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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.

“Commercial Real Estate is not a short-term project,” says Yurdaer Kahraman. The CEO and Board Member of Fiba Commercial Properties has dedicated his career to the retail real estate industry. He is familiar with the international and German markets and, through Fiba Commercial Properties, now operates some of the most innovative centers in Türkiye, Southeastern Europe, and the Far East. In the ACROSS interview, he critically examines the management of the European retail real estate industry and concludes that only quality will prevail. In today’s competitive environment, it is not a matter of being the largest in the number of assets and area. The winners are those who are fast, innovative, and sustainable.

Bratislava’s dynamic development and rapidly-changing panorama reflect vibrant growth – and nowhere more so than the popular Eurovea area between Apollo Bridge and Old Bridge. Eurovea City is fast becoming the city’s best location for working, living, and relaxing, and that’s where developer JTRE is building the Ganz House boutique project.

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.

Espai Gironès is sold! The retail specialist advisor ambas Real Estate GmbH successfully advised Commerz Real AG in the sales process. The shopping center is a popular shopping and lifestyle destination located in the greater Barcelona area in the Province of Girona in northern Spain. With a total lettable space of approximately 40,000 sq m of retail, leisure and gastronomy spaces, the center is attracting more than 6 million visitors per annum and displays a positive KPI evolution compared to pre-Covid periods.

Multi-brand menswear retailer ANSON’S is opening a new store covering around 2,600 square meters of rental area at Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier in Hamburg’s HafenCity. A special highlight of the new ANSON’S store will be the highlight façade, which is over 100 meters long. The new anchor partner will further differentiate the brand and product mix and strengthen the fashion and lifestyle profile of the destination directly at river Elbe. The store is scheduled to open for the 2025 fall season.

The secret to a thriving retail destination lies in the art of curating a unique combination of retailers set against aesthetic backdrops with a blend of loyal customers, brands, and events that consistently attract new visitors. This is no easy feat in the competitive European market. However, The Playce at Potsdamer Platz, located in central Berlin, has emerged as a place of “firsts” for the city, Germany, and Europe.

Like no other German shopping center, “The Playce” at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin is a shopping and cultural destination that focuses on food and beverage, leisure, and retail stores that are new to Berlin or unique in their concepts. One and a half years after its opening, The Playce is now 96 percent leased. ACROSS discusses why now is the best time to be part of the project with Roger Goyk, Director of Retail Brookfield Properties, and Jonathan Doughty, Special Project Manager at ECE.

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.

True retail experience represents a major opportunity to inspire and retain customers when they visit a store – perhaps the only opportunity, says Dr. Johannes Berentzen, Managing Director of retail consultancy BBE. Yet, how can experience and, by extension, success be measured? In an interview with ACROSS, the strategy consultant talks, among other things, about how and why we need to rethink space in brick-and-mortar retail, which key figures we should question, and what role technology plays in the process. The underlying challenge: The successful implementation of good ideas requires creativity, entrepreneurial courage, and the necessary funds.

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.

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.

ECE Real Estate Partners is expanding its investment activities and has raised further circa 100 million Euro of capital for its ECE Progressive Income Growth Fund (the “EPIG Fund”) that invests in high quality shopping centres in Europe and holds a portfolio of seven centres with a total market value of more than 2.2 billion Euro.

Utopian Hours, taking place 18-20 October in Turin, Italy, is a three-day international event organized by urban knowledge agency Stratosferica, showcasing and discussing new concepts and inviting guests and audiences to suggest a new way of conceiving human evolution. Starting from the first edition in 2017, the festival aims to give for the eighth time a voice to the people behind these changes: City makers, activists, architects, and innovators share their experiences and stimulate new visions for the future and concepts of cities. ACROSS spoke to Daniele Vaccai, Project Developer at Stratosferica, about the festival, its program, and speakers.

Evolutionary development to secure the location: Dreieich Nordpark, located around ten kilometers south of Frankfurt am Main and a central supply location for the residents of Dreieich and the Offenbach district, has been extensively modernized – and a number of new tenants have also been added to the location’s offering.

As part of its ambitious strategy to grow the number of sites it operates, entertainment and leisure operator, the Lane7 Group, has announced the opening of its first venue in continental Europe at The Playce, Potsdamer Platz in Berlin in September, as well as two venues opening in Dublin in the coming months. While continuing the pace of its UK expansion – with a second London venue, in Camden, opening in October – Lane7 now seeks to grow its European portfolio by some 10 venues over the next 2 years.

The City Center Amstetten shopping center is planning a new food court area that will offer even greater culinary variety. umdasch The Store Makers, the Amstetten-based shopfitting and design expert, is responsible for the concept of the new food court.

The next ACROSS Retail Talk “Rethinking Brick-and-Mortar Retail by increasing the Shop Floor Experience” will discuss how retailers and shopping center managements can inspire and retain customers by offering true retail experiences. Join us to learn about expert insights from top professionals in the industry.

Fiba Commercial Properties, a leading investor in commercial real estate in Turkey, Europe, and the Far East, continues to distinguish itself with remarkable achievements. Notably, its İnegöl AVM and Downtown Bursa Life and Entertainment projects have made a significant impact, earning spots as finalists in the prestigious Global RLI Awards 2024—one of the highest honors in the retail and entertainment sector.