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© NIQ Geomarketing

Europe’s retail purchasing power

According to NIQ Geomarketing’s most recent data on retail purchasing power, both national differences and regional disparities continue to shape where retail demand is strongest – and where growth potential remains limited.

From left to right: ATRIO in Villach, Austria /// © Florian Proprenter | Mag. Christoph Andexlinger & Mag. Marcus Wild /// © Evatrifft

SES 2025 Review: Another Strong Year

SES Spar European Shopping Centers held its ground again in 2025, navigating a challenging environment for brick-and-mortar retail. Austria’s market-leading shopping mall operator built on its strong prior-year performance and further consolidated its position.

Photo: Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet | Portrait: Otto Ambagtsheer /// © VIA Outlets

€1.52 Billion Sales in 2025: VIA Outlets hits Record

VIA Outlets continued its strong growth trajectory in 2025, setting new records in brand sales and footfall. Previous investments in its ‘3R Strategy’ of remodeling, remarketing, and remerchandising fed through to individual center performance along with the continued outlet-retail dynamism in European tourism-driven markets.

Portrait: Rüdiger Dany | Photo: Silesia City Center, Krakow, Poland /// © NEPI Rockcastle

NEPI delivers Record 2025: NOI +11.2% to €618M

NEPI Rockcastle NV, Europe’s third largest listed retail real estate company by portfolio value (€8.2 billion), achieved its highest-ever distributable earnings of €441 million, up 6.7% on the prior year, and net operating income (NOI) of €618 million, an 11.2% increase.

© Image by Alex Barcley on Pixabay

German Retail stands strong amid Structural Shift: ZIA Report

German retail is proving resilient in a challenging economic environment, yet the sector continues to undergo significant structural change. This is the conclusion of the retail section of the ZIA Spring Real Estate Report 2026, prepared by BBE Handelsberatung in cooperation with the IPH Group.

Carnaby Street lit by Christmas lights /// © CACI

CHRISTMAS LIGHT SWITCH-ONS INSPIRE SPEND SURGE, REPORTS CACI

Festive celebrations are proving to be a powerful driver of retail performance, according to new analysis from CACI, the data specialists focused on people and place. The company’s latest insights reveal that Christmas light switch on events significantly boost consumer spending, increase dwell time, and attract shoppers from a wider catchment area.

credit: iStock

Convenience set to drive Retail Winners in 2025

As the retail landscape continues to evolve, convenience is emerging as the key driver of success. Shoppers are increasingly drawn to brands that make buying products a quick and effortless experience, whether online or in-store. GlobalData’s latest research highlights which retailers are likely to gain the most in 2025

credit: Shutterstock

Gen Z And Millennials Are Redefining The Global Wellness Market

To millennials and Gen Zers, wellness has become a daily, personalized practice rather than a set of occasional activities or purchases. McKinsey’s latest Future of Wellness survey finds that distinct consumer segments are catalyzing demand for goods and services in wellness subcategories.

Image: 123RF

Shopping Centers Of Today Are Important Leisure Destinations

In addition to its function as a supplier to the population, retail is increasingly taking on the role of entertainment. Concepts built around customer experience and gastronomy are now essential components of shopping centers, shows the latest shopping center report on Germany from the EHI Retail Institute.

Development of environmental certifications in the shopping center sector from 2024 to 2025, /// credit: RegioData Research

Shopping Centers In Europe – Rapid Steps Towards Sustainability

Over the past twelve months, there has been significant progress toward sustainability in the European shopping center landscape. According to the latest RegioData analysis, a clear trend has emerged: an increase in environmental certifications and a decline in non-certified buildings. This not only highlights the transformation in the construction industry but also underscores the growing importance of ecological standards.

Ken Gunn | © Ken Gunn Consulting

NEW AGE OF INNOVATION DRIVES EUROPEAN OUTLET CENTRES

Retail outlet centres have seen a significant leap in retail and leisure brand growth in the past years with general sector growth set to continue, according to the Ken Gunn European Outlet Industry Review which ranks Europe’s top performing outlet centres and brands as well as the most improved.

