TOM 08 2022

T
TOPS
M
OF THE MONTH
O
Essential News About The Players In
The Retail Property Market In Germany
THE HOTTEST DEALS +++
INTERVIEWS +++ STATEMENTS
+++ PARTICULARS +++
ANALYSES +++ PROJECTS
presented by HI-HEUTE.DE
August 2022
E-commerce can learn a lot from the gaming sector.
Gaming is the new
growth driver of the retail industry
Trend-Check Retail of ECC Cologne identifies rewarding market
The new Trend Check Retail
by ECC COLOGNE, which
sheds light on consumer trends
in times of crisis, shows: The
majority is currently paying
attention to its spending in general
and is limiting consumption
- creativity is in demand
in retail. Gaming is also becoming
more relevant for e-commerce.
An end to the crisis(es)? Not in
sight. Consumers are currently
confronted with price increases
in almost all categories. This is
naturally reflected in the consumer
mood: around 77 percent of
the consumers surveyed for the
new Trend Check Retail have
already reduced their spending
or are planning to do so. For
retailers, this means even fiercer
competition. Creativity and
innovation are in demand as
never before. One starting point
is games. Whether the gaming
trend is suitable as a distinguishing
feature in the competition
for customers is illuminated by
the ECC experts in the current
issue of the Trend Check. Conclusion:
E-commerce can learn a
lot from the gaming sector.
Online games are widespread
- about half of the people surveyed
have played computer or
video games in the last twelve
months. Among younger consumers,
this even applies to 82
percent. And: gamers are definitely
willing to consume. The
number of in-game purchases is
increasing, and some consumers
even explicitly wish for a greater
presence of retail companies and
brands in games. Accordingly,
games could play an increasingly
relevant role in e-commerce,
especially in marketing. The
best example is currently the
metaverse trend, which combines
many aspects from the gaming
sector.
Most computer games are now
bought online. Almost half of
those surveyed who have spent
money on computer and video
games in the past twelve months
have done so online. Purchases
made during the course of the
game - so-called in-game purchases
- are also becoming more
relevant: 41 percent of respondents
said they had spent money
on this in the past months. Points
of contact especially for interaction
with the young target group.
A look at the 16 to 29-year-olds
surveyed shows how much potential
there is in gamification
approaches for retail. Around
Symbol image: Unsplash / Fredrick Tendong
46 percent would like retailers
and manufacturers to be present
in games, and 40 percent would
find it interesting if retailers and
brand manufacturers became
more active in the area of gamification.
E-commerce players can design
games in many different ways.
Basically, more than half (54
percent) of the respondents are
interested in having clothes and
accessories purchased in games
delivered to their homes. In the
young target group, 71 percent
are even interested. Around
57 per cent of those surveyed
would be interested, for example,
in testing products with the
help of digital avatars before
buying them in the game. But
the exclusivity of the products
offered there also plays an important
role.

