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Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Germany is enriching the already diverse and attractive tenant and brand mix of Westfield Ruhr Park in Bochum and Palais Vest in Recklinghausen: with the sporting goods manufacturer and retailer Decathlon, another anchor partner is coming on board in both shopping centers. At Westfield Ruhr Park, Decathlon will present its extensive product range on a sales area of more than 1,000 sq m. At Palais Vest, the store will cover almost 1,000 sq m of sales area. The stores are scheduled to open in spring 2025.

Skechers has opened a new flagship store in the center of Prague, with the destination featuring an extensive offering of footwear, apparel and accessories.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is once again strengthening the attractiveness of the shopping and leisure destination in North Rhine-Westphalia: for this purpose, rental areas of anchor partners are being comprehensively expanded to establish flagship formats and, at the same time, new brands are being brought on board to further diversify the product range at the center. In this context, Westfield Centro is also announcing several market entries in Germany. A number of the new partners are also placing a particular focus on sustainability in their business model.

In 2025, Nordic design and lifestyle brand ARKET continues its expansion with the opening of a flagship store in Oslo, the brand’s first physical location in Norway.

Ian Sandford, President of Eurofund Group, creates places that combine shopping, gastronomy, and leisure, ensuring that everyone finds a reason to go to a center every day. He coined the term “shopping resort” as a result. After numerous very successful projects, particularly with Puerto Venecia in Spain and Ubbo in Lisbon, he is now bringing his idea of a shopping resort to the Rhein-Ruhr Zentrum in Germany. In this interview, he explains what managers can learn from goldfish and why courage is more crucial than ever. He also shares his plans for the Rhein-Ruhr Zentrum and his other assets.

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.

The number of stores operating at European outlet centres increased by 0.5% to 15,748 in the twelve months to August 2024. This is the greatest number ever recorded. The number of brands operating at European outlet centres also increased 1.4% to 4,536. This is 0.7% greater than in 2019.

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.