NORWAY
Bispevika
OSU (Oslo S Utvikling) recently launched its latest Oslo development project: Bispevika.
Located within the fjord-side Bjørvika area of the city center, adjacent to the Central Station and cultural institutions like the Opera House and the new Munch Museum, Bispevika is one of the most strategic and highly anticipated locations in Oslo today. Of the total 900,000 sq m in Bjørvika, OSU is responsible for delivering 340,000 sq m of new retail, office and residential space.
The development is already under construction with the first stage, the recently completed Barcode, having brought 10,000 workers to the area. The Bjørvika offer will consist of 17,000 sq m of retail space, 5,000 apartments and approximately 400,000 sq m of offices. When complete, the area will have 20,000 workers and 10,000 residents.
The retail leasing is to focus on lifestyle, fashion and food and beverage brands – targeting well-known names within Scandinavia as well as international brands looking to enter Norway with a landmark city center location. Akershus Eiendom acts on behalf of OSU on the lettings.
SLOVAKIA
Eperia
End of November, the opening of Eperia in Prešov in eastern Slovakia attracted more than seventy thousand visitors during the first three days.
The opening ceremony was accompanied by a spectacular show and a varied program. First customers visited the shops on an area of 22,000 sq m and could choose from a variety of restaurants and leisure zones. The mall has become a new regional employer, generating approximately 700 new jobs.
The two-storey regional shopping center was built by the developer J&T Real Estate in a business zone in Prešov settlement Sekčov. The construction will be the only one in the city to have an international environmental building assessment, a BREEAM certificate. The timeless architecture of the mall comes from the DKLN architectural team.
Eperia brings prestigious fashion brands and a wide range of customer service portfolio to the Slovakian city. Customers can find stores such as H&M, C&A, Lindex, New Yorker, A3 sport, Pandora, Bepon, Bubbleology, Tchibo, 101 Drogerie, Yves Rocher, Exi Sport or CCC. A new concept of food store is also placed here namely a Fresh Supermarket food court with a new restaurant design. Among the places where visitors can enjoy a variety of gastronomic choices are Café Dias, Cuban bar La Cubanita, Sedliacky dvor or the new restaurant concept Šariš.
GERMANY
Loom
On October 26, 2017 Bielefeld’s new downtown attraction celebrated its opening: Loom following a construction time of approximately two years.
All in all, the shopping center comprises a sales area of 26,000 sq m, about 110 shops, food services, and service providers, a food court with various culinary offers, and 550 parking spaces. Approximately 750 people will be working in the center. The mall, which is built on the site of former City Passage from the 1970s, will revive the shopping destination in the city center.
The architectural concept will impress visitors with its high-quality, elegant design, and, like its name “Loom”, is a reminder of the textile industry tradition of Bielefeld in Nordrhine-Westphalia. The center benefits from its prime location in the city’s main pedestrian zone, and a region with a high purchasing power and a large catchment area of 1.45 million people. The main entrance of Loom is in Bahnhofstrasse, which is one of the most popular shopping areas in Germany.
Volker Kraft, Managing Director of ECE Real Estate Partners, which acquired the shopping center for the ECE European Prime Shopping Centre Fund in 2011, commented: “With our investment of approximately 135 million euros we managed to revive a traditional shopping destination. Its premium design and the modern concept make Loom the new attraction in downtown Bielefeld. Because of the large catchment area, Loom will attract additional purchasing power to the city.”
SPAIN
Vialia
Recently, Broadway Malyan has completed a project to reimagine a shopping center attached to a high-speed rail station in Malaga: The refurbishment of the Vialia shopping center on behalf of Brazilian fund Global Armorica has created a new retail destination at the María Zambrano AVE station, Malaga’s main transport interchange.
The 48,600 sq m mall has more than 100 stores as well as 10-screen cinema and Broadway Malyan’s intervention has transformed the interior with a contemporary design based on a traditional Spanish monochrome pallet of white and natural timber and a bespoke decorative lighting installation throughout.
The project included the creation of a new entrance from the main hall of the station while the food court has been renovated with modern furniture, interior landscaping and a playground to create a new space for visitors to relax. The second phase of the project saw the creation of a work hub aimed specifically at business travelers which offers glazed views into the station from a new furbished area that includes desks with internet connections and charging points.
Jorge Ponce, who heads Broadway Malyan’s Madrid studio, said the refurbishment was part of an ongoing trend of uplifting facilities around urban transport hubs. He said: “Increasingly the major opportunities for retail development within cities will be around transport hubs as mass transit has a growing influence on how we access and move across our cities. “
ITALY
CityLife Shopping District
The doors of CityLife Shopping District in Milan opened end of November.
It is ready to welcome visitors to a unique environment with a distinctive commercial offer and attractions for leisure, wellness and shopping, creating a new world in the heart of the Italian city. The pulsing heart of the CityLife Shopping District will offer the catchment area of 700,000 people 100 units dedicated to shopping, dining, services, free time and entertainment, all of these carefully selected by Sonae Sierra in line with the project’s premium positioning and innovative context.
