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Just as the Covid-19 pandemic blurred the lines between office and home in 2020, the office of the future will need to combine elements of work, life, and experience in order to be competitive in post-pandemic city center locations, writes Nicole Pötsch, Head of Acquisitions & Sales for North & Central Europe at Allianz Real Estate.

The company has purchased the “6X6” building in downtown San Francisco. Following a transformation, the retail destination will be anchored by IKEA and will be complemented by mixed-use offerings.

In Poland, 2020, a turbulent year, has brought about many changes in the retail market. The unexpected occurrence of the pandemic has complicated the situation for both contractors and tenants. However, Covid-19 has not so much initiated new trends as it has dynamized the existing ones. It is not only about the growing importance of the omnichannel approach, especially with regard to e-commerce; the increasing share of retail parks and convenience centers in retail sales also ranks as one of the key trends. As research has shown, smaller-scale commercial formats have been most successful in dealing with the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

Urbanization is a global mega-trend. Therefore, urban regeneration projects have become increasingly relevant. However, one has to consider quite a few things along the journey toward a successful mixed-used scheme. The most successful projects will be those that incorporates work, life, shop, play, and access to services at inner-city locations.

Asset Management Directors Diederik Bakker and Harold van Riel and their asset management teams work closely together at Multi Corporation. This major pan-European retail service platform manages and redevelops retail properties across 14 countries in Europe and Turkey. How do they maintain sustainable asset value in a health crisis such as the current Covid-19 pandemic?

Shopping centers have been facing a growing number of challenges in the last few years, with many retailers failing to adapt quickly enough to competition from online retail platforms and changing customer habits that reflect new priorities and expectations. Chapman Taylor Group Board Director Jon Hale and Prague Studio Director Filip Pokorny examine how malls in CEE must adapt so that they can flourish in the coming years.

Landlords have assets at their disposal that e-commerce lacks. That allows for a unique mix of services and experience under a single, local roof, says Markus Porvari, Founder of HyperIn and Member of the ACROSS Advisory Board.

East Gate Mall in Skopje, North Macedonia, which features approximately 250 retail units, is scheduled to open its doors in fall 2021. Balfin Group Albania is responsible for the project.

Redevco has recently completed an extensive refurbishment of its C&A store in the city center of Zurich. The redevelopment has transformed it into an energy-efficient property, incorporating the clothing retailer’s latest design concept. Redevco is targeting a BREEAM In-Use Excellent sustainability rating.

As a result of the pandemic, Mipim took place later than usual this year. However, awards were presented, as usual. The award for “Best Mixed-use Project” went to Monopolis, which is owned by Polish company Virako.

Retail parks and hybrids have weathered the storm of the crisis relatively well due to their high proportion of local supply. Nevertheless, in the vortex of the coronavirus crisis, the issue of sustainability seems to have fallen by the wayside in many cases. That picture, however, is deceptive. The necessary (re)alignment of retail parks and other agglomerated retail real estate properties makes it necessary for ESG criteria (environment, social, governance) to be taken into account. The following “Top 5 Lessons Learned” were taken from a recent publication on retail parks in Germany*.

Sustainable retail real estate is extremely popular with investors and operators these days. SES Spar European Shopping Centers is playing a pioneering role in this area throughout Europe.

“Christmas as an opportunity, especially in difficult times, to give people what they are longing for so much: happiness, the memory of the best moments of their childhood, heart-warming feelings and emotions.”

“On high streets, we might expect light, bright, and welcoming spaces designed for casual gamers, which reflect the synergies between gaming and other creative industries.” | By Nicky Wightman

Shopping Centers in the Baltics amid Covid-19: Visitor Footfall Is Down, Though More Is Being Spent per Visit.

Following an investment in the amount of 70 million euros, Supernova Ljubljana Rudnik has entered a new phase of development, becoming one of the largest shopping centers in Slovenia. The completion of all work is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022.

PROPTECH COLUMN | “As digital consumer databases typically reach between 10% and 50% of unique annual physical visitors and beyond, each shopping center would have as strong a value proposition vis-à-vis tenants in the digital space as those with physical stores.” | By Peter Tonstad