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DEVELOPER PROFILE - NEPI ROCKCASTLE





































 A Gat e wa y t o a Ne w Eur ope  this all comes together to produce a better   is  essential  that  a  location  has  excellent   businesses and on market trends, as well   Main Picture:
 A Gateway to a New Europe
                                                                                                           Promenada
                                                                                                           Craiova,
          performing overall centre.”
                                          key performance indicators (KPIs) and
                                                                          as networking and personal relationships.
                                                                                                           Romania
           One  of  NEPI  Rockcastle’s  main  growth   the potential for growth. “When we   “We feel this is of paramount importance   1. Silesia City
                                                                                                           Center,
 NEPI Rockcastle is the premier owner and operator of shopping centres across Central   drivers has been their ability to build up   search for new properties we need to be   because if you do not understand the   Katowice,
                                                                                                           Poland
 and Eastern Europe, with a presence in eight countries and a portfolio of 57 retail   strong relationships with tenants, because   confident  that  there is  some  additional   complexities of their businesses and what   2. Focus Mall,
                                                                                                           Zielona Góra,
          of  the  company’s extensive  network of
                                                                          drives tenants’ decision-making, how are we
                                          value in the site to be unlocked with
                                                                                                           Poland
 properties. RLI spent some time with company COO Marek Noetzel to learn about   shopping centres across CEE, which helps   our asset management proposition   going to operate a successful business?”  3. Bonarka
                                                                                                           City Center,
 their positioning in the market and how they are continuing to grow their presence.  brands to establish a presence across   and capabilities. Since the company’s   We asked Noetzel what NEPI   Kraków, Poland
          multiple locations, while only dealing with a   inception we believe we have excelled at   Rockcastle’s corporate goals are for the   4. Forum,
                                                                                                           Gdańsk Poland
 ounded in 2007, NEPI Rockcastle   continued investment into new properties   underpinned by the growth opportunities   single operator. A good example of this is   identifying value-add opportunities and   coming years and what role does he
 Fis listed  on the  Johannesburg  Stock   such as Magnolia Park in Wroclaw and Silesia   within its portfolio and earnings accretive   beauty brand Rituals, which NEPI Rockcastle   how to realise these for the benefit of our   envision the company playing in shaping the
 Exchange (“JSE”), Euronext Amsterdam   City Center in Katowice in Poland. The   acquisitions across Central and Eastern   worked alongside with for their first store   shareholders,” says Noetzel.  future of retail real estate in Europe?
 (“Euronext”) and A2X. They employ over   second is organic growth, or the extraction   Europe (CEE). One of the company’s prime   opening in Romania, situated in Mega Mall   NEPI Rockcastle manages between   “We want to further significantly increase
 600 people and operate a portfolio with a   of additional value from their existing   targets is to be present in all the capital cities   in Bucharest. Other examples include JD   1,200  to  1,400  individual  leasing  the value of the portfolio - the four pillars I
 gross asset value of €7.8bn.  portfolio. Next is development, as the   of the countries in which they operate.  Sports and Primark, with whom they have   agreements a year, which means they are   mentioned earlier are at the core of a five-
 Last  year the  company recorded  its   company continues to undertake greenfield   “Each market is different, each one of our   launched stores in Poland and Hungary.  in constant contact with their tenants,   year strategy to become an even more key
 best  ever  results, surpassing  even  the   construction projects such as Promenada   properties is unique and the more effort   Noetzel said it is a continuous challenge   providing the shopping centre owner with   player for all our stakeholders within the
 performance  of  2019,  prior  to  the   Craiova in Romania, which opened in 2023   and resources we pour into our shopping   to keep the tenant portfolio mix fresh by   important insights into the businesses of   markets in which we operate. We  would
 outbreak of the pandemic. The 2024   and others in the pipeline. Finally, the fourth   centres, the more we receive back from   signing up new brands and so it’s necessary   these brands, deepening the relationships   also like to be more visible in the international
 results encompassed a record low   pillar is transitioning  the  portfolio  towards   them,” explains Marek Noetzel, COO   to keep a keen eye  on who the leading   and  the  understanding  of  how  to  grow   capital markets. I feel our business brand is
 vacancy rate, at around two per cent and   net zero where NEPI Rockcastle is installing   of NEPI Rockcastle. “For example, with   retailers are in the market today, because   collaboratively through close partnerships.  not well enough known in relation to our
 higher footfall, solidly positioning  NEPI   photovoltaic panels across their assets,   Paradise Center in Sofia, Bulgaria, we totally   retail is forever changing and you cannot   In the last few years, the company   size. NEPI Rockcastle is the third largest listed
 Rockcastle for 2025 and beyond.  together with greenfield solar projects, with   modernised the shopping environment   become complacent. If you do not follow   has organised ‘Retailer Days’, annual   retail property company in Europe and we
 The business has started the year   the goal of producing around 70 per cent   and you can see through the performance   market trends closely, you won’t see the   forums aimed at strengthening the   need to work harder to improve awareness
 focusing on fine-tuning its portfolio   of the energy the company and its tenants   of  our  tenants that  the  project  is  more   changes that are coming and then you’ll risk   exchange of knowledge between its   of  this  standing  and  our  market-leading
 through four pillars of growth.  consume – from renewable sources.  appealing to consumers. Tenants also want   losing your competitive advantage.  management  teams  and  those  of  its   position in CEE in the future.”
 The first of these pillars is acquisitions and   NEPI Rockcastle’s long-term vision is   to modernise and reinvent themselves and   When looking for new properties, it   tenants on innovation in their respective   www.nepirockcastle.com

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