Christoph Andexlinger Becomes the Sole Austrian on the Supervisory Board of the New European Industry Association, the ECSP

Managing Director Christoph Andexlinger, Chief Operations Officer at SES since 1 January 2021, has been appointed as a member of the Supervisory Board of the ECSP and, as such, will represent the interests of the Austrian retail real estate industry at the European level for the next three years. The new Executive Board was elected and confirmed during the first ECSP General Meeting, which took place in Brussels on 31 March.

The ECSP (European Council of Shopping Places), headquartered in Brussels, was founded in October 2020 and represents the European retail real estate industry, which counts more than 6.3 million employees, generates 750 billion euros in sales, and has usable floor space for retail, gastronomy, and service facilities of approximately 160 million square meters. The association’s goal is to give a voice to those companies that create, develop, build, operate, maintain, or finance retail, hospitality, and service facilities.

The ECSP Executive Board consists of 15 members, comprised of six founding members, five elected members, and four representatives of national associations, and, as a result, brings together a wide range of nations as well as companies that operate successfully, both globally and in Europe. (Source: ECSP, 31 March 2021 https://www.ecsp.eu/ecsp-hosts-first-members-assembly-announces-new-executive-board/)

“The ECSP provides its members with excellent access to a widespread European network via working groups and events. This enables us to further strengthen the position of brick-and-mortar retail, especially in times like these. I am honored to be able to help shape the future of the industry as a member of the ECSP Executive Board,” says Christoph Andexlinger.

Expert with More Than 20 Years of Industry Experience
Christoph Andexlinger, a 49-year-old native of Tyrol, has held a number of advisory positions in addition to his professional roles for many years. Among other things, he is the Deputy Chairman of the Austrian Council of Shopping Places (ACSP, formerly ACSC). Now, SES is set to send him to the ECSP to serve as a board member, a position in which he will assume leadership responsibility for the industry at the European level.

As a member of the management board of SES Spar European Shopping Centers GmbH, Christoph Andexlinger has been responsible for the areas of center and facility management, PR, and real estate development, including construction and architecture at SPAR Austria’s strategic real estate and shopping center company, in the function of Chief Operations Officer (COO), since 1 January 2021.

Christoph Andexlinger joined SPAR Austria in 1998 and has over 20 years of experience and extensive expertise in the shopping center sector. In 2000, Christoph Andexlinger took over the center management of EUROPARK Salzburg, which was awarded as the “World’s Best Shopping Center” in 2007 and is the flagship of SES. From 2007 to 2020, as the Head of Center & Facility Management at SES, he was responsible for the operational management of what currently amounts to 30 shopping centers in six countries.

SES Has Been Involved in Retail Associations for Retail Real Estate for Decades
SES executives have been actively involved in the development of retail associations for shopping centers, both nationally and internationally, since the 1990s. The company, for instance, was significantly involved in the organization that preceded the ECSP, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Marcus Wild, SES CEO until the end of 2020 and current member of the SPAR Executive Board, held several pro bono positions there, including the role of European Chairman from 2009 to 2012 in London as well as the role of ICSC Divisional Vice President in the global association as a European delegate. Since ICSC’s withdrawal from Europe, Wild has remained an honorary international member in his role as an ICSC trustee.