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.

Once again, Germany has come out on top as the country where brands are most eager to find outlet space, according to a report released at Mapic by ecostra. Its annual survey of mainly fashion brand manufacturers put Germany as their No. 1 destination, with 59% of all responses.

In the planning and implementation of sustainable building, the objective of a balanced project to profit environment, people, and economy is in the foreground.

In an article for the textile industry entitled “The party is over,” which appeared after Expo Real in Munich, Jörg Nowicki described the reluctance of retailers to rent new spaces. As it turns out, there is, in fact, a significant imbalance between the bullish investment market in commercial real estate and the slowing desire for expansion among retailers.

The media are currently full of reports on VoD, (“video on demand”) services. These reports hardly distinguish between pay-per-view and subscription services or between these and the streaming of live events. Nevertheless, this trend, combined with the ever-improving quality of normal smart TV devices – never mind that of integrated home entertainment systems – would seem to suggest that cinema is in grave danger.

The retail sector is once again on the move and this can be seen in many megatrends in the retail market. Many of these megatrends are driven by the successful online market.

From consumer goods to the shopping center industry, the term “Big Data” has reached the shopping center world. It is the new buzzword in the business. But what is it and is it really so important? I think it is.

The pressure to change in the retail sector is highly dependent on the personal attitudes and behavior of its target groups.

The UK currently has 23 sq ft of retail space per capita. Although this is half the rate found in the US, it is significantly more than in other developed countries like Canada (13 sq ft) and Australia (6.5 sq ft).

The Spanish economy seems to be recovering. Nowadays, the country enjoys growth forecast at 3.1% according to the IMF, and consumer confidence is increasing in view of the latest public data. Many things have improved, but it is necessary to continue working on reducing unemployment rates and on making family spending growth possible.

What impact will online retail have on the space requirements of the stationary trade?

Since early 2007, I have had the privilege to be involved in the topic of sustainability in the real estate sector.

When historians one day do a detached and objective analysis of the events that are taking place in Europe during this summer, they will certainly highlight the negative connotation of a multitude of occurrences already called the “perfect storm.”

Due to developments in the retail landscape in the midth of Europe and internationally, typical department stores everywhere are threatened with extinction.

When international retailers and consumers think of the UK retail industry, London has traditionally dominated the outlook.