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Sustainability

As several tons of fruit and vegetables never find their way to the supermarket shelf due to their shape and color, the Austrian startup Afreshed is putting them to good use by specializing in the rescue and delivery of organic fruit and vegetables.

NEINVER has begun the refurbishment of Las Rozas The Style Outlets, a landmark retail outlet center to the northwest of Madrid, owned by Neptune, a joint venture between NEINVER and TIAA, Nuveen’s parent company. The 3-million-euro renovation project will update the center inside and out, transforming it into a more modern and inviting space while remaining true to its trailblazing spirit as Spain’s first outlet center, established 29 years ago.

The time has finally come: the new giant shopping mall Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier has opened. The Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher, URW CEO Jean-Marie Tritant and Theda Juliane Mustroph, General Manager of Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, symbolically cut the ribbon. With the 100,000 sq m mall and a promising gastronomy and entertainment concept, URW wants to set new standards in Hamburg.

The Nordic Real Estate Forum 2025, held March 20 in Tallinn under the theme “New Normal in Real Estate,” examined the critical intersection of technology and sustainability in commercial real estate. Key discussions revolved around geopolitical uncertainties, infl ation, and shifting investment strategies, but one theme stood out across panels: technology’s role in enabling ESG compliance and operational efficiency.

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.

2024 was another year of solid growth for FREY with a profit from recurring operations going up by 28,1 percent and a sales growth of almost 29 percent to 191.3 million Euros. The growth of the specialist in open-air shopping centers has made this impressive growth step especially since entering the outlet market with the acquisition of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping. An important part of the expansion strategy is the signing of Designer Outlet Center in Berlin for 230 million Euros.

This year’s EuroCIS focused on artificial intelligence, seamless check-out, and smart technologies. The presented solutions impressively showed how the retail industry will be positioned in the future. Generative AI enables more efficient processes, while automated checkout systems and digital shopping carts transform the shopping experience. Here, we present the most exciting approaches.

Kaufland’s success story is characterized by the balance between the advantages of standardization within a large group and regional integration. In an interview with ACROSS, Michael Hiese, Chief Real Estate Officer at Kaufland International, discusses the company’s growth strategy, his optimistic outlook, why location is more important than asset class, and what makes a Kaufland store truly distinctive.

Inflation, geopolitical crises, and a weakening economy have dominated the European markets for the past two years. While EU economic growth slightly increased in 2024, Germany, the largest economy, recorded a marginal decline. Despite persistent economic challenges, there are signs of cautious optimism: Slightly higher growth is expected in the EU in 2025, with strong momentum from the CEE and SEE regions, where countries such as Poland and Croatia are expected to achieve strong growth.

With the ever-increasing number of ecolabels in the market, it’s a daunting task for consumers to find the truly sustainable products. To improve product credibility and compliance with sustainable practices, BetterChoice offers data-driven solutions that empower consumers and businesses with the tools and information they need to make sustainable choices.

In an interview with ACROSS, Joachim Stumpf, Managing Director of BBE Holding and IPH Handelsimmobilien, analyzes the role of retail real estate in light of the current economic and social situation. His conclusion: “Advancing polarization is a key issue when it comes to discussing what options we have to counter the transformation in retail. Against that backdrop, we also need to rethink retail and locations. Despite all of the challenges, good and individual types of use can be found for all properties – but getting there can be painful.”

Union Investment, owner of the Köln Arcaden shopping center in Germany, is planning to develop the site into a new mixed-use quarter. The preliminary planning envisages around 108 apartments, some privately financed and some publicly subsidized, as well as senior citizens’ apartments, a facility with care places for senior citizens and office space for a total of around 800 employees.

SES sets a strong example for sustainable management and environmental protection with the successfully introduced comprehensive environmental management system and received ISO 14001 certification from TÜV AUSTRIA. This applies to both the SES headquarters and 15 SES shopping malls in Austria.