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Interview

Premier Outlet Centre, Budapest, Hungary (left); Giles Membrey, Managing Director of Rioja Estates Ltd and member of the ACROSS Advisory Board (right). /// credit: Rioja Estates, Premier Outlet Centre

“CO-OPERATION BETWEEN ALL STAKEHOLDERS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WHEN IT COMES TO OUTLETS.”

The European outlet market is saturated; there are only a few white spaces. Rioja Estates is one of the most experienced European pre-developers and, as such, the first authority to decide whether a location can work. Together with ACROSS publisher Reinhard Winiwarter, Giles Membrey examines the outlet market in 2024 and explains why all players should urgently address technology, which markets in Europe still have potential, and how his company’s focus areas are changing.

Rüdiger Dany, CEO of NEPI Rockcastle (left), Magnolia Park shopping center in Wroclaw, Poland (right). /// credit: NEPI Rockcastle

“GO INTO THE MARKET AND BUY NOW”

Well deserved honor: Rüdiger Dany, CEO of NEPI Rockcastle, received the lifetime achievement award at the prestigious 19th SEE Property Awards. This prize recognizes and celebrates Rüdiger Dany’s incredible 30-year career and his invaluable contribution to the real estate industry. In 2024, he continued to write his personal success story and that of NEPI Rockcastle. Probably no other company performed as well as NEPI in 2024. Reason enough to talk to Rüdiger Dany about the highlights of his company as well as current developments and challenges.

A year and a half since the opening of the expansion, Eurovea shopping center has reached 95% occupancy, and has successfully renewed around 50 leases this year. /// credit: Eurovea

EUROVEA: HOW TO CREATE A UNIQUE SHOPPING CENTER ON A SATURATED MARKET

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.

In January 2023, Sonae Sierra announced a further step in its growth in Italy by signing a partnership with Chorus Life for the leasing of the retail space of the new “City of the Future” model, developed by the POLIFIN Group and built by COSTIM. /// credit: Sonae Sierra

“THE GREATEST NEED IN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TODAY IS ADAPTABILITY”

“Across all markets, we are seeing that retail has remained a resilient and thriving sector,” explains Cristina Santos, Executive Director Property Management at Sonae Sierra. More than almost any other European company, Sonae Sierra is strategically diversified across several regions and adapts to the specific requirements of each. The company has extensive experience with its own properties and has increasingly used that knowledge as a cornerstone of its approach to manage third-party properties.

The Tirana East Gate (TEG) shopping center in Albania was conceived from the beginning as a flagship property and is constantly being developed as such. /// credit: ACREM

Mall Management à la TEG: “For Retailers We Offer More Than Shop Space – We Offer Possibilities In A Vibrant Market”

ACREM is the mall management company behind TEG (Tirana East Gate). The shopping center in Albania set a completely new standard regarding professionalism and efficiency, resulting in the Albanians not having to hide behind the Western industry giants in terms of footfall and catchment areas. ACROSS Management Director Reinhard Winiwarter discussed with Elda Hysenbelli, CEO at ACREM, and Joana Korimi, Head of Marketing at ACREM, what mall management and marketing à la TEG looks like, what their customers demand, and why some customers feel so comfortable in the center that they even get married there.

Brendon O'Reilly, Managing Director of FASHION HOUSE Group (left), Outlet Centre Pallady in Bucharest, Romania (right). /// credit: FASHION HOUSE Group

WE STILL NEED MORE INVESTORS WHO UNDERSTAND OUR BUSINESS

Fashion House Group is the only outlet operator in Romania, and it benefits from a growing interest in international brands in Southeast Europe. In this interview with ACROSS, Brendon O’Reilly, Managing Director of Fashion House Group, explains how he wants to grow and expand with these brands.

Otto Ambagtsheer, Chief Executive Officer at VIA Outlets (left), Expansion of Landquart Fashion Outlet, Switzerland (right) /// credit: VIA Outlets

“OUR EXPANSION PROJECTS ARE KEY GROWTH ENABLERS.”

VIA Outlets is expanding at almost every one of its 11 premium fashion outlet locations across Europe, and strengthening the F&B offering is a priority, CEO Otto Ambagtsheer says. He’s confident that organic growth will continue to be the company’s mainstay, because there are very few acquisition opportunities on the market currently, but VIA Outlets will seize the chance to invest if the right M&A deal arises that fits with its business strategy. He added that expanding VIA Outlets’ omnichannel strategy is another key priority.

Antoine Frey, CEO of FREY (left), Thomas Reichenauer, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping (right). /// credit: FREY, ROS

“WITHIN THE NEXT TEN YEARS, WE WANT TO BUILD TOGETHER ONE OF THE BEST EUROPEAN COMPANIES DEVELOPING, OWNING, AND MANAGING OUTLETS”

This summer, ROS Retail Outlet Shopping joined the French FREY Group to grow together in the outlet sector. In this interview, Antoine Frey, CEO of FREY, and Thomas Reichenauer, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping, explain which values and visions both companies have in common, what plans they are pursuing, especially with their first project in Malmö, and why they feel particularly comfortable in the outlet and outdoor shopping sector in the long term.

