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placemaking

Cliff Pfefferkorn, Managing Partner eStrategy Consulting /// © eStrategy Consulting

Start adding “omnichannel” to your placemaking

Omnichannel is no longer optional. For shopping malls, it has become a question of competitiveness. A wake-up call by Cliff Pfefferkorn, Founder and Managing Partner of eStrategy Consulting and lecturer at the ACROSS Academy.

© Juliusz Sokołowski | MVRDV Architects

Wrocław to Host Placemaking Week Europe 2026

Placemaking Week Europe 2026 comes to Poland this September, bringing Europe’s placemaking community together and positioning Wrocław at the center of the continent’s public space debate.

© Krisztina Papp / Unsplash

Cautious Recovery of European Retail Real Estate

European retail real estate closed 2025 in positive territory, according to Altus Group. With values rising 1.6% year-on-year, as improving cashflows and stabilizing yields signaled a gradual recovery following a two-year market correction.

Rüdiger Dany, CEO NEPI Rockcastle | © NEPI Rockcastle

Rüdiger Dany – The Action Man

Retail real estate was declared dead. Yet at NEPI Rockcastle, Rüdiger Dany built one of Europe’s most profitable shopping center platforms anyway.

Rüdiger Dany, CEO NEPI Rockcastle | © NEPI Rockcastle

Rüdiger Dany: From Retail Roots to European Market Leadership

From post-war German retail roots to the helm of one of Europe’s largest retail property owners: Rüdiger Dany’s career traces the transformation of shopping centers from entrepreneurial expansion to institutional discipline. After four decades in retail and real estate, Dany steps down as CEO of NEPI Rockcastle — with new plans in mind.

The rebuilt City Center one in Split, Croatia | © Tomislav Moze/3MPG.CH

“Investing When Things Are Going Well”

Why City Center one Split shows how shopping centers can remain relevant in the long term. An interview with Sven Vorih, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, CC Real

Outlook 2026 Statement from Ian Sandford, President of Eurofund Group /// © Portrait: Eurofund Group

From ‘Places to Buy’ to ‘Places to Be’: Placemaking 2026

As the retail real estate industry enters a decisive year, Ian Sandford, President of Eurofund Group shares his outlook on how placemaking must transform in 2026 to meet expectations. With consumer demand outpacing traditional models, homogenous shopping centers are giving way to destinations built on purpose, partnership and community relevance.

TEG Shopping Center Albania | © ACREM

ACREM: A Strategic Force Shaping the Future of Retail in Albania’s and North Macedonia’s Rapidly Growing Economy

Albania’s retail market is evolving at unprecedented speed. As CEO of ACREM, Mariola Kuçi heads one of BALFIN Group’s key companies, operating in Albania and North Macedonia and driving the modernization of commercial real estate and retail standards. Under her leadership, ACREM has established itself as Albania’s leading commercial property management company, while also contributing expertise for BALFIN Group’s other assets such as East Gate Mall in North Macedonia, among the region’s landmark retail destinations.

Vertical Shopping Mall in Xian | © STIR Architecture |

Asia’s Vertical Malls: Going Up as a Strategy in Dense Urban Environments

In Asia’s megacities, building upward is not a choice but a necessity – and shopping centers have turned this constraint into a strength. Liliya Shaykhutdinova analyses how leading Asian vertical malls successfully drive footfall across multiple levels, and explores which of these principles can inspire European multi-storey malls to rethink circulation, tenant mix and upper-floor relevance.

Industry leaders at the ACROSS Retail Talk. Clockwise, from top left: Reinhard Winiwarter (ACROSS), Thomas Reichenauer (ROS Retail Outlet Shopping / FREY Group), Cristina Santos (Sonae Sierra), Marek Noetzel (NEPI Rockcastle), Klaus Striebich (RaRE Advise) and Avi Alkaş (Alkaş & HAN Spaces)

Placemaking in 2026: The New Value

The final ACROSS Retail Talk of 2025 indicates that retail enters 2026 with sharper priorities and clearer opportunities. How resilience, recalibration, and disciplined investment are setting the tone for the year ahead.