Facebook Linkedin Rss

URW

Westfield London /// Credit: Richard Hanson

Westfield London and Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier win awards at MAPIC 2025

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has been awarded two times at MAPIC 2025, Europe’s most prestigious retail real estate show, held each year in Cannes, France. Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier won Best Urban Regeneration Project and Westfield London was named the Most Influential Retail Property Project of the past 30 years.

Credit: © Westfield Donau Zentrum

50 Years of Westfield Donau Zentrum in Vienna: A Milestone Shaping the Future of Urban Retail

Vienna’s Westfield Donau Zentrum is celebrating its 50th anniversary under the motto “50 Years of Future – Shaping the Shopping Experience of Tomorrow.” Austria’s largest shopping and leisure destination is not only looking back at five decades of transformation but also forward, with a clear focus on innovation, sustainability, and urban quality of life.

Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier welcomes new Lindt flagship boutique

Lindt will open a 330-square-meter flagship boutique at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier in Q4 2026.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is adding a new Lindt flagship boutique to Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier. The Swiss chocolatier, founded in Zurich, will occupy a corner location on the ground floor along the district’s central promenade, on the banks of the River Elbe. At approximately 330 square meters, it will be one of Lindt’s largest stores in Germany. The opening […]

Anika Schmidt joins BBE Handelsberatung Management Board

With her international expertise in procurement, private label and assortment strategy, she brings valuable input for BBE’s clients and for the company’s strategic development.

“Anika Schmidt combines exactly what outstanding consulting requires: deep operational experience, proven international execution and a clear view across every part of the supply chain and merchandise management. Both personally and professionally, she is an asset to our team and our clients. We are delighted to welcome her to our management board,” said Dr. Johannes […]

NBMI & Sonae Sierra’s joint venture: Eight shopping centers acquired in Spain

Norges Bank Investment Management and Sonae Sierra have formed a joint venture, which has signed an agreement to acquire eight shopping centers in Spain, comprising more than 250,000 sqm of gross leasable area and a gross value of approximately EUR 1.5 billion.

Norges Bank Investment Management (“NBIM”) and Sonae Sierra today announced the formation of an Iberian shopping centre joint venture, which has agreed to acquire a portfolio of eight shopping centers in Spain. The agreement was signed on 31 July 2026 and is subject to anti-trust approval and customary conditions precedent. The portfolio comprises more than […]

Cafés surge as consumers trade down: Hospitality trends H1 2026

CACI found through its spend data that consumers are increasingly trading down from traditional restaurants in favor of coffee shops and food-to-go concepts, as ongoing cost pressures continue to shape spending habits.

Analysis of six months of transaction data (comparing H1 2026 with H1 2025) shows that restaurants are the only major food and beverage category to decline year-on-year, with spending down 3%. By contrast, cafés and coffee shops grew by 5%, while food-to-go increased by 2%. The findings suggest consumers are not abandoning eating out altogether, […]

Online growth & AC boom: CECONOMY lifts adjusted EBIT 22% in Nine Months

CECONOMY grew nine-month sales to €18.4 billion and adjusted EBIT to €342 million, driven by online growth and a summer AC boom.

CECONOMY AG, parent company of MediaMarktSaturn, reported nine-month sales of €18.4 billion, up 5.0% year-on-year, with Q3 sales growth of 8.0%. Adjusted EBIT rose 22% to €342 million, marking the 14th consecutive quarter of growth. Online sales climbed 18.3% in Q3, pushing the online share of total sales to 28.2% for the nine-month period. Brick-and-mortar […]

Historic architecture and retail: Store design by Schwitzke & Partner

Following store projects across Germany, Roermond, and London, Schwitzke & Partner is supporting Kapten & Son’s European expansion with a new store on Amsterdam’s Kalverstraat.

The Düsseldorf based architecture firm developed a site specific concept that puts the historic building’s architecture front and center, managing the project from analysis through design and execution. With an interior width of just 3.5 meters, the building reflects Amsterdam’s typical narrow, deep plot structure, which became the starting point for the design. A preserved […]

Record €290 million refinancing for Westend, Hungary

Gránit Pólus Group has closed a €290 million green loan agreement to refinance the Westend complex, marking Hungary’s largest real estate refinancing transaction in five years.

