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THE LATEST PLACEMAKING NEWS

In order for retailers and retail property operators to inspire and retain customers in the long term, it is essential that they rethink their spaces and develop innovative concepts, according to HBB. Such new approaches include the redefinition of multi-sensory shopping experiences and strategies to enhance the customer experience.

The fashion chain Peek & Cloppenburg Düsseldorf has signed a long-term lease contract to become a new tenant in the Limbecker Platz shopping center in Essen. Union Investment and ECE are setting the course for the future of the center with the first extensive partial letting of the space in the former Galeria store, which is also set to benefit Essen’s city centre in the long term.

The bowling concept is opening its first location in continental Europe with The Playce in Berlin. The British company’s appetite for expansion does not stop there. Tim Wilks, founder of the concept, explains in an interview why bowling, in particular, is a successful format, how he guarantees footfall for shopping center landlords and other tenants, and which markets and locations are on his list.

Breuninger has been pursuing a consistent omnichannel approach since 2008. Ideally, customers should feel no difference between the channels. At the same time, the openings in Munich and Hamburg are a clear statement in favor of brick-and-mortar retail. ACROSS spoke with Alexander Entov, Managing Director of Breuninger’s Department Store in Munich, about what positive experiences “made by Breuninger” look like, why there should be no separation between the offline and online worlds, and why customer feedback is ultimately the most important factor.

In an era in which e-commerce has gained significant influence, brick-and-mortar retail faces various challenges. These challenges have created an opportunity to rethink and renew the conventional shopping experience. The Turkish retail world is one step ahead when it comes to experience-oriented retail. Turkish shopping centers and young brands, in particular, offer their customers products as well as experiences that go far beyond shopping. Many brands are bringing this philosophy to Europe as part of their expansion strategies.

In the 60th anniversary year, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is crowning the success story of one of the largest shopping and leisure destinations in Germany: Westfield Ruhr Park is the third destination in Germany to bear the internationally renowned Westfield brand name, alongside Westfield Centro in Oberhausen and the development project Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier.

“Change for the sake of change is not a good concept because it just creates extra costs. If a retailer´s concept and strategy work as intended then offering occasional surprises, and introducing smaller changes is more beneficial. Drastic changes must be kept as a last resort for cases where a concept or strategy is not working.” Our latest ACROSS Retail Talk, “Rethinking Brick-and-Mortar Retail By Increasing the Shop Floor Experience,” revealed, among other things, that to avoid predictability and ensure an exciting shopping atmosphere at a location, having the right mix of data and creativity is necessary, as it can turn an average, predictable visit to a location into a memorable experience.

Retailers who can always find answers to consumer needs will survive. Here are some great examples of retailers that are already (re-)thinking floor space and stage themselves for the customer, appeal to all their senses, create a holistic experience, and whose success can no longer be measured in mere sales figures.

Hardly any other word has characterized the real estate industry lately as much as transformation. It describes many different aspects and involves all stakeholders. However, one area that is often neglected is community building. We are ignoring the most critical group: the users and consumers. David Fuller-Watts, CEO of Mallcomm, explains in this interview what community building should stand for today and what the real estate industry, including proptech, needs to do to serve their communities’ changing needs.

The Rhein-Ruhr Zentrum (RRZ) in Mülheim, Germany, has gained a new anchor tenant: leisure provider ADVENTICA. The owners of the center, Eurofund Group and Signal Capital Partners, have now signed a long-term lease for 3,300 sq m of space. The opening of ADVENTICA’s first German location is planned for the second quarter of 2025, while renovation work will begin in early October.

Through its platform, the Berlin-based company Cariqa connects charge point operators (CPO) and customers directly instead of the usual payment concept via e-mobility providers.

A good ten years after its opening, Skyline Plaza in Frankfurt am Main, which is jointly owned by Allianz and ECE, is receiving more than 35 million euros for an extensive modernization program. With new tenants and concepts, a revised design and numerous additional offers and services, it is being comprehensively prepared for the future.

ECE Real Estate Partners is expanding its investment activities and has raised further circa 100 million Euro of capital for its ECE Progressive Income Growth Fund (the “EPIG Fund”) that invests in high quality shopping centres in Europe and holds a portfolio of seven centres with a total market value of more than 2.2 billion Euro.

Utopian Hours, taking place 18-20 October in Turin, Italy, is a three-day international event organized by urban knowledge agency Stratosferica, showcasing and discussing new concepts and inviting guests and audiences to suggest a new way of conceiving human evolution. Starting from the first edition in 2017, the festival aims to give for the eighth time a voice to the people behind these changes: City makers, activists, architects, and innovators share their experiences and stimulate new visions for the future and concepts of cities. ACROSS spoke to Daniele Vaccai, Project Developer at Stratosferica, about the festival, its program, and speakers.