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Retail

“We are all aware of the seismic changes in the retail landscape in recent years that have affected both owners and occupiers”, says Chris Fleetwood, Deputy COO Real Estate at Redevco. Therefore, a combination of macroeconomic events, higher-for-longer interest rates and inflation, increased consumer awareness of their own environmental footprints and values, and the emergence of transformative technologies have created an ever more competitive environment.

The acquisition of the leading shopping mall in Novi Sad for 177 million euros by BIG CEE marked Serbia´s largest retail transaction ever. Promenada, one of the strongest malls in the country, features many international brands, a 100% occupancy rate, and more than 10 million visitors annually.

Expo Real, Europe’s largest property and investment trade fair, concluded with a strong focus on digital transformation in the real estate sector. Among the key exhibitors, HyperIn stood out for its contributions to discussions on the evolving landscape of commercial real estate technology. The event served as an important platform for HyperIn to showcase their all-in-one platform, engaging industry leaders and sharing insights on how technology is shaping the future of property management.

Espai Gironès is sold! The retail specialist advisor ambas Real Estate GmbH successfully advised Commerz Real AG in the sales process. The shopping center is a popular shopping and lifestyle destination located in the greater Barcelona area in the Province of Girona in northern Spain. With a total lettable space of approximately 40,000 sq m of retail, leisure and gastronomy spaces, the center is attracting more than 6 million visitors per annum and displays a positive KPI evolution compared to pre-Covid periods.

Multi-brand menswear retailer ANSON’S is opening a new store covering around 2,600 square meters of rental area at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier in Hamburg’s HafenCity. A special highlight of the new ANSON’S store will be the highlight façade, which is over 100 meters long. The new anchor partner will further differentiate the brand and product mix and strengthen the fashion and lifestyle profile of the destination directly at river Elbe. The store is scheduled to open for the 2025 fall season.

The secret to a thriving retail destination lies in the art of curating a unique combination of retailers set against aesthetic backdrops with a blend of loyal customers, brands, and events that consistently attract new visitors. This is no easy feat in the competitive European market. However, The Playce at Potsdamer Platz, located in central Berlin, has emerged as a place of “firsts” for the city, Germany, and Europe.

Like no other German shopping center, “The Playce” at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin is a shopping and cultural destination that focuses on food and beverage, leisure, and retail stores that are new to Berlin or unique in their concepts. One and a half years after its opening, The Playce is now 96 percent leased. ACROSS discusses why now is the best time to be part of the project with Roger Goyk, Director of Retail Brookfield Properties, and Jonathan Doughty, Special Project Manager at ECE.

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.

After the collapse of a previous deal last year, the Swiss luxury goods group Richemont has found in Mytheresa a new buyer for its online fashion and accessories business Yoox-Net-a-Porter (YNAP).

Shopping centers—including multi-use, regional, luxury centers, and outlet malls—should always be looking for ways to increase traffic and maintain loyalty among existing shoppers, as well as attract new visitors. This article by Placewise CEO Susan Hagerty Bonsak delves into how experiential marketing can help centers evolve into vibrant community hubs. Let’s explore a hypothetical event, Sensory Spring Fest, which uses experiential marketing to create engaging activities, drive sales, and build strong community ties.

True retail experience represents a major opportunity to inspire and retain customers when they visit a store – perhaps the only opportunity, says Dr. Johannes Berentzen, Managing Director of retail consultancy BBE. Yet, how can experience and, by extension, success be measured? In an interview with ACROSS, the strategy consultant talks, among other things, about how and why we need to rethink space in brick-and-mortar retail, which key figures we should question, and what role technology plays in the process. The underlying challenge: The successful implementation of good ideas requires creativity, entrepreneurial courage, and the necessary funds.

In order for retailers and retail property operators to inspire and retain customers in the long term, it is essential that they rethink their spaces and develop innovative concepts, according to HBB. Such new approaches include the redefinition of multi-sensory shopping experiences and strategies to enhance the customer experience.

The fashion chain Peek & Cloppenburg Düsseldorf has signed a long-term lease contract to become a new tenant in the Limbecker Platz shopping center in Essen. Union Investment and ECE are setting the course for the future of the center with the first extensive partial letting of the space in the former Galeria store, which is also set to benefit Essen’s city centre in the long term.

Breuninger has been pursuing a consistent omnichannel approach since 2008. Ideally, customers should feel no difference between the channels. At the same time, the openings in Munich and Hamburg are a clear statement in favor of brick-and-mortar retail. ACROSS spoke with Alexander Entov, Managing Director of Breuninger’s Department Store in Munich, about what positive experiences “made by Breuninger” look like, why there should be no separation between the offline and online worlds, and why customer feedback is ultimately the most important factor.

In an era in which e-commerce has gained significant influence, brick-and-mortar retail faces various challenges. These challenges have created an opportunity to rethink and renew the conventional shopping experience. The Turkish retail world is one step ahead when it comes to experience-oriented retail. Turkish shopping centers and young brands, in particular, offer their customers products as well as experiences that go far beyond shopping. Many brands are bringing this philosophy to Europe as part of their expansion strategies.

In the 60th anniversary year, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is crowning the success story of one of the largest shopping and leisure destinations in Germany: Westfield Ruhr Park is the third destination in Germany to bear the internationally renowned Westfield brand name, alongside Westfield Centro in Oberhausen and the development project Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier.

Retailers who can always find answers to consumer needs will survive. Here are some great examples of retailers that are already (re-)thinking floor space and stage themselves for the customer, appeal to all their senses, create a holistic experience, and whose success can no longer be measured in mere sales figures.