shopping center

Rüdiger Dany, CEO of NEPI Rockcastle, the leading owner, operator and developer of shopping centers across Central and Eastern European markets and the third largest listed retail real estate company in Europe by value of assets, is leaving his position in March 2026.

SILLPARK in Innsbruck, Austria, is undergoing an extensive modernization and redesign process. Owner and operator SES Spar European Shopping Centers is investing more than 30 million euros in the major “SILLPARK 3.0” project, which, along with a comprehensive architectural upgrade, will focus on the construction of an innovative health park in cooperation with Vinzenz Gruppe Service.

In close collaboration with Westfield London, MK Illumination UK curated an immersive public art trail under MKxART’s debut project “HERE WE GLOW”, featuring two internationally acclaimed artists: Liz West (UK) and Angelo Bonello (Italy). By connecting Westfield with two of the most respected public art talents in Europe, MKxART helped to position the center as a cultural destination beyond retail.

“Das Gerber” in Stuttgart, Germany, stands for urban diversity, where retail, hotel, coworking, residential, doctors, daycare, leisure and gastronomy intertwine. The center’s transformation in the past years perfectly shows how strategic courage and partnership-based implementation can create an urban location with charisma.

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.

NEPI Rockcastle is investing around 300 million euros in a 55,000 sq m GLA mixed-use (retail, offices, hotel) extension of the Promenada Mall in Bucharest and refurbishment of the existing shopping center. This represents by far the largest retail development currently underway across all Central and Eastern European markets and is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2026/early-2027.

With the book Modern Retail Management, Dr. Johannes B. Berentzen and Dr. Philipp Hoog present an outstanding collection that takes an in-depth look at the pressing issues of today’s – and tomorrow’s – retail landscape. Featuring 24 thought-provoking chapters by 36 leading experts, the book offers a rare blend of academic insight and practical guidance. From digital transformation and omnichannel strategy to sustainability and AI, this forward-looking volume equips readers with the tools and ideas needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving sector. Essential reading for anyone looking to shape the future of retail.

At Main-Taunus-Zentrum (MTZ), one of the largest and most successful shopping centers in Germany, ECE Marketplaces has realized a new destination within the center being a further development of the open structure and providing an additional USP of the center. In the middle of the open-air shopping center in Sulzbach near Frankfurt am Main, the new “Food Garden” creates a lively new urban center with a high quality, varied gastronomy offering in five free-standing restaurant buildings for a total of eight restaurant concepts, inviting outdoor terraces, and attractive green spaces.

The approval of the planning permission has paved the way for the large-scale modernization of SILLPARK Innsbruck, to be implemented by fall 2026 while the center operates as normal and without impacting shop opening times. The construction work on the mall began a few days ago, with no restrictions for visitors. SILLPARK, Innsbruck’s first city-center shopping mall, opened in 1990 and will now also gain a completely new health park. The investment of EUR 30 million will make SILLPARK the most modern location in Tyrol for socializing and shopping.

Under the motto “Creating beloved places – social, sustainable & successful”, the 2025 European Shopping Places Summit brought together leading experts in the retail real estate sector from 14 different countries to discuss how to make shopping places more sustainability-oriented, successful, and impactful on a social level, while giving voice to the different markets in Europe.