IMMOFINANZ recorded strong growth in the number of visitors to its retail properties in 2018: More than 142 million customers visited the STOP SHOP retail parks and VIVO! shopping centers with over 800,000 sqm of rentable space. That represents an increase of roughly 20 million visitors, or 16.7%, over the previous year. On a like-for-like basis, i.e. after an adjustment for acquisitions, sales and completions, the number of visitors rose by 4.8% to approximately 128 million. The retailers operating in the IMMOFINANZ retail parks and shopping centers generated a year-on-year increase of nearly 5.0% in their gross sales revenues.

Primark has launched its first ever range of jeans made from 100% sustainable cotton. Produced in three different washes (indigo, black and light blue), the women’s skinny jeans will be sold in stores across all markets, at a cost of £13/€17. Primark’s customers are looking for amazing fashion at an affordable price, and this range is no different.

In June, Axel Arigato will open at a new address in a Hufvudstaden property in Bibliotekstan, Stockholm. Located at Biblioteksgatan 7, the store will have 130 square metres of retail space.

redos Group, one of Germany’s leading real estate specialists for the retail sector, acquired a total of 18 new properties last year for its two restricted alternative investment funds offered in partnership with Union Investment, the Redos Einzelhandel Deutschland fund and the Redos Einzelhandel Deutschland II fund. With these additions to the fund portfolios, total invested assets rose to approx. EUR 1.3 billion, a year-over-year increase of some 37 per cent.

Echo Investment’s Supervisory Board appointed Małgorzata Turek as Member of the Management Board. She will be responsible for investment, divestment and planning department.

Hamburg-based redos Group, one of Germany’s leading retail property specialists, has announced three major new additions to its team: Jan Steinhauer (43) as Technical Head, Dr. Till Dunemann (38) as Director and Project Head – Rhein-Ruhr Zentrum, and Mathis K. Freundl (32) as Finance Manager.

The organic dairy producer, Yeo Valley, is opening its first London café this May in Queensway.

RATISBONA Asset Management (RAM), an investment and asset management firm specialising in real estate for food retailers, has purchased a total of 18 properties for its RATISBONA Handelsimmobilien Core Plus fund in the six months since its launch.

For the first time in its almost 140-year history, the globally active Duty Free company Gebr. Heinemann will undergo major structural changes across its entire organization to enable and strengthen global agility and overall strategy.

Comprehensive offer of Galeria Chełm in Poland, the Acteeum and Equlis joint venture, has been enriched with further four brands. Esotiq, Play, Kantor Promes and ecological laundry will join the tenants’ pool of the first shopping center in Chełm. The new brands will expand the shopping offer and provide an opportunity to meet the customers’ everyday needs in a modern and friendly environment.

The Bullring Estate, Birmingham’s iconic shopping destination that comprises the Bullring, Grand Central, and Link Street, is hosting an awe-inspiring Festival of Light, running from Friday 1st March to Sunday 10th March.

The St David’s Partnership, owners of St David’s in Cardiff, one of the UK’s premier retail and leisure destinations, has announced a newly upsized store for Danish shoe retailer, ECCO. The brand has moved to a new store on Upper Grand Arcade near John Lewis.

LabTech, owner of Camden Market, has unveiled plans for the redevelopment of Buck Street Market, due to launch in Summer 2019. Comprising 52 recycled shipping containers, Buck Street, will expand on Camden’s retail and dining offer for local visitors.

Ascencio and Sagax, real estate companies listed respectively on Euronext Brussels and Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap stock exchanges, were accepted last Thursday for inclusion in the FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed Europe Index, following the quarterly index review. The effective date of the inclusion is 18 March 2019.

A new independent American-Italian restaurant, Smoke and Dough, is to open its first location in the UK on Liverpool ONE’s Terrace, overlooking Chavasse Park. The 7,000 sq ft venue will include 150 covers and feature a late-night bar of 50 covers with an exclusive outdoor seating area.

IMMOFINANZ’s portfolio concentration on office and retail properties and the clear brand policy are producing sustainable success: The occupancy rate in the standing investment portfolio continued to improve in 2018 and, at 95.8%*, reached a new record level in the company’s history. That represents an increase of 1.6 percentage points year-on-year or 6.2 percentage points over the past two years.

The Austrian company IMMOFINANZ is continuing the expansion of its STOP SHOP retail park chain in Serbia with its tenth STOP SHOP retail park, located in Sremska Mitrovica. The official ground-breaking ceremony took place today and was attended by Vladimir Sanader, the Mayor of the City of Sremska Mitrovica, and Joško Piteša, Operations Manager Serbia for IMMOFINANZ.

Farfetch Limited, the leading global technology platform for the luxury fashion industry, and Harrods, the world’s most famous department store, have announced a strategic partnership which will see the two companies work together to provide Harrods global e-commerce platform.

Atrium European Real Estate announces its full year results for 2018.

ICON Outlet at The O2, the UK’s first urban outlet developed by AEG and Crosstree Real Estate Partners has announced the opening of Brooks Brothers, America’s oldest retailer.

With an investment of 52 million euros, Jardín Plaza Cúcuta opens its doors to the public as the city’s largest shopping centre. With its 40,000 sq m and open-air design that highlights the region’s culture, Jardín Plaza will offer the inhabitants of Cúcuta a unique experience.

Klépierre, the pan-European leader in shopping centers, has become the largest real estate portfolio in the world (by value) to be BREEAM In-Use certified for sustainable management. The Group has gone beyond the traditional asset per asset certification approach to adopt a full-portfolio one thanks to an innovative, long-term partnership with BRE, the certification body, and Longevity Partners, an advisory firm specialized in energy and sustainable property investment.

Lendlease and Invesco Real Estate, the global real estate investment manager, have announced that Skechers, the global lifestyle and performance footwear brand, has signed for a brand-new store at Queensgate in Peterborough.