Retail chains are becoming less dominant in their expansion, with pullback and consolidation turning into the new norm. /// credit: RegioData Research

RegioData: Expansion Of Retail Locations In 2025 Shows Consolidation With Occasional Highlights

Regio Data’s annual retail chain expansion analysis brings Austria as an example, revealing that store networks are hardly growing any more, with retreat and consolidation dominating instead. Of the 732 retail chains from 24 sectors analyzed, many are putting on the brakes, and this trend is largely prevalent across the whole of Europe. However, there are also companies that are keen to expand. Online retailers and non-food discounters are squeezing out specialized retailers – with noticeable consequences for the retail landscape.

credit: RegioData

Shopping Center Density: The gradual rise of Southeastern Europe

The shopping habits of Europeans are undergoing significant changes, which in turn are reshaping the retail landscape. While some countries continue to focus on large-scale shopping centers, other regions are making substantial progress, reveals RegioData’s latest report. A look at the current shopping center density in Europe reveals a pronounced north-south and west-east divide. Even within individual regions, there are significant differences in retail space density per capita.

credit: RegioData Research GmbH

RegioData: Mega Shopping Centers In Europe

No other European country has more mega shopping centers than Spain. Of the total 640 shopping centers in Spain, 74 have a leasable area of 50,000 sq m or more. The total leasable area of Spanish mega centers amounts to approximately 4.1 million sq m. Germany, on the other hand, currently has “only” 48 such mega centers but boasts a larger number of mid-sized shopping centers between 30,000 and 50,000 sq m.

credit: Freepik

Consumer Confidence And Sentiment In Europe

Most European consumers remain wary about the economy in the third quarter, but their sentiment is improving slightly, reports McKinsey as part of its latest ConsumerWise research.

NORMAL Expands into Romania: First Two Stores open at NEPI Rockcastle’s Mega Mall, Bucharest and Shopping City Timisoara

Danish retailer NORMAL has chosen NEPI Rockcastle’s Mega Mall, Bucharest and Shopping City Timisoara to spearhead its first entry into Romania, the brand’s 14th European market.

The two stores, spanning 311sqm GLA at Mega Mall Bucharest and 445sqm GLA at Shopping City Timișoara, opened their doors in early October. NORMAL offers a broad selection of more than 3,500 products of everyday items, including popular brands for personal care, cosmetics, household products, food and beverages. Ramona Marusac, Regional Head of Leasing at […]

Las Rozas The Style Outlets Awarded for its Renovation

Awarded for excellence in innovation and design, Las Rozas The Style Outlets redefines the modern shopping experience following its landmark 2026 refurbishment.

Las Rozas The Style Outlets, owned by Neptune — the joint venture between NEINVER and TIAA (Nuveen Real Estate’s parent company) — and managed by NEINVER, has been recognized at the 2026 AECC (Spanish Association of Shopping Centres)  Awards, the annual accolades presented by the Spanish Association of Shopping Centres and Retail Parks to celebrate […]

Eurofund Group and SIGNAL Open Revamped Parma Promenade Scheme, Italy

Leading mall in Northen Italy reopens following €39m redevelopment.

Following a €39m (£32.6m) redevelopment program, Eurofund Group and SIGNAL have re-opened Parma Promenade, the landmark retail and leisure redevelopment project in Northern Italy. The 51,000 sq m (approximately 549,000 sq ft) scheme was acquired by the joint venture and has since undertaken a transformation including the addition of a 15,000 sq m (more than […]

CBRE Study: Why Retailers are Betting on AI and Stores

European retailers continue to prioritize physical expansion despite a more challenging economic backdrop and growing investment in AI and digital capabilities. Nearly two thirds (65%) still plan to expand their store portfolios in the near term, creating the potential for up to 8,000 net additional stores across Europe, according to CBRE’s European Retail Occupier Survey […]

£516 Million Deal: Landsec Acquires Metrocentre, Gateshead, UK

Landsec announced that it exchanged contracts to acquire a 100% stake in Metrocentre, Gateshead, circa two miles from Newcastle city centre, from Tynehawk Holdings (Jersey) Limited for a net cash consideration of £516 million.

Based on in-place net rental income of £41 million, the net cash consideration of £516 million implies an in-place net rental income yield of 7.9%. At this price, Metrocentre offers an attractive combination of a high day-one income return, strong future rental growth prospects and an expected low double-digit unlevered IRR. The Acquisition is expected […]

German Galeria Files for Fourth Insolvency in Six Years

Galeria has filed for insolvency proceedings at Düsseldorf District Court, marking the department store operator’s fourth insolvency filing since 2020. The company said operations at its remaining 83 stores will continue for the time being. Around 12,000 employees are affected. Call for Clarity The latest filing follows a renewed deterioration in trading. According to dpa […]

ÖBB to Buy Back Vienna Wien Mitte Station

Supervisory board approves acquisition of the Wien Mitte complex.