Gránit Pólus Group has completed a €290 million refinancing of the Westend building complex. The financing is provided by a bank consortium consisting of Erste Group Bank AG, Erste Bank Hungary Zrt., UniCredit Bank, and K&H Bank, led by Erste. Under the agreement, the consortium replaces the previous financing tied to Westend with a new, […]

CC Real Secures €130 million refinancing for City Center One Split

CC Real secures €130 million refinancing agreement with Erste Bank Croatia for City Center one Split, strengthening the capital structure of one of Croatia’s leading retail assets.

CC Real has completed a €130 million refinancing for City Center one Split, one of Croatia’s leading shopping destinations, reinforcing the long-term financial stability of the asset and creating additional flexibility for its future development. The financing was provided by Erste & Steiermärkische Bank d.d. (Erste Bank Croatia) and extends the maturity profile of the […]

Frasers Group Builds Stake in Burberry

UK retail group Frasers Group has disclosed a 4.16% exposure to British luxury brand Burberry, continuing its strategy of building strategic investments across the fashion sector.

According to a regulatory filing, the exposure is held through sold put options rather than direct share ownership. Neither Frasers nor Burberry commented on the investment or its strategic purpose. The disclosure follows Frasers’ recent takeover offer for Hugo Boss and reflects the group’s continued focus on strategic investments alongside international expansion. In its recently […]

Daniel Schwarz to Head Primark’s Germany and Austria Operations

Daniel Schwarz will take over as Managing Director of Primark in Germany and Austria effective August 1, 2026.

As Head of Sales, he will be responsible for the company’s strategic development and operational business in both markets going forward. Schwarz brings 14 years of leadership experience across various roles at Primark. Most recently, as Commercial Manager, he oversaw commercial steering and cross-functional coordination between purchasing, marketing, and store operations, among other areas. “Daniel […]

New F&B concept in Vienna: imBrot – Der Sandwich Store

With the new snack bar concept imBrot – Der Sandwich Store on Vienna’s Wipplingerstraße, umdasch The Store Makers has created a brand world that puts the product front and centre without compromise.

The store, which opened on 15 June, translates the artisanal quality of bread into a holistic spatial experience. The Store Makers at umdasch were responsible for all services along the value chain – from concept and design through general contracting to shopfitting and the lighting concept. Bread as a Stage At the heart of the […]

Marta Hamarowicz appointed as Retail Leasing Manager in Poland for Adventum

Adventum appoints Marta Hamarowicz as Retail Leasing Manager in Poland, bringing over 20 years of retail, office and logistics experience to the role.

Adventum has welcomed Marta Hamarowicz to its team as the new Retail Leasing Manager in Poland. The company shared the appointment in a LinkedIn post. Hamarowicz brings over 20 years of experience across the retail, office and logistics sectors, having worked on all three sides of the table as landlord, tenant and agent. Her background […]

NEINVER names Vicente Muñoz Boza as new General Manager

NEINVER has appointed Vicente Muñoz Boza as the company’s new General Manager and a member of its Board of Directors. Daniel Losantos, a NEINVER shareholder, is leaving his position as Chief Executive Officer.

Muñoz Boza will assume overall executive responsibility for NEINVER and lead the company’s management with the support of the Executive Committee. Together with the management team, he will oversee the implementation of the company’s strategy, as well as the development of NEINVER’s business and projects across the six European markets in which it operates. Muñoz […]

Oseyo opens largest-ever store at Eldon Square, UK

Oseyo has officially opened its largest store to date at Eldon Square, marking the Korean food and lifestyle retailer’s first location in the North East.

The 20,000 sq ft flagship combines Asian groceries, fresh produce, beauty and lifestyle products with interactive features including a Ramyun Library, Korean-style photobooths, Japanese claw machines and tasting areas.  Responding to growing demand for more experience-led retail, the new Eldon Square store brings together shopping, culture and entertainment through a range of interactive, social and shareable features designed to appeal to Newcastle’s visitors.  The opening reflects the continued occupier confidence in […]

Westfield Rise launches in-mall audio advertising format

Westfield Rise is opening up a new creative format for brands: in-mall audio advertising.

