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PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

The real estate market is truly gaining pace after two years of slowdown. New buildings in Bratislava city center have maintained relatively stable price levels despite interest rate hikes, and the combination of a recovering segment and an exceptional project can present a promising investment opportunity. As investors have historically found, purchasing a new apartment in Bratislava prior toconstruction will reap returns, states Peter Píš, JTRE’s Commercial Director.

As an urban developer, JTRE is uniquely positioned in Slovakia due to its specialization in constructing whole city districts. JTRE is significantly changing the city of Bratislava. Recently, the company developed Eurovea, one of Europe’s largest mixed-use projects. ACROSS spoke to Pavel Pelikan, Deputy Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, about JTRE’s plans, recent developments, and ways of doing business.

In 2023, Eurovea Shopping Center opened its doors. In Bratislava, Slovakia, a shopping center has been built to the latest standards as part of a district development. Since its opening, the large-scale project has kept all its promises and has been very popular. ACROSS spoke to the management of Eurovea about the first year of operation, its USP, and its meaning to the community. Eurovea shopping center shows that modern centers must serve people rather than just sell products.

The gateway to Bratislava’s rapidly expanding downtown has seen outstanding levels of interest: 135 of the 650 residences have already been sold in the pre-sale phase. JTRE’s new Downtown Yards project aims to combine the city’s contemporary cosmopolitan atmosphere with the Nivy area’s tranquil atmosphere. This modern mixed-use ‘sustainable city’ neighbourhood is under construction, and great initial market launch prices for new homes are available right now.

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

MEC is significantly expanding the portfolio of commercial sites it operates. The Düsseldorf-based company has now entered into an agreement with the investment consultancy SCP Group to manage eight German commercial sites with a total rental area of approximately 130,000 sq m. With the expansion of its portfolio, MEC now operates nearly 80 commercial sites nationwide, covering over 1.7 million sq m of rental space. 

As of April 01, 2024, Martin Hemetsberger took over the management of the “Real Estate Development” division at real estate developer and operator SES Spar European Shopping Centers at the company’s headquarters in Salzburg. He is responsible for the development and further development of large-scale shopping destinations in six countries. Hemetsberger will report to SES CDO Alexander Eck, who has been in charge of development in addition to his role as a member of the SES Management Board.

Social and geopolitical developments have dominated the placemaking industry in recent years. During these challenging times, important issues, such as location marketing, have been overshadowed by others – and not just in the media. While this may seem understandable at first glance, it has now become clear that companies that have continuously focused on the issues of market positioning and professional location marketing are more fit for the future. ACROSS spoke with Sebastian Guth, Managing Director of 21Media, about what good location campaigns look like, the differences between B2B and B2C campaigns, and why operators who fail to focus on marketing will lose out in the medium term.

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

Following a customer-centric approach, the ‘BOLD’ strategy carried out by ROS Retail Outlet Shopping across its entire portfolio reached full potential in 2023. The operator’s average sales soared by +16.5% across the portfolio in 2023, fuelled by an enriched brand mix, a stronger shopping experience and the ability to adapt to evolving market conditions.

FOC Retail Service GmbH operates three outlet locations in Austria and Germany, all of which have incredibly high purchasing power but are small. Managing Director Michael Lungkofler explains the potential of smaller locations, why brands are just as successful here as in prominent locations, and why, despite the excellent performance, the small sizes result from regulatory policy decisions.

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STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

Consumer sentiment continued its positive trend of the previous months in May and improved further. This is according to the latest consumer barometer published by the German Trade Association (HDE).

The subdued consumer sentiment is also evident in the footwear market, where the gap between private consumer spending and spending on shoes is widening as consumer prices rise. In 2023, total sales of shoes reached a market volume of 9.6 billion euros, which corresponds to growth of 3.8% in the previous year. These and other findings were published in the new „Branchenbericht Schuhe 2024“ (“Shoes 2024 Industry Report”) by IFH Köln in collaboration with BBE Handelsberatung.

Lidl GB has announced plans to open hundreds of new stores across the country, creating thousands of new jobs. This follows a year of significant investment in its infrastructure to further strengthen operations, during which Lidl opened its largest global warehouse in Luton.

LATEST TRENDS

Just a few months after the start of construction, ECE Marketplaces celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the new “Food Garden” in the Main-Taunus-Zentrum in Sulzbach near Frankfurt am Main – together with the builders, representatives of the center owners, the mayor of Sulzbach and the tenant partners. The implementation of the new gastronomic offer in one of the largest, highest-turnover and most successful shopping centers in Germany for decades is thus progressing rapidly. The opening is planned for spring 2025.

As the nostalgic memories of greasy fast food and sticky trays fade away, the death of the old-fashioned food court looms over the culinary landscape. An expert in the world F&B development, Will Odwarka, founder and CEO of Dubai-based firm Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting, states in his newest column: “With the rise of trendy market halls, food halls, and multi-purpose restaurant experiences, traditional food courts are struggling to keep up with the ever-evolving dining scene. But wait a minute, is that really true?”

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

In a world dominated by online shopping, the role of brick-and-mortar retailers is at a critical turning point. The ACROSS Advisory Board discussion in Cannes shed light on a pressing issue – the need to re-educate consumers about the value of physical shopping experiences. Ben Chesser, CEO of Coniq, shares his view on the matter – a PropTech perspective.

There are a variety of ways that retail companies are cleverly utilizing artificial intelligence, states Marc Giovannini, founder of Omniaz. He highlights use cases, explains the growing interest, and discusses why hyped products like the much-anticipated Apple Vision Pro may be a push toward mass adoption, but are not the breakthrough product the industry is waiting for.

In an age where businesses and consumers get bombarded with digital communications, relevant information must get to people at the right time. Any mall business that sends generic messages to its tenants or shoppers will quickly lose their interest. Digital platforms are fundamental to improving the performance of shopping malls and their tenants.

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS

The acquisition signals the return of Multi Corporation to the United Kingdom where it had a significant presence between 2001 and 2021 having developed or managed major retail destinations across the country including the Southgate Centre in Bath, Victoria Square in Belfast, and Glasgow’s St Enoch center. In addition, Multi will also enter Denmark through this investment.

“The money is there but is selective” – There are and will always be investments in retail real estate. Investing in retail real estate is particularly attractive since the industry has come through the crisis faster than other asset classes. In the latest ACROSS Retail Talk, “Euphoria, a new dawn, or more of the same?” sheds light on the investor’s perspective for 2024, a high-caliber panel concluded: There are more opportunities than ever, not only in the CEE-market, but also in so called struggling markets like Germany and Spain.