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PROJECTS, TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

Hamburg’s iconic Mönckebergstrasse is set to welcome a transformative development project: Elisen Palais will breathe new life into a historic site once home to the renowned C&A building. This ambitious project seeks to create a climate-neutral, mixed-use property while paying homage to the architectural history of the area, as Nikolas Bosnić, Head of Development Redevco DACH, explains.

NEPI Rockcastle’s strong net operating income (NOI) growth of 13.5% in the first half of 2024 allowed the company to raise its forecast for full-year distributable earnings per share. Justyna Bartosz, the Group’s Head of Leasing, explains what makes the CEE’s retail and consumer world tick and why it is that NEPI Rockcastle and its tenants can’t pay enough attention to the buzzwords: experience, community building, and authenticity.

LATEST TRENDS IN ASSET AND CENTER MANAGEMENT

Exciting new leasing partners and new openings further cement Eurovea’s position as the most innovative and highest-quality shopping center in Bratislava. In an interview with ACROSS, Leasing Manager Katarina Paule talks about what it takes to prevail in a competitive market like Bratislava, why Eurovea offers the ideal market entry, why F&B and leisure, in particular, are influenced by the entire Eurovea City, and why it’s ultimately all about the community.

DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS IN THE OUTLET INDUSTRY

The outlet channel continues its success story, demonstrating high performance, attracting a steady influx of top brand names, and delivering outstanding value to both shoppers and tenants. NEINVER’s Leasing & Retail Director, Joan Rouras, highlights the company’s strategic approach to driving growth across its locations, ensuring that each center thrives in an increasingly competitive market.

VIA Outlets enters the final weeks of 2024 at the MAPIC trade show in Cannes with leasing demand remaining strong and a slate of major expansion and refurbishment projects gathering pace. The major extension of VIA Outlets’ Sevilla Fashion Outlet in southern Spain, which opened towards the end of last year, also qualified as a finalist in the ‘Best Refurbishment and Expansion Project’ category of the prestigious MAPIC Awards 2024, among a field of 154 applications.

STRATEGIES OF RETAILERS

The ALEXA shopping and leisure center in Berlin-Mitte can look back on an extremely positive 2024. The center, which is owned by Union Investment and managed by Sonae Sierra, was able to further expand its position as one of the most attractive retail locations in Germany with 17 new leases and 18 lease extensions and was named Germany’s best inner-city center. Further optimizations are planned for 2025.

LATEST TRENDS

Over the past decade, the retail landscape has undergone a seismic transformation redefining the very essence of the sector. Customers’ expectations of convenience, personalization, experience, community, and sustainability have changed dramatically. The purpose of physical stores is being redefined, with goods and products taking a backseat to experiences. Today, successful retail destinations are those that cultivate connection, joy, and community.

Will Odwarka, Founder and CEO of Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting, and Jonathan Doughty, Managing Director of Viklari Consulting Ltd and Partner at Juniper Strategy, are food & beverage experts. They have helped to shape some of the most exciting F&B projects in Europe and beyond – but they are also travelers. For the latest print issue of ACROSS, the industry experts have compiled their Top 10 restaurants and hospitality businesses worldwide. Their selection illustrates one thing above everything else: To be among the leading F&B concepts, it is not necessary to create a specific menu or to offer a particular cuisine or format, nor does it matter whether you are a new or an old player in the market or whether you offer fast food or gourmet dishes – the most decisive factors are maximum customer focus and authenticity.

Thanks to their diverse mix of tenants and sectors, today’s shopping centers are more than just places to go shopping: They’re experience destinations and community hubs that enjoy a great deal of popularity – as illustrated by ECE Marketplaces’ latest success figures. Entertainment concepts have increasingly become attractive complements to and additional drawing cards for the respective locations, as current ECE center portfolio examples show.

RETAIL TECHNOLOGY

Expo Real, Europe’s largest property and investment trade fair, concluded with a strong focus on digital transformation in the real estate sector. Among the key exhibitors, HyperIn stood out for its contributions to discussions on the evolving landscape of commercial real estate technology. The event served as an important platform for HyperIn to showcase their all-in-one platform, engaging industry leaders and sharing insights on how technology is shaping the future of property management.

Shopping centers—including multi-use, regional, luxury centers, and outlet malls—should always be looking for ways to increase traffic and maintain loyalty among existing shoppers, as well as attract new visitors. This article by Placewise CEO Susan Hagerty Bonsak delves into how experiential marketing can help centers evolve into vibrant community hubs. Let’s explore a hypothetical event, Sensory Spring Fest, which uses experiential marketing to create engaging activities, drive sales, and build strong community ties.

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.

PLANS OF INVESTORS AND OWNERS

NEPI Rockcastle’s strong net operating income (NOI) growth of 13.5% in the first half of 2024 allowed the company to raise its forecast for full-year distributable earnings per share. Justyna Bartosz, the Group’s Head of Leasing, explains what makes the CEE’s retail and consumer world tick and why it is that NEPI Rockcastle and its tenants can’t pay enough attention to the buzzwords: experience, community building, and authenticity.

The acquisition of the leading shopping mall in Novi Sad for 177 million euros by BIG CEE marked Serbia´s largest retail transaction ever. Promenada, one of the strongest malls in the country, features many international brands, a 100% occupancy rate, and more than 10 million visitors annually.

After the collapse of a previous deal last year, the Swiss luxury goods group Richemont has found in Mytheresa a new buyer for its online fashion and accessories business Yoox-Net-a-Porter (YNAP).