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FREY Group has transformed the retail landscape with its open-air Shopping Promenades, and now it is venturing boldly into the outlet sector. In this exclusive interview, Chairman & CEO Antoine Frey explains why the acquisition of ROS was pivotal, how cultural placemaking and B Corp sustainability guide the company’s vision, and why projects like Malmö Designer Village and Designer Outlet Berlin are setting new standards across Europe.

The huma shopping center in Sankt Augustin is a unique development in the German retail sector: An established center has been successfully combined with a fully-fledged outlet area for the first time. ACROSS spoke with Dr. Maximilian Gutsche, Managing Director of the Jost Hurler Group, and Lars Jähnichen, Managing Director of the IPH Group, about the background, implementation, and market success of this model, as well as how it could be replicated elsewhere.

In the evolving outlet retail landscape, tenant performance is more than a priority. It’s the engine of profitability. In this expert commentary, Rioja Estates’ Managing Director Giles Membrey lifts the curtain on why thriving tenants lead to thriving assets. From data-driven collaboration to precision in unit sizing, location, and customer experience, Membrey reveals how strategic landlord-brand partnerships are redefining retail success – one store at a time.

VIA Outlets, owner-operator of 11 premium fashion outlet centres across Europe, is proud to announce its exceptional results in the 2025 GRESB Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark report. Not only has the group reached its highest ever score of 98/100, but it also achieved a 5-Star rating for the sixth consecutive year and was placed 1st in the ‘European Retail’ category.

Following the successful contract signing last year, ADVENTICA, the international operator of indoor family entertainment destinations, is set to open its first German location at Rhein-Ruhr Zentrum (RRZ). Spanning 3,600 m², the new facility will enter a multi-week soft-launch phase ahead of its grand opening on October 17, 2025.

In a retail landscape shaped by converging pressures – shifting consumer habits, selective brands, ESG demands, and digital integration – outlet centers are evolving from simple points of sale to strategic brand platforms. NEINVER CEO Daniel Losantos explains why tenant success is now the ultimate asset advantage and how a data-led, experience-driven approach can turn complexity into lasting performance.

Carrefour City outlet is now welcoming customers with fresh and ready-to-eat foods, drinks, snacks, milk, coffee as well as pantry staples at its location in Terminal 2, Barcelona-El Prat Airport. What is more, the outlet offers local Catalan products as part of the selection too.

“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.

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.

VIA Outlets has appointed Marianne Wesselo as the new Regional Business Director (RBD) for its Central Region, responsible for overseeing Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet (the Netherlands), Landquart Fashion Outlet (Switzerland), and Zweibrücken Fashion Outlet (Germany). Marianne is part of the VIA Outlets’ Executive Leadership Team and reports directly to Johan Bergenthal, Chief Operating Officer.

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.

NEINVER, a leading European company in the development, investment, and management of outlet centres, has announced the appointment of David Hernández as its new Sustainability Manager. His appointment forms part of the company’s evolving ESG strategy – an essential pillar of its business model and a key driver of its decarbonisation roadmap.

FREY officially broke ground on Malmö Designer Village, a flagship retail destination set to become Scandinavia’s largest premium outlet shopping village upon its opening in 2027. The ceremonial groundbreaking event in Löddeköpinge, Kävlinge Municipality, brought together leaders from FREY, ROS Retail Outlet Shopping (part of the FREY Group), development and construction partners, and representatives of the local community.

A quiet but profound shift is transforming the retail industry across Europe: while luxury and discount segments thrive, many mid-tier retailers—once considered the backbone of the high street and shopping centers—are struggling to stay afloat. This growing polarization is not merely a passing trend; it is a structural shift that reflects changing consumer behaviors, economic realities, and the need for clear market positioning. But if you take a closer look, you will see that it is not the middle that is dying, but only mediocrity. What is emerging is a new middle ground between luxury and discount, determined by one thing alone: relevance.

With over 120 international and Polish fashion and lifestyle brands, a vibrant F&B offering and a prime urban location, Designer Outlet Kraków launched with a celebratory ceremony hosted by KG Group and ROS Retail Outlet Shopping—marking a significant milestone for premium outlet shopping in southern Poland.

Florentia Village Istanbul is Turkey’s first luxury designer outlet combined with a modern full price retail park creating a unique hybrid retail concept. Located next to Istanbul Airport, the outlet aims to set a new benchmark for retail, leisure and entertainment in the region through its scale, accessibility, attention to detail, service and innovative dual-concept structure.

Malmö Designer Village is an upcoming premium outlet village in Löddeköpinge, Sweden, uniquely positioned to serve both Swedish and Danish markets. Now under the leadership of FREY Group (following the acquisition of the project from UK developer Rioja Estates in 2024), it marks FREY’s first outlet development and a significant expansion of its open-air retail portfolio. Over 3.8 million visitors within 90-minutes and 10+ million tourists fall within its reach, including the major population centers of southern Sweden and the Copenhagen metropolitan area. With all necessary planning permissions secured and no objections, construction began in mid-2024.