Without a doubt, the pandemic has brought many changes for the retail market but many developers see this as a time for trailblazers. Christoph Andexlinger, Chief Operations Officer at SES Spar European Shopping Centers discussed with Property Forum the effects the pandemic had on the company’s operations and shared some details about future plans.

Spektrum shopping centre, CPI Property Group’s latest retail development in the Czech Republic, opened its doors on 25 March. Located in Čestlice, in Prague’s south-eastern agglomeration, Spektrum is a convenience-focused retail park comprising over 20 units and over 6,500 sqm of space.

Over 80% of the new retail space expected to be completed in 2021 will be in the form of retail parks, including smaller strip malls, highlighting a market shift towards proximity-based schemes or those with a smaller financial footprint for the developer, according to Colliers International Romania. 

Slovak company KLM CHG intends to build a new retail park near Chorvátsky Grob in the Bratislava Region with three separate buildings, following an investment of about €6.5 million.

On Thursday, 11 March, SES Spar European Shopping Centers opened S-Park Kaposvár, a new retail park in Southern Hungary. As a result of a renewed lockdown in the country, only those stores that are deemed essential for the provision of basic goods and services to the population have been allowed to open. These are a 6,800 sqm Interspar store, a 600 sqm dm drugstore and a 150 sqm Ofotért optical retail store. S- As soon as official Hungarian regulations permit, all other stores located at S-Park, such as Hervis, Deichmann, Euronics, Pepco, and Kik will go into full operation. The segment and shop mix, which includes 10 stores, covering a leasable area of 11,200 sqm, will deliver a comprehensive range of brands and services to Kaposvár and the surrounding region.

The first year of the pandemic brought many lessons for all entrepreneurs and business executives. With plans and expectations upside down, many companies have had to adapt to new realities, regardless of the field. One of the big winners of the crisis was retail park operators that now plan heavy expansion in the coming years. Property Forum takes a look at Romania’s retail park pipeline.

Polish company Scallier is developing a new chain of retail parks in Romania under the Funshop Park brand with the first three expected to open this year. Wojciech Jurga, Managing Partner at Scallier provided an update on the company’s development plans and talked about the differences between the Polish and Romanian markets.

Austria-based retail developer and operator SES Spar European Shopping Centers has announced the opening of a new retail park in the Hungarian city of Kaposvár which will take place on 11 March 2021. S-PARK Kaposvár is a supraregional supply centre featuring strong anchor stores, including the only Interspar market of the city, located in the southwest of the country. The addition of S-PARK Kaposvár increases SES’s property portfolio to a total of 30 shopping destinations in six countries.

Privately owned real estate developer Acteeum is preparing to launch the development of a new retail park named Ostróda Power Center in Poland’s Masurian region.

Slovenia-based investor ALFI Real Estate fund has completed the acquisition of a new retail park based in Poreč, Croatia (Galerija Poreč). The property with roughly 8,500 sqm was purchased from specialist Austrian investor MID Group. The retail park is strategically positioned in a new shopping zone near a McDonald’s restaurant and has an attractive tenant mix with everyday convenience items.