Page 32 - July 2021

RLI RETAIL INSIGHT

The Shopping Centre of

the Future

In all European countries where Covid-19 restrictions have been
relaxed, there has been a restart of shopping centres which has increased
enthusiasm and good results have been obtained. Here, Gaetano
Graziano, Deputy Executive Chairman “ADCC-Italia” discusses the
recovery of the shopping centre.

he percentage of admissions in shopping centres varies curious mentality and innovative ideas to allow the shopping centre
between 24 per cent and 29 per cent more than in to transform moving forward.
the same period of 2020, a slightly lower share than After this bad experience for Covid which has been unlike anything
Tin 2019. All operators are happy with this turnout, as anyone has ever seen before, which I hope will definitely end soon;
we did not expect this return en masse, considering that shopping we have to face the following challenges in what comes after:
centres were among the first structures to undergo restrictions on
free circulation, and were considered amongst the most dangerous • Will provisions for not frequenting crowded public places
places as a spreader of the virus. introduce new habits?
As an act of civic sense and responsibility, we immediately adapted • Will a new lifestyle be created that will lead to less frequentation
to Covid-19 by first reducing the opening hours, then completely of physical stores?
closing the galleries with the exception of food shops and pharmacies/ • Was mass behaviour undermined by the coronavirus?
parapharmacies and we were, as an activity of sale, among the last • What do shopping centers and outlets risk in the near future?
to reopen.
Also, considering the negative economic effects on households The results obtained give us hope that the world of retail trade
and despite the exponential increase in online sales, this mass return and in particular that of shopping centres will not change radically
means that people still have an interest in the mall and the stores and that shopping in a physical place will never end. That curiosity to
within them. go around, entering, touching, measuring and smelling will never be
They returned confidently because of the great work done by compensated by online; instead, the “photocopy” shopping centres
the directors of the centres and by the staff of the various essential will end up struggling, because they will be the places where you will
services such as security, cleaning and maintenance to guarantee always find the same brand and the same services and not moving
safety within the coronavirus emergency phase. forward with the now.
The management of parking lots and entrances, management of Shopping centres that will be able to re-affirm and strengthen their
tunnel routes to avoid dangerous gatherings, management of spaces role as a place of purchase and social aggregation, those that still
dedicated to any queues for entry to individual shops, management continue to play a central role in urban and suburban societies and
of health regulations (mask control, temperature reading, hand keep alive the interest in the shopping centre as a place of attendance
disinfectants etc), management of sanitization within structures and will flourish in the new normal.
new cleaning procedures have all added up to make the shopping The shopping centre has had to transform in a short time and
centre a safe and healthy place for shoppers of all ages. develop into places that offer much more than the commercial
Because of the change and disruption Covid-19 has brought about, offer of essential goods and services, from food shopping to
this will certainly also lead to a change in figure of the manager of hairdressers yesterday, but to also offer medical, dental offices, etc...
the traditional shopping centre, (looking at Italy as an example, today to entertainment, to spaces for events, conferences or games and
the average age of shopping centre managers in Italy are around onto those more futuristic transformations where it is necessary to
45-48 years old) and this is a very high average age. The reason strengthen the idea of a shopping centre as a place for shopping but
behind this is simple; the director is no longer seen as a decisive also as a meeting place.
figure for the management of the shopping centre and a young, new In short, making the shopping centre a physical and virtual place to
graduate with ambitions and a great desire to get involved. This will explore, to be surprised, conquered and finally purchased in is the
mean a new way of working and thinking about everything with a way forward as we look towards a new future.

32 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL JULY 2021