Page 2 T O M
NEWS August 2022
URW expands energy
saving targets
Company aims to help tackle the crisis
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
is committed to playing a key
role in the environmental and
energy transition. With its
sustainability strategy „Better
Places 2030“, the company
is implementing an ambitious
plan that has already
permanently reduced energy
intensity at its sites in Europe
by 17 per cent since 2015.
In light of the European energy
crisis, URW is determined to do
even more. This year, the Group
will temporarily reduce its energy
intensity across Europe by
at least another 15 per cent to
support government and private
sector efforts.
Mission
Better Places
In Germany and Austria, URW
has already targeted a savings
potential of more than ten per
cent since the beginning of
2022 through various measures
and short-term initiatives.
Andreas Hohlmann. Managing
Director Austria & Germany
at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield,
says: „We are a committed
player in the climate and energy
transition and want to do
our part to create better places
- Better Places. Since 2016, we
have been implementing Better
Places 2030, an ambitious strategy
to reduce energy consumption
and lower our carbon footprint.
We are now determined
to equally support the collective
efforts on the occasion of the
European energy crisis and also
to support the many businesses
that operate in our centres.“
Klépierre: Expert follows Saturn
Hildesheim: Brand in Arneken Galerie to open before Christmas
Saturn‘s successor tenant in
the Arneken Galerie in Hildesheim
will be the electronics
retailer Expert. It recently
signed the lease. Expert Handels-Gesellschaft,
based in
Langenhagen near Hanover,
plans to open its 62nd location
nationwide, which it operates
itself, before Christmas.
Saturn has been the tenant of
4,600 sqm on two floors since
the mall opened in 2012. Expert
will now take over the lower
floor as sales space - a good
2,000 sqm. On the floor above,
space will be rented for storage.
Talks have been ongoing since
October 2021. The centre measures
26,000 sq m and has over
70 shop units.
Owner Klepierre hopes that the
deal will allow more vacant
space to be allocated. Anchor
tenants are currently TK Maxx,
H&M, Depot or dm Drogerie.
Among other things, URW wants to save energy when operating
lifts.
Arneken Galerie in Hildesheim.
Photo: Arneken Vermietungs GmbH
Luigs Real Estate
buys Kuhn Center in
Großen-Linden
The Marburg-based investment
company Luigs Real Estate
GmbH has purchased the
„Kuhn Center“ on Tannenweg
in Großen-Linden from Alfred
Kuhn OHG of Linden. The anchor
tenant in the centre, which
was newly built in 2010, is Kaufland
on 4,650 sqm, while other
tenants include Tedi, Ernsting‘s
Family, KIK and Apollo Optik.
According to Luigs, the company
has its sights set on further residential
and commercial investments
with a planned purchase
volume of around 100 million
euros by 2024.
German young people
prefer to buy internationally
online
In an international survey of
more than 14,000 consumers,
the payment service provider
Klarna examined the differences
in shopping. Conclusion:
Germans love stationary shops.
However, this is especially true
of older consumers. Young
Germans are ahead internationally
when it comes to online
shopping. Overall, 66 percent
of Germans prefer to shop in a
shop. However, this does not
mean that they predominantly
shop there. According to the
Shopping Pulse study by the
shopping and payment service
provider Klarna, this percentage
reflects the overall satisfaction
with shopping in a stationary
shop, which is almost twice as
high as online shopping (34 percent).
However, whether people
shop in shops is primarily a
question of age, because - unsurprisingly
- it is mainly the
older consumers who do so.
Adler opens cafés
in eleven German
shops
The clothing retailer Adler Modemärkte
AG is opening the first
Adler Cafés in eleven shops.
The concept is open to all customers.
Adler customer card
holders who make a purchase
worth 75 euros will receive free
coffee and cake after their exhausting
shopping tour, Adler
announced on Friday. Customers
can look forward to pastry
classics such as nut, fruit, marble,
sand, walnut and marzipan
cakes. The products come from
Leysieffer.

Page 3 T O M
TOP STATEMENT OF THE MONTH August 2022
TOP STATEMENT
August
„Deichmann has been
D2C - direct-to-consumer
- for 109 years.
We develop our collections
directly with suppliers
without middlemen
because we know
from our experience
in the shops exactly
what our customers
need. The price-performance
ratio is a
very important part of
our company DNA.”
Samuel Deichmann, Executive
Board Member at the international
shoe retailer Deichmann
since 2020, in an interview with
the trade journal Textilwirtschaft.

