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Retail

STRATEGIES AND EXPANSION PLANS OF RETAILERS

Austria’s largest and most diverse shopping and entertainment destination expands its already impressive lineup of brands and tenants, bringing renowned global brands to Vösendorf. The center celebrates several brand debuts in Austria, including the country’s first adidas monobrand store, which, alongside New Balance, enhances the activewear offering as new partners. In premium fashion, Joop!, Scotch & Soda, Rinascimento, and Brax add variety and distinction.

ACREM is the mall management company behind TEG (Tirana East Gate). The shopping center in Albania set a completely new standard regarding professionalism and efficiency, resulting in the Albanians not having to hide behind the Western industry giants in terms of footfall and catchment areas. ACROSS Management Director Reinhard Winiwarter discussed with Elda Hysenbelli, CEO at ACREM, and Joana Korimi, Head of Marketing at ACREM, what mall management and marketing à la TEG looks like, what their customers demand, and why some customers feel so comfortable in the center that they even get married there.

“We need something that is consistent between retailer, operator, landlord and investor, and can be the key behind every decision, and shopping experience is the obvious answer.” Our latest Retail Talk, “Uncovering the REAL Issues, Problems and Challenges of Retail Real Estate”, revealed that many of the retail industry’s current issues can only be tackled if first we solve the problems that stem from within, as skills such as leadership, fast adaptability to the changing market environment, courage, as well as mutual understanding during the decision-making process are necessary yet barely present in the industry.

The challenges facing the retail real estate sector are more significant than ever. Future-oriented solutions for retail properties such as retail parks are urgently needed – this is precisely where the Retail PIN comes in. This newly founded think tank, an initiative of six leading companies in the retail real estate industry, pools strategic expertise and a shared vision: to actively and sustainably shape the future of retail locations.

In 2025, Nordic design and lifestyle brand ARKET continues its expansion with the opening of a flagship store in Oslo, the brand’s first physical location in Norway.

At the Global RLI Awards 2024, where leading projects from Asia, Europe and the Middle East compete, Fiba CP achieved another great success in London by being awarded the ‘Highly Commended’ award in the ‘International Shopping Center Renovation’ category with İnegöl Shopping Center. In addition to İnegöl Shopping Mall, Downtown Bursa Life and Entertainment Center also received an award in the ‘International Retail and Entertainment Destination’ category.

For the fifth time, SES Spar European Shopping Centers awarded the yip.at Business Promotion Prize, which covers EUR 10,000 and exclusive promotional space in the 15 SES shopping centers in Austria, to the best implemented business ideas in stationary retail via its yip.at digital initiative.

The MENA region’s retail landscape is undergoing a transformative phase, with the mall industry projected to grow from USD 808.51 billion in 2024 to USD 1,401.32 billion by 2032. Against this dynamic backdrop, the inaugural Mall Development MENA Forum 2024 is set to take place from November 11-12, at the Le Meridian Hotel Dubai. This landmark event will bring together industry leaders, stakeholders, and policymakers to explore the future of mall development in the region.

SILLPARK, the largest inner-city shopping center in Innsbruck, Austria, in terms of area, and which attracts over 5 million visitors a year, is to remain fully operational while it undergoes modernization and is enhanced with a very special innovation: in a first for Austria’s shopping malls, a health park of more than 3,000 sq m in area is being built here.

With the FREY Group as a new financially strong property partner providing robust support, ROS Retail Outlet Shopping is setting the stage for further growth and enhanced premium outlet shopping destinations across Europe. Major expansions at four centers and two new developments are set to be completed within two years.

Fashion House Group is the only outlet operator in Romania, and it benefits from a growing interest in international brands in Southeast Europe. In this interview with ACROSS, Brendon O’Reilly, Managing Director of Fashion House Group, explains how he wants to grow and expand with these brands.

VIA Outlets is expanding at almost every one of its 11 premium fashion outlet locations across Europe, and strengthening the F&B offering is a priority, CEO Otto Ambagtsheer says. He’s confident that organic growth will continue to be the company’s mainstay, because there are very few acquisition opportunities on the market currently, but VIA Outlets will seize the chance to invest if the right M&A deal arises that fits with its business strategy. He added that expanding VIA Outlets’ omnichannel strategy is another key priority.

As part of the strategic positioning and ongoing evolution of Palais Vest, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has further differentiated and upgraded the already attractive tenant and brand mix in time for the center’s 10th anniversary. Palais Vest is thus positioning itself even more strongly as a shopping and convenience hub with a high local supply character in Recklinghausen’s city center in Germany. In line with the leasing strategy, various modules have been established and new key partnerships concluded or significantly expanded.

FACTORY Poznań, managed by NEINVER, has officially opened a 2,000 sq m pocket park. This spectacular green space – complete with unique architectural elements – was designed and constructed in collaboration with landscape architects and biodiversity experts, part of the LIFE Archiclima project, a program funded by the European Union and the Polish National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

This summer, ROS Retail Outlet Shopping joined the French FREY Group to grow together in the outlet sector. In this interview, Antoine Frey, CEO of FREY, and Thomas Reichenauer, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping, explain which values and visions both companies have in common, what plans they are pursuing, especially with their first project in Malmö, and why they feel particularly comfortable in the outlet and outdoor shopping sector in the long term.

NEINVER is celebrating three anniversaries this year: 25 years of Getafe The Style Outlet in Spain and 20 years of Castel Guelfo and Vicolungo in Italy. All these centers are success stories. Their developments show that every center is individual and, when managed well, will develop its own success story. Nevertheless, Eduardo Ceballos, Asset Management Director at NEINVER, explains some common trends that every center should follow.