The supervisory board of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG approved the repurchase of Wien Mitte station today. ÖBB sold the property in 2005 to what was then the Bank Austria Creditanstalt Group, which later passed it on. The seller is now an investor group led by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing. The deal includes the shopping center and […]

Westfield Ruhr Park to Create New Open-Air Dining Destination

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is transforming the former food court at Westfield Ruhr Park in Bochum into a new open-air dining and leisure destination called Wald Terrassen. The 6,200-sqm project includes 850 sqm of outdoor terraces and will feature ten F&B and two retail units. Nine of the twelve units have already been pre-leased. New F&B and […]

Two new Westfield Destinations unveiled: Flagship Extension in the UK and Poland

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield announces the rebranding of two flagship destinations in Edinburgh and Wrocław, expanding its Westfield network in Europe and further strengthening the presence of its globally recognised brand in major cities around the world.

St James Quarter in Edinburgh has officially been renamed Westfield St James Quarter, marking the expansion of the company’s Westfield-branded destinations outside of London. In Poland, Wroclavia, one of the country’s leading retail and lifestyle destinations, has been rebranded Westfield Wroclavia, becoming URW’s third Westfield centre in the nation.  Anne-Sophie Sancerre, Chief Customer and Retail Officer at URW, said: “The […]

Luís Mota Duarte announced as new CEO of Sonae Sierra

Sonae Sierra announces the appointment of Luís Mota Duarte as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 2027, succeeding Fernando Guedes de Oliveira.

The transition comes after more than four decades at the Sonae Group for Fernando Guedes de Oliveira, 35 of them at Sierra. He became CEO in 2010 and played a decisive role in the company’s development, overseeing and leading different stages of its growth and transformation. Under his leadership, Sierra strengthened its international presence and […]

CEE RETAIL INVESTMENT PICKS UP

Retail investment across Central and Eastern Europe increased by 24% year on year in the first half of 2026. Poland accounted for much of the activity, while Hungary returned to large-scale shopping center transactions. At the same time, retail supply is expanding, particularly in the retail park segment, and pricing has remained broadly stable.

Retail has regained momentum in the CEE investment market. According to Cushman & Wakefield’s CEE Investment Market Update H1 2026, retail accounted for 28% of total regional investment in the first half of the year, up from 24% for full-year 2025. The increase was driven overwhelmingly by the landmark acquisition of a 70% stake in […]

Poland’s Retail Parks Draw Growing International Investment

Investment in Poland’s retail park and convenience retail market has exceeded €2.5 billion since the first transaction in 2008, with almost 70% of the volume recorded since the beginning of 2020. According to a new investment report by Avison Young, CMS, Newgate Investment, and PROH, activity accelerated further in 2025 and the first half of […]

National Cinema Weekend Boosts Footfall At Leisure Destination Grid Braehead, UK

Weekend footfall increased by 15.8% as the nationwide cinema initiative encouraged audiences to the big screen.

National Cinema Weekend delivered a strong uplift in footfall at GRID Braehead, a multi-format destination combining experiential leisure, dining, family entertainment and an ODEON cinema, home to one of the area’s standout IMAX screens. The results demonstrate the power of cinema-led initiatives to drive visits to mixed-use destinations. Taking place on Saturday 5 and Sunday […]

NEPI Rockcastle Breaks Ground on Karolinka, Poland Extension

NEPI Rockcastle has started work on an 11000 sqm extension of Karolinka Shopping Center in Opole, Poland, investing EUR 33 million in the modernization and expansion of the region’s largest retail complex.

The scheme adds over 8000 sqm of GLA across 30 retail and service units, with leasing focused on fashion and brands not yet present in the region. It also includes an underground car park, a modernized main facade, and a roof prepared for solar panels. The project is being built to BREEAM standards. Karolinka offers […]

XOPark Stara Zagora to welcome Fantastico’s first supermarket in one of Bulgaria’s key regional cities

The seventh XOPark project will bring 20,000 sq m of modern retail space and a strong mix of leading Bulgarian and international brands to the city of Stara Zagora.

