The atmosphere was full hope and suspense on April 10 at 5pm in the main room of the conference center at the Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I hotel. After all, the winners of the 2019 European Shopping Centre Awards were about to be announced. The ICSC has been awarding prizes to the most outstanding new, refurbished, and established shopping centers in Europe since 1977. The awards are recognized as most prestigious in the field of European retail real estate.
So, who were the happy winners in the Catalan capital? In the category “Small/Medium Refurbishments and/or Expansions” the ICSC commended Smart Park in Athens, Greece. The award for “Large Refurbishments and/or Expansions” went to Sonae Sierra‘s CascaiShopping in Cascai, Portugal. There also was a commendation in this category – for the PEP Einkaufszentrum in Munich, Germany.
A commendation for Danzig
Let’s continue with the winners. The award for “Extra Large Refurbishments and/or Expansions” went to Citycon’s Iso Omena in Espoo, Finland. “Iso Omena is our largest shopping center and the crown jewel of our portfolio. It represents our vision for a successful shopping center concept in the 2020s. It is great that Iso Omena has been noticed and awarded by the ICSC in its international competition,” said Sanna Yliniemi, Vice President, Operations Development at Citycon.
New projects were awarded as well, of course. Apsys‘ Muse in Metz won the award for “Small/Medium New Developments”. The one for “Large New Developments” was awarded to Adigeo in Verona, Italy, to the delight of ECE. Joanna Fisher, CEO of Center Management and member of the ACROSS Advisory Board, said: “We are very happy to have won this award. We are glad that we could contribute to the further development and strengthening of the surrounding urban district of Verona with Adigeo. The center’s expansion by additional areas during the construction phase shows how well Adigeo is accepted by retailers and the population.” In its statement, the ICSC particularly highlighted the impressive architecture as well as the modern and innovative orientation and the overall concept, which is geared towards comprehensive sustainability. Multi’s Forum Gdansk in Danzig, Poland, was commended in the category “Large New Developments”.
Iso Omena awarded twice
In the category “Extra Large Established Centers”, Highcross in Leicester, UK, stood out with a commendation. The Catharinasteeg in Leiden, the Netherlands, gladly received a distinction in the “Regeneration” category. Last but not least, a distinction in the “Resource” category went to Citycon’s Iso Omena. As mentioned before, this mall in Espoo, Finland, also won in the category “Extra Large Refurbishments and/or Expansions”. Two is always better than one.
