Online shopping is continuing to grow in the European Union. With high street shopping affected by the COVID-19 restrictions and changes in habits and preferences, e-commerce can be expected to grow further. Data realised by Eurostat reveals that over the last five years, the largest increases in online shopping among internet users were recorded in CEE countries.

Although the retail segment is among those affected the most by the coronavirus crisis, this does not show in the number of brands newly incoming to the Czech market. Whereas 24 new brands came to the country in 2019, in the crisis year 2020 there were 25. This year, the number of newcomer brands could be even higher – some brands postponed opening their shops to 2021 due to the corona crisis., according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield.

CBRE Czech Republic has taken over the property management of the Novo Plaza shopping centre in Prague, starting 1 January 2021. The property offers 27,500 sqm of space, comprising a retail centre with a GLA of 21,500 sqm including retail, office, storage and support areas and a hypermarket with a GLA of 6,000 sqm, anchored by Tesco. The shopping centre has 710 underground and 140 surface-level parking spaces.

The 172 million-strong consumer market of the CEE-17 region  should continue to deliver better growth rates and returns than more developed markets in retail and other sectors according to a new report released by Colliers International

Current owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is reportedly planning to sell the Aupark shopping centre in Bratislava and is currently in the final talks with Czech investment group Wood & Company, according to index.sme.sk. The potential new owner is allegedly interested in purchasing the asset for around €500 million.

The great majority of shopping centres in the Czech Republic should reopen on Thursday 3 December. The footfall and revenue figures show that customers have not given up on visiting shopping centres in the long-term perspective or changed their shopping habits dramatically. Following the reopening after the first wave of the corona crisis, both performance indicators grew again, and revenue even exceeded last year’s figures in a year-on-year comparison. The impact on footfall and turnover was lower in the second wave, with footfall slightly growing in recent weeks. Considering that Christmas is coming, we can expect customers to return to shopping centres quickly as soon as they are allowed to, resulting in an exceptional increase in footfall and revenue.

Austrian retail investor Supernova has acquired the Jupiter City shopping centre in the Romanian city of Pitești from local company Mall Retail Rom, owned by Israeli concern Jupiter Group. The value of the transaction hasn't been disclosed, but the transaction was said to be "distressed" with a price estimated to be below €20 million.

In response to the current market challenges faced by landlords and brands, We Are Pop Up, the specialist international booking platform for pop-up retail spaces, has transformed its business model into a free-to-use service, abolishing all transaction fees for listings.

C2H, the company that owns the Kara and Pietro Filipi fashion stores in the Czech Republic, has recently emptied its 58 stores in the country to prevent landlords it owes rent to from seizing its inventory as security for payments.

The region’s largest shopping centre Galerija Belgrad will open on 30 October. With a total area of 300,000 sqm, Galerija Belgrade will offer local and international brands in one place, dozens of cafes and restaurants, two entertainment complexes, a cinema with the most advanced IMAX technology and as many as 3,600 parking places.