Developed by Trinity Capital, Bulgaria’s leading investor and operator of retail space, XOPark Stara Zagora is designed as a comprehensive destination where customers combine their everyday shopping needs with fashion, home, services, dining and leisure. The seventh project in the Bulgarian national XOPark retail parks chain is set to open in the second half of […]

Retail Growth to Drive ambas past 2025 Volume Target

ambas expected to surpass 2025 transaction volume as retail investment activity picks up.

ambas Real Estate GmbH has advised on four large-scale retail property transactions so far this year, exceeding its total transaction volume for the whole of 2025. Three of the completed deals involved core-plus shopping centers and outlet centers; the fourth was a value-add transaction involving a convenience-led retail park. Together, the assets comprise approximately 105,000 […]

How music sets the tone for business success

Atmospheric marketing is nothing new in retail. Stores have long been designed to shape buyer mood and encourage purchases using layout, lighting, colour and other sensory cues to attract customers and create memorable interactions. Yet one of the most influential elements of any environment often receives far less attention: sound.

SPONSORED ARTICLE This has become the driving force behind a new campaign by leading audio brand Sonos exploring the measurable impact that sound can have on commercial performance. Underpinning this campaign is a scientific report titled ‘Sound for Business’ developed under the academic supervision of Professor Daniel Müllensiefen from the Institute of Systematic Musicology at […]

Nemanja Bucinac & Stonedge: A Boutique Advisory Firm with a Dual Perspective

Founded by Serbian real estate executive Nemanja Bucinac, Stonedge combines leasing, asset management, and repositioning expertise with a particular focus on retail real estate markets across the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe.

Independent advisory firms continue to play an important role in retail real estate markets, particularly in regions where local market knowledge and personal networks remain critical success factors. Stonedge, a Belgrade-based consultancy founded in 2023 by retail real estate professional Nemanja Bucinac, provides strategic advisory services with a particular focus on the Balkan region. Its […]

Schwarz Group Reportedly Among Bidders for Tesco’s Central European Business

Lidl and Kaufland owner Schwarz Group is reportedly one of several parties interested in acquiring Tesco’s Central European operations, according to a Financial Times report cited by Reuters. Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize and Polish discounter Biedronka are also said to be weighing bids for the business, which spans 561 stores across Hungary, the Czech Republic […]

Wars Sawa Junior: Warsaw’s High Street Enters a New Era

Over the past three years, the very heart of Warsaw has changed significantly. Public investment and the transformation of the surrounding cityscape have brought new energy to spaces that had long been underused, creating vibrant places where residents, workers and visitors meet, shop and spend time.

Wars Sawa Junior has evolved alongside this transformation. G City has been steadily repositioning one of Warsaw’s most recognisable retail destinations for the way a contemporary capital city works – opening it more directly to the street, attracting distinctive international concepts and strengthening its role within the urban fabric. Today, Wars Sawa Junior is emerging […]

Cookie Couture Brings Its Look to Cologne with Schwitzke & Partner Design

Cookie Couture has opened a new store on Cologne’s Schildergasse, extending its footprint in German city centers. Schwitzke & Partner developed the design concept, with the company handling implementation in-house. At roughly 70 square meters, the new location sharpens the growing brand’s look and feel. The store is meant as a deliberate counterpoint to the […]

The Cookie Lab Opens at MERCADEN® Böblingen

MERCADEN® Böblingen is bringing a hot food trend to the city. On September 25, The Cookie Lab opened a new shop at the center in the heart of Böblingen’s city center. With handmade cookies piled high with toppings and stuffed with rich fillings, the shop taps into the growing demand for the trendy treat. Visitors […]

FRASERS PLUS DESIGNER OUTLET LEEDS to Celebrate Pret a Manger Opening

Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Leeds is entering a new chapter in its evolution, as Pret A Manger becomes the latest brand to join the outlet destination in October.

The arrival of Pret marks another significant step in the centre’s long-term vision to create a more dynamic, experience-led destination. It brings another recognizable brand to the center, while strengthening the café and dining offer and giving visitors more reasons to shop, socialize and spend time at the center.  Opening in October, the new 2,124 […]

Beauty Fest in QTU: Rethinking How Customers Connect with Beauty Products

The way consumers discover and choose beauty products is changing. Traditional advertising can create awareness, but today’s customers increasingly value the opportunity to experience products, understand their individual needs and make informed choices through direct interaction. Beauty Fest at QTU brought this approach to life by transforming product discovery into an engaging experience built around […]