What does the future expect from us and what do we expect from the future? No other industry is as influenced by people as retailers and the shopping center industry.

At Cushman & Wakefield, we are fortunate to have a client base broadly equally split between landlords and tenants; this position provides us with insight into both market trends and what both parties want in the real estate conversation.

With an unrivalled digital offering, an annual footfall of 400 million and two thirds of the UK’s shopping population living within 45 minutes of one of our centers, intu’s scale means we don’t just see the big picture, we are the big picture.

The topic of “advertising associations in shopping centers” has gained considerable attention in recent weeks. According to the press, German shopping center operator ECE is about to renegotiate 10,000 leases in Germany. For legal reasons, it is replacing the existing “advertising associations” with “advertising councils.”

Loyalty programs are still relatively new in shopping centers. This is primarily due to the complexities of having multiple tenants and, until recently, the lack of technology to support them.

According to Wikipedia, empathy is “the capacity and willingness to recognize and understand the thoughts, emotions, motives and personality traits of another person. Empathy also includes the reaction to the emotions of other persons […]. The basis of empathy is the sense of self, the more open one is towards one’s own feelings, the better one can interpret the emotions of others.”

“Brands have to touch every step of the customer journey and online shopping must be part of a 360° digital environment that fully integrates new digital tools into all aspects of the ‘traditional’ business model.”

“If we analyze the Romanian market, we can see that especially in Bucharest the current status does not favor proximity shopping centers.”

Big brand names are unavoidable. Their stores dominate retail now more than ever.

“The principle of the short-term lease offers the opportunity to prove oneself in retail stores without having to lock oneself in over years in a long-term lease.”

“We can expect to see online continue to influence retailer store requirements globally, complementing the physical store network to access a global consumer base.”

Consumer and retailer demands for mixed environments, interconnected usages, and greater flexibility require new or, at the very least, reimagined real estate objects and locations.

For the premium retailer, globalization has brought choice, improved opportunities, and greater influence while simultaneously creating highly competitive markets.

For the premium retailer, globalization has brought choice, improved opportunities, and greater influence while simultaneously creating highly competitive markets.

For the premium retailer, globalization has brought choice, improved opportunities, and greater influence while simultaneously creating highly competitive markets.

In the last two years, I have outlined in several articles the advantages and disadvantages of refurbishing retail properties and evaluated such drives from the retailers’ perspective.

In recent years, the appointment of senior advisors in Europe has increased.

Well, it certainly has been an eventful start to 2016.

Entering 2016, we find ourselves in a new phase of change in the pan-European shopping center sector.

In John Hegarty’s book on Advertising he refers to a favourite quote of mine “A brand is the most valuable real estate in the world – a corner of a consumer’s mind.” I believe the shopping centers we build and manage today are brands in their own right.

The retail property industry is missing a trick when it comes to marketing. Ironically, marketing has an image problem.

…or does Christmas come around faster and faster each year!?

With 93% of UK adults using a mobile phone in 2014, according to Ofcom, and a wealth of evidence showing our rising emotional dependence on mobile devices, it is becoming increasingly important for retail property owners and retailers to recognize mobile device usage in store and adapt accordingly.

I had the privilege of taking part in several select industry events and expert discussions over the last few weeks. Again and again, my interlocutors engaged in lively discussions about the future of retail and the shopping center industry. Rightly so: The technologization and digitization of retail in the last decade has been a quantum leap.