Eduardo Ceballos is Asset Management Director at NEINVER. /// credit: NEINVER

NEINVER: 3 ANNIVERSARIES EQUALS 3 INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS STORIES

NEINVER is celebrating three anniversaries this year: 25 years of Getafe The Style Outlet in Spain and 20 years of Castel Guelfo and Vicolungo in Italy. All these centers are success stories. Their developments show that every center is individual and, when managed well, will develop its own success story. Nevertheless, Eduardo Ceballos, Asset Management Director at NEINVER, explains some common trends that every center should follow.

Justyna Bartosz is the Head of Leasing at NEPI Rockcastle. /// credit: NEPI Rockcastle

“CREATING PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ENJOY MEMORABLE MOMENTS TOGETHER – THAT IS THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE FOR ALL CHANGE AND INNOVATION.”

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.

With this store, P&C* Düsseldorf wants to create awareness for more sustainable fashion and positively influence the industry. /// credit: P&C* Düsseldorf

P&C DÜSSELDORF’S FIRST CONSCIOUS STORE: “NOT PERFECT, BUT BETTER EVERY DAY.”

Fashion company Peek & Cloppenburg* Düsseldorf opened the Conscious Fashion Store at The Playce Berlin in 2023. With this store, P&C* Düsseldorf wants to create awareness for more sustainable fashion and positively influence the industry. The company focuses on the corresponding design and direct exchange via panel discussions, workshops, or even on making the plants in the store particularly green. P&C’s Conscious Fashion Store exemplifies how even a large, international fashion chain can develop and integrate individual concepts that focus on experience. ACROSS spoke to Thimo Schwenzfeier, General Sales Manager of the Conscious Fashion Store at Peek & Cloppenburg Düsseldorf, about the idea.

Sebastian Guth (left), Managing Director of 21Media, and Charlotte Andersen, Marketing Director at Rødovre Centrum in Copenhagen, Denmark. /// credit: 21Media, Charlotte Andersen

Marketing expert discussion: “We want to create asset value together.”

Marketing is under pressure: While customer behavior is constantly changing, new channels are continually being added, and budgets tend to shrink, marketing managers need to be more innovative than ever. Diamonds are created under pressure, but pressure also causes errors. Across brought together two European marketing experts, Sebastian Guth (Managing Director of 21Media) and Charlotte Andersen (Marketing Director at Rødovre Centrum), to discuss the role of marketing, error culture, shrinking budgets, and working with landlords.

Magdalena Chachulska is Asset Management Director at NEINVER Poland. /// Images: NEINVER

FACTORY: How To Remain The Market Leader In Poland

FACTORY, the Polish outlet brand managed by NEINVER, is not only an awarded outlet brand but also a success story. ACROSS spoke with Magdalena Chachulska, Asset Management Director NEINVER Poland, about the portfolio, developments, specifics about the Polish market and what needs to be done to remain the market leader in 2024.

VIA Outlet locations at a glance (left), Otto Ambagtsheer, CEO of VIA Outlets (right) /// credit: VIA

The Journey of the Outlet Sector Has Just Begun

The outlet channel performs well – whatever the economic environment. Otto Ambagtsheer, CEO of VIA Outlets, is convinced that the industry’s success story will continue. Therefore, VIA Outlets will not only focus on organic growth, but on further acquisitions as well, keeping an eye on the development from the ground up. He is also convinced that omnichannel is the right way forward for the outlet industry in the long term.

Jovana Cvetković is the Development, TO, and Innovations Director at MPC Properties. /// credit: MPC Properties

“Contribute to the well-being of the community we gather”

“The bottom line is that we use a systematic and comprehensive approach to develop sustainable real estate.” This is how Jovana Cvetković, Development, TO, and Innovations Director at MPC Properties, describes the company’s principle of commitment to innovative and integrated business. In this interview, she explains the steps MPC Properties has taken and will take on the company’s ESG journey.

credit: Kriz Heidi

THE LUXURY MARKET AS A TRENDSETTER FOR THE RETAIL WORLD

Luxury is more resistant than any other retail segment – especially in times of crisis. However, consumers are changing. For the new consumer generation, luxury has a new definition. Both brands as well as retailers have to adapt to this development.

Credits Deloitte/ Feelimage

LUXURY GOODS ARE A RELATIVELY RISK-FREE INVESTMENT FOR CONSUMERS

“Making luxury accessible to a broader audience is a successful business strategy today,” says Orsolya Hegedüs, partner at Deloitte Austria. In an interview with ACROSS, she explains why luxury is so crisis-resistant, why the segment is growing, and why brands must adapt to a new generation of consumers.

“Complete Predictability Is an Illusion”

The pandemic has confirmed the resilience of Immofinanz’s low-cost retail formats and has resulted in the introduction of new concepts. Immofinanz Board Member Dietmar Reindl spoke with the publisher of ACROSS Magazine, Reinhard Winiwarter, about the resilience of retail relationships, the need for more service, and the company’s expansion plans.

This Year Will Be A Time Of Recovery

Frederic Rouleau, Country Asset Manager, head of the Polish division of Multi Corporation explains in this interview how to demonstrate the value of shopping centers in investors’ portfolios.

Current Brand Trends in Outlets

Without a doubt, outlets are an outperforming retail format. Therefore, it is a very dynamic sector. Dominic Brady, Partner at KLM Real Estate, explains the current trends outlet operators are facing from the brands and consumers’ perspective.

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