On June 30, Bill Kistler was appointed as ICSC’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director of EMEA. In his interview with ACROSS, he talks about his goals, cooperating with the EU—and a positive future for the industry.

A lot has been said and written in the past years about the necessary reorientation of shopping centers and other retail locations, and at least as many measures were also realized since then.

In 2009—for the first time in history—the world’s urban population exceeded its rural population. By 2030, the number of people living in cities around the world is expected to increase by one billion.

The re-introduction of Sunday business hours for shopping centers in Hungary was announced and introduced unexpectedly and with surprising speed, even quicker than the introduction of the obligatory Sunday shopping ban in March 2015. Why was it so urgent?

The tax on retail sales coming into force on September 1, 2016 will not contribute to the decrease in the number of shopping centers in Poland. The tax will increase the competitiveness of small- and medium-sized businesses in comparison to large entities operating in the commercial sector and will increase the state’s revenues.

Since McDonald’s opened its first UK restaurant in Woolwich in 1974, Europe has had a taste for all things American, fueled in part by the exposure we have to US brands on film or TV. The enthusiasm and success rate for US retailers expanding into Europe is mixed, however.

The shopping center sector is permanently evolving according to the visitors’ lifestyle changes and their demands for innovations.

From having been the owner and principal of an architectural service firm in North America to a member of a large, multi-disciplinary, European architectural practice, I have had the welcome experience of working on commercial and retail projects on multiple continents.

Why is everybody talking about food in shopping centers this year? Because it matters, of course.

In recent years, a new generation of shopping centers has developed with a particular focus on consumers’ culinary needs.

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.