Advertisement
Search
Close this search box.

Ticker

THE LATEST PLACEMAKING NEWS

The EuroCIS trade fair in Düsseldorf is the leading trade fair for retail technology in Europe. A large number of international exhibitors showcase the latest IT solutions and innovations tailored specifically to the retail sector.

Consumer criticism of shopping centers is nothing new, states Ken Gunn, Managing Director of Ken Gunn Consulting. As a retail business consultant, advising investors and asset managers, he has reported survey-based dissatisfaction with the proposition, branding, and management of shopping centers for 30 years.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) currently operates 21 assets in the German and Austrian region: 19 in Germany, eight of which are in the Group’s own portfolio, and two in Austria. Last year, a total of 714 rental contracts were closed for these 21 assets. The average vacancy rate for the core locations in the portfolio around Westfield Centro in Oberhausen, Ruhr Park in Bochum, as well as Westfield Shopping City Süd in Vösendorf in Greater Vienna and Westfield Donau Zentrum in Vienna, is less than two percent.

New highlight at Forum Hanau: on Friday, February 23, 2024, the renowned European retailer Pepco opened its doors for the first time on the second floor of the shopping center.

Since February 24, Schuh Bode has been enriching the fashion offering at QUARREE with a wide range of brand shoes for men, women and children on over 500 sq m of retail space. Family-run for five generations, the Hamburg shoe company fits in perfectly with the tenant mix of the center in the middle of Wandsbek.

“In the future, shopping centres will look different to how they do today, but if they lean into the change, they can be just as successful as they have been in the past,” states Thomas Mark, President of MK Illumination, and Member of the ACROSS Advisory Board, in the latest “Industry Outlook 2024”.

Following a customer-centric approach, the ‘Trading-Up’ strategy carried out by ROS Retail Outlet Shopping across its entire portfolio has achieved full potential in 2023. In particular, the Polish centers managed by the operator have registered up to 20 new openings, occupying a total gross lettable area of 3,000 sq m. Expectations in the Polish market are also on the rise with the anticipated center extension of Designer Outlet Gdańsk, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2024.

Why has our industry been so willing to settle for boring? Asks Cindy Andersen, Managing Director at Ingka Centres. The endless rows of identical stores, the predictability of a food court’s menu, the steady drone of escalators… These conventions have been the traditional hallmarks of shopping center decline for decades. To stay relevant, we must evolve as an industry.

“Placemaking is the art of shaping a special destination and making an emotional connection with the visitor during his on-site experience,” states Steffen Hofmann, Managing Partner at ambas Real Estate GmbH, and Member of the ACROSS Advisory Board, in the latest “Industry Outlook 2024”.

For the premiere in Belgium, Costa Coffee and its partner Lagardère Travel Retail have chosen a central location at Liège-Guillemins station.

NEPI Rockcastle generated the highest distributable earnings per share in its history in 2023, exceeding the previous record set in 2019. This marks not only a complete recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also a sustainable step-up in performance determined by continuing investments in its portfolio. Throughout the year, the Company updated its earnings guidance to the upside as management took note of the strong results coming in. Even so, the 17.1% increase in recurring DEPS achieved (9.3% on a nominal basis) exceeded its latest update.

RESERVED is continuing its flagship store expansion and will open a store at Westfield Centro in mid-2025. As part of LPP SA, one of the fastest growing fashion companies in Europe, RESERVED is pursuing the goal of being represented in the most important shopping centers in Germany.