts the product front and centre without compromise.
NEINVER has appointed Vicente Muñoz Boza as the company’s new General Manager and a member of its Board of Directors. Daniel Losantos, a NEINVER shareholder, is leaving his position as Chief Executive Officer.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
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.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
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.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
