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COMMENTARIES OF PLACEMAKING EXPERTS

“We are seeing a much greater focus being placed on delivering quantifiable, and measurable, social value progress within individual placemaking schemes,” states Andrew Sparrow, Director of Activate at Workman LLP, in the latest “Industry Outlook 2024”.

“Great placemaking means rethinking investment, business and operating models,” states William Kistler, Founder and Managing Partner of UrbanOvation, in the latest “Industry Outlook 2024”.

PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

UŠĆE Shopping Center, jointly owned by MPC Properties and Atterbury Europe, has announced its ambitious redevelopment project to elevate the shopping experience. The project, set to revamp the center’s infrastructure and offerings, promises to blend exciting new features with modern amenities, solidifying its position as a hub for leisure, socializing, and shopping.

Following a customer-centric approach, the ‘Trading-Up’ strategy carried out by ROS Retail Outlet Shopping across its entire portfolio has achieved full potential in 2023. In particular, the Polish centers managed by the operator have registered up to 20 new openings, occupying a total gross lettable area of 3,000 sq m. Expectations in the Polish market are also on the rise with the anticipated center extension of Designer Outlet Gdańsk, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2024.

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LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

Jan Niclas Brandt will become the new CEO of MediaMarkt Austria and MediaMarkt Switzerland starting April 1, 2024. The native German with Norwegian roots is taking on this dual role as part of a strategic realignment of the management levels in both countries. The aim is to grow closer together operationally and to benefit from complementary skills. Cooperation with the parent company will also be intensified.

MEC is further expanding its position as a retail real estate specialist and national market leader for retail parks: As of March 1st, 2024, it has taken over the operation of EKZ Abensberg.

“Investors and Retailers often want too much too soon.” Christian Alexander Kuntze, the founder of NEXXT IN RETAIL, critically examines the expansion strategies of large and small companies. He explains the biggest mistakes made during expansion and how start-up businesses can avoid them. His most important advice before any expansion is: Know your DNA!

STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

Leo’s Abenteuerpark GmbH is building a new indoor adventure world for children on an area of 4,000 sq m at Paunsdorf Center in Leipzig. The adventure park is scheduled to open in spring 2025. As part of the sector trend leisure and entertainment, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Germany and Leo’s Abenteuerpark are strengthening the location’s profile as a family friendly and experience-orientated shopping and leisure destination in the region.

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.

LATEST TRENDS

The Compass Group has been won as the operator of the Foodhall in the new FOUR Frankfurt city quarter. Food Affairs GmbH, a company of Compass Group Deutschland GmbH, intends to curate the approximately 3,000 sq m space according to international standards and develop it into one of Frankfurt’s top food addresses.

It is a complex task to ensure project profitability. There is a struggle between doing what is right and what is reasonable. As 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: “However, in an ever-growing and competitive landscape, it is crucial to establish distinguishing factors that are recognizable and embrace them wholeheartedly.”

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS

Institutional investors in Germany are facing a significant shift in their real estate investment strategies, as revealed in the twelfth annual survey by Universal Investment. The survey among German institutional investors sheds light on the evolving landscape of real estate allocations and investor preferences, indicating a strong appetite for diversification beyond national borders and a growing recognition of the role of real estate as a hedge against inflation.

Trei Real Estate GmbH (“Trei”) just opened the 38th retail park of its Vendo Park brand in Poland. The property is located in Konin, a town of around 80,000 residents in the Greater Poland voivodeship. The new Vendo Park has a lettable area of around 5,400 sq m, with units let to Aldi, Rossmann, Pepco, Dealz, Kakadu, Sinsay and Piekarnia Grochola. On the whole, Trei invested about 6.4 million euros in the property.