Page 45 - August 2020

HARRODS THE SHOPPING CENTRE KEY RETAIL LOCATIONS GALERIES LAFAYETTE
London, UK Paris, France
IN THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ Retailers, department stores and leisure concepts from across
Covid-19 has fast tracked a rapidly innovating world and Europe are finding new ways to entice customers back to their
we have seen that traditional brick-and-mortar shops are stores as they look to not only revive flagging sales but also to
failing and failing fast. ensure they make their guests feel safe. After months in lockdown
What this latest retail apocalypse has brought to the fore people are beginning to venture back out to major destinations
in terms of shopping centre development is the concept and listed below is a just of few of the key locations across Europe
of transformation. For example, when Cirque du Soleil that may have the space to incorporate social distancing in a
announced plans in 2018 for a “family entertainment” perfectly safe way as they navigate the new normal:
concept inside a Toronto mall, it said a lot about the future
of shopping centres. No longer is it good enough for malls • Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France
to be passive places to buy stuff – they have to be engaging An upmarket French department store company, this
places to do stuff. Otherwise, this particular retail format flagship store is located on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th
will be relegated to relic status - a historical anachronism, arrondissement of Paris and is spread across an impressive
that no longer meets the public’s, the consumer’s or the ten-storeys and 70,000sq m. Back in 2009 it recorded
retailer’s needs. earnings of over one billion euros.
As Netscape Founder and venture capitalist Marc
Andreessen memorably put it - “Online triumphs over • Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, Italy
offline”, or “software eats retail” - but it doesn’t have to A place of transit, the Galleria is considered to be one
be that way. Far from abandoned shopping centres and of the sites of Milanese luxury shopping, along with Via
empty high streets, we’re seeing growth in an entirely Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, it hosts many prestigious
new direction and in some cases, they are not being killed labels and brand shops, famous cafes and restaurants.
by online retail; instead, they are helping to build online
GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II retailers. Internationally many developers are creating • Harrods, London, UK MYZEIL
Milan, Italy Frankfurt, Germany
“scalable retail platforms” in the form of pop-up spaces for Harrods is an upmarket department store located on Brompton
e-commerce start-ups, who are increasingly eager to get a Road in Knightsbridge, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and
physical presence for their products. Chelsea, London. The store occupies a 20,000sq m site and
Like any kind of retail, the shopping centre is not dead, has over 90,000sq m of selling space in over 330 departments
but it does need to be radically reinvented. Two years making it the biggest department store in Europe.
ago developer Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield unveiled its
“Destination 2028” vision, where shopping centres become • FOODTOPIA, MyZeil, Frankfurt, Germany
“hyper-connected micro-cities”. AI-infused walkways, eye- Located on the fourth floor of MyZeil, FOODTOPIA
scanners that personalise a consumer’s visit, and smart features a unique food and entertainment offer with a
changing rooms will add an “extra-perience” layer for variety of modern premium food concepts and special
shoppers. But the real advances will come in the form of architecture with an urban flair, attractive design and the
reimagined retail. Stores will be stages, delivering “classroom vibrant atmosphere of a market hall.
retail” – showcasing the makers and processes behind
products and brands. Event areas will host showpiece • Las Arenas, Barcelona, Spain
interactive activities and events. Allotments and farms will Las Arenas is a unique shopping mall in Barcelona. Located in
enable shoppers to pick their own produce. Plaça Espanya, opposite Fira Montjuic and the Palau Reial. Now
More and more, retail spaces are becoming public Las Arenas is a modern, state-of-the-art complex boasting
spaces, representing an intersection of physical and online over 60 commercial outlets, including fashion stores, cafes,
shopping. Grabbing a coffee, checking out an exhibition or restaurants and bars. The complex is the modern incarnation
popping into your favourite online brand’s newest pop-up of the historic Las Arenas bullfighting ring, many of whose
store will be the vision of the future shopping centre. original architectural details have been incorporated.

• LAS ARENAS • THE GAZOMPETER • MAGNA PLAZA
Barcelona, Spain Vienna, Austria Amsterdam, The Netherlands

44 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL AUGUST 2020 AUGUST 2020 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 45