An analysis by GfK of over 250 retail parks in Germany proves that retail parks which are developed as brands reduce the risk for investors. What is now the fourth edition of the market report \u201cFachmarktzentren in Deutschland\u201d (\u2018Retail Parks in Germany\u2019) is therefore dedicated this year to the topic of \u201cPositioning and image: How does a center become a brand?\u201d. Today MEC METRO-ECE Centermanagement, together with its trusted partners Corpus Sireo, Dr Lademann & Partner, GfK, Savills and TH Real Estate, presented the 120-page publication to the public at Expo Real in Munich.<\/p>\n
\u201cBranded centers fundamentally perform more strongly than those that are not brands,\u201d says GfK retail expert Manual Jahn, and continues, \u201cNo-name centers are extremely dependent on hypermarkets as anchor tenants, because they have a lower proportion of non-food tenants. Branded centers are more diversified, and despite the significantly higher proportion of comparatively low-turnover non-food vendors, they average 3% higher performance in sales per square metre.\u201d The COO of MEC, Christian Schr\u00f6der, adds, \u201cSo branding increases the turnover of the retailers, and through diversification it reduces the risk for investors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Positioning, image and branding<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n In the context of yield compression for new acquisitions and increasing competition between trade and retail locations, the new market report is therefore dedicated to the high significance of positioning, image and branding for retail parks and hybrid malls. Schr\u00f6der formulates the key questions of the market report as follows, \u201cHow does a center become a brand? What are all the elements covered by 360\u00b0 brand management? What is the right positioning for a retail park, and how can investors economically exploit long-term customer relationships with consumers and tenants?\u201d<\/p>\n Transaction volume of retail parks higher than ever before<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n A new record: retail parks in Germany achieved a transaction volume of over 2 billion euros last year. Retail parks that have been developed as brands are particularly popular, with stable cash flows in the long term and high quality in terms of properties and locations. \u201cSuch properties occasionally sell at a factor of 20,\u201d says Head of Retail Investment Germany at Savills, J\u00f6rg Krechky. \u201cIt can be assumed that the majority of the investors will continue to rate safety higher than returns,\u201d he emphasises.<\/p>\n Institutional investors such as insurance companies and pension funds in particular are looking for secure, long-term, predictable dividend yields, ideally exceeding their own cash flow targets. This is also confirmed by Marcus Mack, from his experience as a fund manager at TH Real Estate, saying, \u201cNowadays institutional investors require dividends of at least 4%. With investments in retail parks, even in today\u2019s market they can still generate between 5.5 and 6.5% with a financing ratio of around 50%.\u201d<\/p>\n In order to avoid bad investments, the acquisition processes are increasingly conducted in a professional and structured manner. \u201cAfter purchasing a property, the key to success lies in creating a strong brand and maintaining it in the long term. This gives the centers the dominance they require, and allows them to successfully assert themselves against market changes,\u201d says Managing Director and Fund Manager at Corpus Sireo International, Hans Stuckart.<\/p>\n Repositioning to meet customer requirements<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n The professionalisation of the retail park sector has also resulted in image building and clear positioning of the individual properties within the respective catchment areas. Image building and positioning have become adapted to the consumers and the respective local competition. What consumers value about retail parks is their price orientation, but they also want a more pleasant quality of the time spent there, along with a greater variety of the product offered and more services. \u201cIn contrast to many other retail formats that have not yet managed to escape the maelstrom of mediocrity, retail parks remain on the track to success with their clear positioning: price-oriented and focussed on routine shopping,\u201d says Head of Financial Services and Fashion&Lifestyle at GfK, Manuel Jahn.<\/p>\n Planning regulations as a determining factor<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n The modification of existing properties to meet market developments and customer wishes is fundamentally determined by the provisions and application of the building and planning law. For greenfield sites and expansions, compatibility assessments are generally required, and these must be capable of withstanding legal challenge. \u201cThe current case-law from the courts applies new, stricter requirements to legally watertight compatibility assessments,\u201d explains Uwe Seidel, Managing Director at Dr. Lademann & Partner. One of the key requirements here is the application of a so-called \u2018dynamic impact prognosis\u2019 to assess the potential consequences of developments and refurbishments. In addition to this, further test criteria have recently been clarified, the application of which will be mandatory in future. \u201cIn future, the quality of the assessment work will therefore have an even greater influence on the success and speed of the respective development planning procedure,\u201d notes Seidel.<\/p>\n Guest articles from industry insiders<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n Two guest articles from industry experts round off this year\u2019s Retail Parks Report. In one of these, the design agency kplus konzept describes the customer journey through a retail park, and in the other Wisag Facility Services presents the results of a study that investigated the extent to which retail park personnel are confronted with customer inquiries.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Eine Auswertung von \u00fcber 250 Fachmarktzentren in Deutschland durch die GfK belegt, dass Fachmarktzentren, die als Marken entwickelt sind, das Risiko f\u00fcr Investoren senken. Daher widmet sich der inzwischen vierte Marktbericht \u201eFachmarktzentren in Deutschland\u201c in diesem Jahr dem Schwerpunkt \u201ePositionierung und Profilierung: Wie werden Center Marken?\u201c. Die MEC METRO-ECE Centermanagement hat zusammen mit den bew\u00e4hrten Partnern Corpus Sireo, Dr. Lademann & Partner, GfK, Savills und TH Real Estate die 120 Seiten starke Publikation heute auf der Expo Real in M\u00fcnchen der \u00d6ffentlichkeit vorgestellt.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":8355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-presse"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n