Advertisement

placemaking

As reported by “Handelsblatt”, a buyer has been found for the insolvent department store chain. A consortium consisting of the US investment company NRDC Equity Partners and the entrepreneur Bernd Beetz wants to take over the insolvent department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof.

Over the last few years, retail parks in Poland were mostly developed in smaller formats, around 5,000 s m, either adding to the existing retail landscape or introducing modern retail amenities to smaller towns as their first such facilities. Now, there’s a noticeable shift towards larger developments, with 32 bigger retail parks (GLA > 5,000 sq m.) either being built or expanded, including six that exceed 20,000 sq m.

Giles Membrey, Managing Director of Rioja Estates, takes us on a journey through 20 years of the outlet industry – from site identification, planning, construction, leading to exit funding and marketing. Much has changed, but the basic principles have remained the same.

The revival of Swiss shopping centers – shopping centers that combine shopping convenience and experience offer the highest added value.

In December 2023, London’s luxury department store, Harrods, unveiled two new womenswear rooms dedicated to occasionwear and swimwear, as part of its redevelopment project at its Knightsbridge home. umdasch The Store Makers was entrusted with bringing Harrods’ vision to life – implementing the shopfitting based on a concept by David Collins Studio. The result sets the stage for an ideal shopping experience tailored to special occasions.

“In reading up for this commentary on outlet malls, I was surprised to learn that the concept has been around for a surprisingly long time, especially in the US”, states Susan Hagerty Bonsak, CEO of Placewise.

After a record year in 2023, Designer Outlet Parndorf hopes to build on its 2019 figures in terms of international tourism this year. ACROSS spoke to Mario Schwann, General Manager of Designer Outlet Parndorf, about the return of international tourists, the potential of visitors from Southern Asia and Middle East, and the importance of cooperation, among other things.

Social and geopolitical developments have dominated the placemaking industry in recent years. During these challenging times, important issues, such as location marketing, have been overshadowed by others – and not just in the media. While this may seem understandable at first glance, it has now become clear that companies that have continuously focused on the issues of market positioning and professional location marketing are more fit for the future. ACROSS spoke with Sebastian Guth, Managing Director of 21Media, about what good location campaigns look like, the differences between B2B and B2C campaigns, and why operators who fail to focus on marketing will lose out in the medium term.

In the 60th anniversary year of the future Westfield Ruhr Park in Bochum, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is crowning the success story of one of the largest shopping and leisure destinations in Germany: Westfield Ruhr Park will be the third destination in Germany to bear the internationally renowned Westfield brand name, alongside Westfield Centro in Oberhausen and Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier.

“The money is there but is selective” – There are and will always be investments in retail real estate. Investing in retail real estate is particularly attractive since the industry has come through the crisis faster than other asset classes. In the latest ACROSS Retail Talk, “Euphoria, a new dawn, or more of the same?” sheds light on the investor’s perspective for 2024, a high-caliber panel concluded: There are more opportunities than ever, not only in the CEE-market, but also in so called struggling markets like Germany and Spain.

There are 211 major outlet centres in Europe. Differences in brand line up have created a clear performance hierarchy of sites, which is widely understood by outlet professionals, states Ken Gunn in his lastest European Outlet Ranking. It is possible to use this hierarchy to profile brands by the performance quality of their locations and ultimately rank outlet centres by the strength of brands present.

Shopping centers with high vacancy rates vs. booming outlets – so why not combine shopping centers and outlets? Haslinger Retail Real Estate Consulting is doing just that in St. Augustin, Germany: Huma World is a hybrid center with an outlet on the upper floor and a classic shopping center offering on the lower floors. In short, it is a weatherproof outlet with many restaurants and extended services. Michael Haslinger explains the advantages for brands, owners, and customers and why hybrid centers are not cure-all for the struggling shopping center sector.

All outlet players have worked hard to improve their attractivity, engage new retailers, offer more exciting Food & Beverage formats, provide more premium hospitality services and realize strong marketing campaigns, states Caroline Lamy, CEO of Magdus and the CL Outlet Consulting company. In this interview, she gives an overview of the European Outlet market.

“Investors and Retailers often want too much too soon.” Christian Alexander Kuntze, the founder of NEXXT IN RETAIL, critically examines the expansion strategies of large and small companies. He explains the biggest mistakes made during expansion and how start-up businesses can avoid them. His most important advice before any expansion is: Know your DNA!

MK Illumination, the global leader in festive decorative lighting, headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria, has announced the successful acquisition of 100% of the capital of AM Experience Group. This strategic move, finalized on January 30, represents a significant achievement for MK Illumination, positioning the company for enhanced diversification and business growth in the Iberian region.

UŠĆE Shopping Center, jointly owned by MPC Properties and Atterbury Europe, has announced its ambitious redevelopment project to elevate the shopping experience. The project, set to revamp the center’s infrastructure and offerings, promises to blend exciting new features with modern amenities, solidifying its position as a hub for leisure, socializing, and shopping.

Reinventing the high street: With the redevelopment projects of two iconic assets in Paris, one on Boulevard Haussmann and one on Rue de Rivoli, Redevco not only shows how historic buildings can be transformed into innovative multi-functional destinations, but, in the case of Boulevard Haussmann also how space can be showcased even during a redevelopment.