The company shared the news in a LinkedIn post detailing an exclusive partnership with Azerion, a leading European digital advertising platform, to launch Shopper Audio, an advertising format that turns the soundscape of its shopping centers into targetable, measurable media inventory. Using the technology, ad messages are integrated into centers’ sound programming through immersive formats […]

Nhood and Usluga in strategic partnership for Orbis Center, Tirana

Nhood announces that it has been awarded the full asset services mandate for Orbis Center, one of the most significant next-generation retail projects currently under development in the Tirana metropolitan area, Albania

Tirana///Albania – The project is being developed by USLUGA, a real estate company with more than 30 years of industry experience and an established presence in the Albanian market. In particular, Nhood will support USLUGA across Property, Leasing and Specialty Management activities, contributing its international expertise to the creation of one of the country’s leading […]

Activ-Group acquires shopping mall City Rondell, Germany

Activ-Group acquires City Rondell in Villingen-Schwenningen, the final asset from the insolvent Highstreet VIII fund, in a deal brokered by JLL.

Villingen-Schwenningen///Germany – Activ-Group has acquired City Rondell in Villingen-Schwenningen, marking the sale of the last remaining property from the Highstreet VIII fund. The seller was the fund’s insolvency administrator, who had appointed Hannover Leasing to handle investment and asset management. The shopping center sits on a plot of approximately 5,850 sqm and offers total leasable […]

Sephora continues UK growth with four store openings

Sephora is pressing its UK rollout, adding four locations across London and Scotland in Summer 2026.

The retailer entered a new format segment in the UK with its first boutique-style store, a roughly 250 sqm unit on London’s Carnaby Street that opened on July 23. A second boutique, slightly smaller at around 190 sqm, follows at Old Spitalfields Market on July 30. Both units trade on a reduced footprint compared to […]

Japanese Kitchen & Bar signs for Flagship London Location in Covent Garden

Shaftesbury Capital announced that KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar, the independently owned premium casual dining restaurant group, has signed for its first central London location in Covent Garden.

This site will be the largest restaurant to date for the group, and continues to reinforce Covent Garden’s role as the go-to destination for dining in the West End. Located in a key gateway unit, KIBOU has selected a c. 8,000sq ft unit at 1a Tavistock Street in Covent Garden, with an opening targeted for […]

Christian Zimmermann joins the management board of IPH

IPH Gruppe has appointed Christian Zimmermann as Managing Director of IPH Marketing und Betriebsgesellschaft.

Zimmermann joins Marcus Eggers at the top of the IPH subsidiary, which specializes in boosting the appeal, footfall, and value creation of retail properties. IPH Marketing und Betriebsgesellschaft offers comprehensive marketing and operations concepts for retail properties, complementing IPH Gruppe’s center management services. The company designs and optimizes retail locations to make them attractive and […]

ALEXA Berlin cements its retail momentum

New brands, larger stores, and investment in the shopping experience underscore the location’s appeal for brick and mortar retail.

Berlin///Germany – ALEXA at Alexanderplatz is continuing its successful leasing and modernization course. In the first half of 2026, new store concepts, space expansions by existing partners, and investments in dwell time and service quality have further strengthened the location. A particularly visible sign of this development comes from POP MART: at the start of the […]

Report: Inditex in Talks Over Landmark P&C Properties

Peek & Cloppenburg is reportedly considering leasing several flagship city-center properties to Spain’s Inditex Group.

According to a report by German trade publication Textilwirtschaft, Inditex is in discussions to lease several flagship properties currently occupied by Peek & Cloppenburg in Germany. The report, which cites well-informed industry sources, refers to prominent locations in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. Neither company has confirmed the negotiations. If concluded, the retailer could increasingly focus […]

Galeria Reviews 33 Stores as Restructuring Continues

German department store chain Galeria has placed 33 of its 83 stores under review as part of its ongoing restructuring programme.

The German department store chain Galeria has entered negotiations with landlords over lower rents and reduced retail space, with the future of each location depending on whether economically viable lease agreements can be reached. The discussions are part of a broader review of Galeria’s real estate portfolio. While the 33 stores are considered the most […]

Lasting Brexit Impact on Wholesale

New data from JOOR illustrates how Brexit has reshaped cross-border wholesale between the UK and the European Union.

Ten years after the Brexit referendum, new data from wholesale platform JOOR suggests that Brexit has fundamentally reshaped sourcing patterns between UK and EU fashion businesses, with retailers on both sides increasingly favoring domestic and regional suppliers over cross-border purchasing. According to the analysis, the share of purchases EU retailers devoted to UK fashion brands […]