SHOPPING CENTERS A GUARANTEE FOR SUCCESS
The figures from ECE Marketplaces offer fresh proof of how strong and resilient shopping centers are.
21.4 billion €
Ø ANNUAL RETAIL SALES IN ECE CENTERS
800,000 m²
OF SPACE LET IN 2023
200
NEW TENANTS IN GERMANY IN 2023
38 %
OF INSOLVENCY CASES, RENTAL AGREEMENTS COULD BE CONTINUED IN 2023
2,600
RENTAL AGREEMENTS SIGNED IN 2023
+ 20 %
LONGER LEASE TERMS IN 2023 THAN IN 2022
THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR CENTERS
MAIN VISITOR DRAW: RETAIL!
Since 2021, growth of brick-and-mortar retail has outpaced that of e-commerce. That’s reflected in ECE Marketplaces’ strong rental performance. From big international brands to regional businesses, many retailers rely on shopping centers’ attractive mix of affluent consumers, high footfall, and a mutually beneficial symbiosis between retail, restaurants, and entertainment. They also benefit from the flexible shell that shopping centers provide, which enables scalable business success.
EXISTING TENANTS ON AN EXPANSION COURSE
Numerous big-name retailers signed new rental agreements with ECE or extended existing ones in 2023. They include H&M, Only, New Yorker, Rituals, TK Maxx, Deichmann, and brands belonging to the Spanish Inditex Group – which entered the German market for the first time in November 2023 courtesy of ECE, with the opening of Germany’s first ever Stradivarius store at Milaneo in Stuttgart.
ECE’s international network of centers offers tenants opportunities for expansion both within a country and across borders. In 2023 alone, 72 different tenants successfully expanded to ECE centers in other countries. For instance, Rituals opened a branch at the Adigeo center in Verona, Italy.
Food retail also makes up a growing share of the sector mix, as reflected in new stores and lease extensions for Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd, EDEKA, and REWE.
NEW TENANTS IN THE RETAIL MIX
Thanks to our acquisition efforts, we are also able to constantly expand our portfolio with new tenants and sectors. In 2023, we acquired around 200 new tenants in Germany, accounting for more than 220 rental agreements. They included the tattoo studio chain Glorious Art, the energy supplier Vattenfall (with two showrooms for sustainable energy solutions), and the premium Danish brand Lakrids by Bülow. Austrian lighting manufacturer EGLO also made its German debut with ECE in 2023, opening its first B2C stores under the EGLO Living brand at Schlosshöfe in Oldenburg and the Elbe Einkaufszentrum in Hamburg.
ECE also secured new tenants at our international centers. The well-known US lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret opened its first full-range store anywhere in the ECE portfolio at Adigeo in 2023. Local retailers are another crucial factor for shopping centers, augmenting the tenant mix with creative ideas and a dash of local color. ECE has a long record of supporting these local heroes: We offer advice and assistance to new businesses not just in the initial phases but throughout the whole lease period.