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Interview

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.