The scheme offers its visitors the chance to meet numerous new brands to the Italian market and to rediscover other well-known and sought-after ones. In the segment dedicated to home and technology, there is Huawei’s first European flagship store; and shops dedicated to home include Habitat and Democracy Design. Among the brands in this segment, there’s also a major telephony player, R-store Apple Premium Reseller. The health and wellness segment presents the world’s first Nashi Argan salon, a place dedicated to hair and skin care, the first beauty clinic Juneco and Drogerie Markt (DM), specialized in personal and home care, natural cosmetics and bio food.
There are many prestigious names found in the fashion and accessories sector including: Adele Altman, Adidas, Beatrice B, Chantelle Lingerie, Ck, Dixie, Foot Locker, Guess, Imperial, Incontri, Jacadi, Levi’s, Marella, MAX&Co, Midinette, Napapijri, Omai, Pandora, Paolo Tonali, Piquadro, Sophie 4 Kids, Superdry, Tommy Hilfiger and Timberland. When it comes to the food segment, the Shopping District will be the Italian début for the Fresh Mex Calavera restaurant and the Roadhouse Meatery steak restaurant (two new and exclusive formats from the Roadhouse chain of the Cremonini group) and the American bar East River – Brooklyn Brewery, that can be found in the food hall in the covered mall.
This zone features surprising architectural features from the genius mind of Zaha Hadid, and opens directly onto the CityLife’s green park. CityLife Anteo will be at the center of the entertainment offering in the Shopping District. Placed within the Mall, it will offer a programme of the very highest quality with its 7 screens and a total seating capacity of 1,200.
UNITED KINGDOM
Meadowhall
On December 6, British Land, joint owner of Meadowhall near Sheffield celebrated the completion of the £60 million refurbishment of the center.
This marks the end of a two-year programme, during which £40 million was invested in store upgrades by more than 70 brands including existing and new additions to Meadowhall’s line-up. This combined investment of £100 million has already made a positive impact on performance, with footfall on Black Friday up 8%, making it the busiest on record.
The prime Zone A rental tone has risen to over £400, reflecting very strong demand for space with 30 new retailers signing in the last 18 months.
Charles Maudsley, Head of Retail, Leisure and Residential for British Land, said: “The transformation we have achieved at Meadowhall is a great example of how we have listened to our customers and responded to their needs to create space that works for shoppers and enables retailers to thrive in an omnichannel world. It also demonstrates the value we place in working in partnership with the community to deliver significant, long-lasting benefits to the Sheffield City Region.”
Claire Barber, Head of Meadowhall for British Land, added: “Meadowhall is a very different place as a result of our investment. It is lighter and brighter; the space is more modern and the offer is significantly enhanced so it is the first choice for shoppers across the region. Together with our longer term plans for the center, Meadowhall has a great future as one of the leading retail and leisure destinations in the UK.”
SPAIN
Palmas Altas
The Palmas Altas project has taken another great leap forwards.
The mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas, and Miguel Pereda officially inaugurated the start of construction works for what will become one of the largest family leisure and retail complexes in Andalusia. Palmas Altas, which is due to open its doors during 2019’s first semester, will create 4,800 new jobs. Of these, 1,500 are related to the construction of the mall and the remaining 3,300 to permanent roles at the center.
This project will provide a boost to the local economy and create employment in Seville. In fact, Lar Espana makes it a priority to contract local suppliers for the construction and maintenance of its properties.
The total investment required to develop this family leisure and retail complex will amount to €250 million, the largest investment in urban development that the city has seen in the last 10 years and the Socimi‘s highest-valued asset to date. Palmas Altas will be the largest retail and entertainment hub in the city, comprising a total area of 123,500 sq m, 100,000 sq m of which will be retail and leisure space. The scheme will also feature a lake and entertainment activities for the whole family. P
almas Altas will be located in an expanding area of the city that currently lacks any similar retail or leisure offering. More specifically, the complex will be located in the La Palmera-Bellavista district, in a highly accessible area. This will provide the mall with an extensive catchment area: 450,000 people live within a ten-minute drive from the site and a further one million are just half an hour away.
GERMANY
Wilmersdorfer Arcaden
Ivanhoé Cambridge, co-owner of Wilmersdorfer Arcaden and shopping center operator and co-owner mfi (a division of Unibail-Rodamco), follow a clear vision to position Wilmersdorfer Arcaden as the “district’s impulse generator”.
This will also reinforce the center’s central role in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district of Berlin. This vision is based on three columns: differentiated tenant mix, a new design that was realized with an investment of over 20 million euro, and an innovative marketing strategy. The renewal work will start in mid 2018 and are scheduled to be completed by autumn 2019.
“Wimersdorfer Arcaden have an immense potential and we are convinced that we are on the right track to perfectly position the center in time for its tenth anniversary,” says Jean-Charles Viard, Head of Asset Management at Ivanhoé Cambridge Europe.
The pure shopping experience will be expanded by two dimensions: curiosity and excitement. These are reflected in the profound changes of the design. It focuses on the new façade, architectural changes, and the design in the center, to improve navigation and visibility. The atmosphere of a meeting point will be continually supported by various events, like the current #Artcaden project.
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