CBRE has launched a pan-European practice grouping senior professionals from its retail business to maximise value for clients in the sector.

CBRE has launched a pan-European practice grouping senior professionals from its retail business to maximise value for clients in the sector.

The adviser said the new Shopping Centre Practice (SCP) was being set up to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling the problems some shopping centres face in the current climate such as increased vacancy levels and declining net income.

The SCP integrates the disciplines of leasing, property and asset management, valuation, investment, real estate finance, retail consultancy, building consultancy, and research to provide ‘an insightful and innovative approach to running modern shopping centres’.

The new practice will focus on six key areas in the immediate future that CBRE said are ‘essential’ for shopping centres to thrive: consumer trends; differentiation by innovation; digital media/technology; maximising income performance; brand identity; and intelligent investment.

Peter Gold, head of EMEA retail at CBRE, commented: ‘We believe that for shopping centres to succeed in the future there are six key battlegrounds that will determine the winners and losers. To face these complex challenges head on requires both strategic rigour and operational excellence…That’s why we have established a fully integrated, multidisciplinary Shopping Centre Practice with global reach and a proven track record of innovative thinking.’