Retail group NEPI Rockcastle secured a green loan worth €73.5 million from International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of World Bank, in a bid to expand its sustainable business infrastructure in Romania. 

Awaiting the reopening of shops and service outlets to go shopping at traditional brick-and-mortar stores, positive footfall results achieved by most shopping centres in May, the opening of a second Primark store with a third one in the pipeline, plus a strong debut of a new Polish off-price concept – these are some of the key news and developments to have taken place in the retail sector in Q2 2021, according to BNP Paribas Real Estate.

The increasing number of vaccinations is allowing the retail sector to catch its breath, with customers returning to ‘brick-and-mortar’ stores. JLL forecasts that total new supply could hit 540,0000 sqm in 2021, marking a return to pre-pandemic performances.

The new Acteeum project – Koszalin Power Center – developed in cooperation with Leroy Merlin and Agata Meble has just gained a food anchor. As part of the largest shopping complex in the Koszalin region, Lidl will open its large-format supermarket with an area of 2,000 sqm. The construction of the Power Center in Koszalin will start this year and the opening is planned for the second half of 2022.

Outlet centres in Europe continue to grow in terms of numbers and retail sales area. As the Wiesbaden-based research institute ecostra reports on the basis of its ongoing market monitoring, 4 outlet centres and a retail sales area of almost 55,000 sqm were added on balance in Europe in the past 12 months

Enel X Romania is implementing a photovoltaic (PV) system for retailer Kaufland Romania. The project is developed near the company’s logistics centre in Turda following an investment of €1 million. 

The topping out ceremony was held on June 24th at the construction site of Galeria Andrychów – the largest retail park in the region and one of major retail developments currently under construction in Poland. The event was attended by local authorities, investors - Acteeum Group and Equilis Europe, as well as retailers and business partners.

French real estate group Catinvest says it obtained the building permits to start the expansion of Craiova-based Electroputere Mall. The company will extent the food court with five new restaurants and add 5,500 sqm of retail spaces. 

What is most important to shopping centre visitors post-pandemic? Being able to shop in-store without having to rely on the internet and to make spontaneous, unplanned purchases is at the top of the list, shows the latest consumer survey commissioned by Cushman & Wakefield. Being able to participate in events held in shopping centres and access to fitness facilities were rated as least important.

In the first month of operation of the HalfPrice chain in Poland, it was visited by over 500 thousand. customers. Currently, 13 stores operate under this brand, including the newest flagship store in the Warsaw department store. CCC Group decided to accelerate the opening of points under the HalfPrice banner outside Poland. The car showroom in Hungary will make its debut in August. Soon, customers in Austria and the Czech Republic will also be able to shop in the new network. A total of 65 stores will be opened in Poland and Europe by the end of the year.