ICSC: Dutch Council of Shopping Centres signs up

The Dutch Council of Shopping Centres (NRW - Nederlandse Raad Winkelcentra), is the latest council to become a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

The news was announced on the first day of the ICSC's annual European conference in Istanbul.

ICSC's membership in Europe now stands at over 6,500 members, a historic high for the industry, which the ICSC said, shows the growing value of membership and relevance of the organisation.

Representatives of the Dutch council's 240 member companies will now be members of ICSC, benefitting by having direct access to ICSC's global membership base and support through EARN - the ICSC term for its membership system that includes Education, Advocacy, Research and Networking.

The Dutch council joins shopping centre councils from Germany, the Nordics, Italy, Austria, Britain, France, Turkey and Switzerland. ICSC is currently liaising with a number of other national councils in Europe seeking to sign similar agreements, which would increase European membership numbers still further.

The management of the expanded membership base is being handled by ICSC's London office.

ICSC managing director Mike Morrissey said: 'We warmly welcome the Dutch Council into our expanded membership. ICSC is in pole position to support national councils through our network of educational events, conferences, seminars and the sharing of ICSC global research and knowledge. We are also looking forward to holding a special networking event to celebrate their membership which will be held on 14 May in Amsterdam, the day before the ICSC European Marketing Conference, which regularly draws over 300 delegates.'

Albert Hoogland, head of shopping centre management at CBRE and chairman of the Dutch Council of Shopping Centres, said: 'We are delighted to be signing this agreement which will benefit our Dutch members by widening opportunities for their global aspirations.'

Brigit Gerritse, managing director of the Dutch Council of Shopping Centres, added: 'The advantages of ICSC membership are evident. ICSC’s programme of education, advocacy, research and networking is unique in its global reach.'

Founded in 1957, ICSC is the global trade association of the shopping centre industry. Its more than 63,000 members in over 100 countries include shopping centre owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, as well as academics and public officials.