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To be “the coolest place in town” as a shopping center, one needs more than just trendy stores: When outside temperatures are high, shopping centers are particularly popular because of their pleasant air conditioning. Sophisticated building technology is used to save energy. SES’s motto is to air-condition carefully and make use of existing resources. The air conditioning in SES centers is 100 percent powered by green electricity from renewable energy sources and, depending on the location, also uses well cooling and groundwater pumps.

Following the recent addition of 12 new tenants that will further differentiate the retail and lifestyle destination’s offering, the letting of office space at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier also continues to progress successfully. The Hamburg-based management consultancy WAYES, which focuses on restructuring, litigation, transactions, planning, interim management and tax consultancy, and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) have signed a long-term office lease agreement.

City Outlet Geislingen with over 40 home, fashion & lifestyle brands in 25 stores is being expanded to include four new stores. Construction work will begin in July 2024 and the opening is planned for late summer 2025.

The ultimate goal is for travelers to be able to spend their stay as pleasantly and individually as possible. As a result of this prioritization, airports are increasingly becoming destinations themselves, says Michael Ripfl. Ripfl has been working for umdasch The Store Makers in the field of travel retail, for three decades and has recently developed concepts for some of the largest and most innovative airports in the Middle East. In an interview with ACROSS, he elaborates on the lessons learned from the pandemic, current trends, why retail is shaping the design of modern airports, and what the shopping industry can learn from travel retail.

Parndorf is a great example of how tourism is increasingly linked to shopping. This summer, Designer Outlet Parndorf will again come up with special campaigns and attractions to create a special summer vacation feeling for the whole family. Mario Schwann, General Manager of Designer Outlet Parndorf, expects the record year 2023 to be outperformed again, with strong tourism figures from Austria, cross borders and the EU contributing to this – Non-EU-tourism performance is also showing a positive trend.

Kaufland is continuing its expansion tour in Europe. Revitalizations are playing an increasingly central role in this. The integration of existing retail locations and modernization has recently increased compared to the construction of new buildings. Furthermore, the latest example in Sofia shows the role that the interaction between tourism and retail can play for a location. With the revitalization of the Central Market Hall in Sofia, Kaufland is not only reviving an architecturally unique location but also a tourist magnet.

Designer Outlet Algarve, the premium outlet village for the south of Portugal and Spain, kicks off construction for its center extension. By the summer of 2025, up to 25 new stores will open on an additional 4,000 sq m of gross lettable area, creating around 150 jobs.

In recent months, further brands have been brought on board that will further differentiate the retail and lifestyle destination’s offering. With the Grand Opening on October 17, the city of Hamburg will welcome a vibrant new destination in the heart of HafenCity – a place that dynamically combines retail, residential, office space and leisure attractions.

Many retail locations around the world continue to struggle to achieve footfall levels anything close to pre-pandemic levels. In London, for example, major tourist and worker locations, such as King’s Cross and Covent Garden, saw visitor numbers decrease 40-60% in 2023 relative to 2019 volumes, according to mobile tracking data, shares Pragma Consulting in its latest analysis.

With the official opening ceremony on Friday 21 June 2024, SES Spar European Shopping Centers has successfully implemented its first hotel project. After just under two years of construction, with harry’s home a timeless and modern city hotel has been created in the center of Lienz, Austria.

In the ever-evolving hotel industry, there is one category that really stands out – hotels, explains Will Odwarka, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting. The hotel landscape is changing on a global scale as hotels seek to attract and cater to a more diverse and international clientele with their F&B and retail offerings. It is a fact: Hotels, gastronomy, and retail go together.

CBRE Romania has announced its exclusive involvement in the leasing strategy of H Știrbei Palace, an emblematic historical monument located in the heart of Bucharest and one of the most anticipated retail projects in the capital. After the completion of the renovation works, Știrbei Palace aims to become a landmark shopping gallery for luxury brands in South-Eastern Europe.

At this year’s 20th edition of ECE Marketplaces’ international Retail Meeting, around 800 top decision-makers and experts from the retail, hospitality, placemaking and entertainment sectors met today in Hamburg’s Fischauktionshalle to discuss current topics as well as the opportunities and challenges in the retail real estate sector.

Why do we visit shopping centers? Is it merely for shopping, or are we seeking entertainment, a place to meet, or perhaps all of these experiences combined? Despite the diverse reasons that draw us to shopping centers, one expectation remains consistent across all visits: the demand for quality.

Shopping malls developed recently in Turkey are typically designed for shopping, dining, entertainment, and sometimes cultural events. Since the early 2000s, the rapid increase in shopping malls has made them a significant factor in the national retail sector. Despite the country’s economic difficulties, the industry is vital.

The commercial benefits of accommodating multiple uses in one development are clear: If the offer and environment are tailored correctly, footfall – and therefore turnover and rents – can be increased. Nevertheless, there is a great reluctance to create true mixed-use developments due to the inability to truly understand the different requirements of different user groups, according to a joint report by Pragma and Benoy.

In recent years, the intertwining of retail and hospitality has emerged as a crucial factor in the attractiveness of destinations. By integrating shopping opportunities with accommodation options, innovative concepts are created that offer unique experiences for tourists and locals. Thomas Mark, President of MK Illumination, explains how recent developments have set new standards for retailtainment.