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Page 5 T O M
ANALYSES August 2022
In the future, the metaverse will play an increasingly important role.
What the trade thinks of Metaverse
Current study of the EHI Retail Institute published
The topic of metaverse is
currently on everyone‘s lips -
and the first retail companies
are already examining its use.
More than three quarters of
the decision-makers surveyed
from German-speaking
retail companies believe that
Metaverse offers them exciting
application possibilities,
according to the results of the
current EHI study „Metaverse
in Retail“ commissioned
by EPAM Systems.
„Retail has positioned itself:
six out of ten respondents believe
that Metaverse will become
established. The importance
within retail companies will
probably increase in the next
five to ten years. In this context,
it is surprising that already
in five years, a good one in four
retail companies could invest
in Metaverse applications,“
says Philipp Hübner, project
manager of the e-commerce
research area at EHI. Although
78.1 percent of the respondents
are personally familiar with the
term metaverse, 71.5 percent
state that the topic is not known
in their retail companies. 59.7
percent of the respondents assume
that Metaverse will become
established. Only 20.3
percent think Metaverse is just
a hype, the rest are unsure.
Awareness and
importance
In addition, 75.5 percent see exciting
application possibilities
for retail in the Metaverse. While
40.8 percent believe that Metaverse
will change retail forever,
34.9 percent are convinced of the
opposite. 96.1 percent consider
the current importance of Metaverse
in their retail companies
to be small. In the medium and
long term, however, the respondents
estimate its importance to
be higher. About one fifth think
that Metaverse will become
more important for their trading
companies in five years. 45.7
percent estimate the importance
for their trading company to be
large in ten years.
More and more
want to invest
While only four percent of the
respondents currently believe
that their company is likely to
invest in Metaverse applications,
the situation will be different
in the coming years. In
five years, every fourth retail
company could invest in Metaverse,
in ten years almost every
second. At the same time, only
4.9 percent believe that their
company has the necessary expertise
to enter the metaverse
business; more than half have
no staff with the corresponding
expertise.
The study also looks at many
other aspects such as potential
benefits and risks for retailers,
concrete application scenarios,
success factors and hurdles as
well as industry comparisons.
T
TOPS
Symbol image: Unsplash
O M
OF THE MONTH
Essential News About The Players In
The Retail Property Market In Germany
IMPRINT
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Address:
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Tel. 0049-201-874 55 28
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www.wisag.de
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all this keeps not only the customers satisfied, but also tenants and
owners. With our tailored solutions and experience, you will benefit
from optimum management costs. And at all times, we have value
retention and the sustained development of your centre in mind.
We go one step further for you.
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Tel. +49 162 7861-324 joaquin.jimenez.zabala@wisag.de

Page 7 T O M
NEWS
August 2022
Sascha Mager new at the
helm of MediaMarktSaturn
He replaces Gábor Szilágyi as Managing Director
Sascha Mager is the new
head of Germany at Media-
MarktSaturn (MMSD). He
succeeded Gábor Szilágyi.
Dennis Balslev, Country Retail
Manager and CSO of
IKEA Germany, will hand
over his position to Walter
Kadnar on 1 October. Balslev
himself will take on a new
role as Deputy Core Business
Franchise Manager at the Inter
IKEA Group.
Dennis Balslev, a Dane, has
led IKEA Germany‘s operations
since 1 January 2018
and has been instrumental in
driving growth, developing
the omnichannel agenda and
providing stability during the
Corona pandemic. Under his
leadership, the company has
succeeded in highlighting the
importance of living at home
and giving sustainability a
new status. With the opening
Sascha Mager is the new Head of Germany at MediaMarktSaturn.
Photo: MediaMarktSaturn
Szilágyi, who has held this
position since February 2022,
has decided to relinquish the
chairmanship of the German
national company for personal
reasons and return to his native
Hungary. There, he will once
again take over the management
of MediaMarktSaturn‘s
Hungarian national company
on 1 October. His successor Sascha
Mager previously served
as Chief Digital Officer (CDO)
and member of the Executive
Committee of MediaMarktSaturn
Retail Group (MMSRG).
„We respect Gábor Szilágyi‘s
decision and are pleased that
he will remain with our company
with his talent and experience,“
said Dr. Karsten Wildberger,
CEO of CECONOMY
and MediaMarktSaturn. „With
Sascha Mager as our internal
successor, we are ensuring a
seamless transition in the management
of MediaMarktSaturn
Germany. As CDO for the
entire group, he has already
provided significant support
to the digital business in Germany
in recent months in close
cooperation with the MMSD
management and at the same
of new store formats, for
example in Berlin, and their
complete omnichannel connection,
as well as the further
time also set the first, important
impulses for further strengthening
the stationary business.
Together with the team, Sascha
Mager will drive the further development
of our largest national
company.“
Walter Kadnar soon to be Retail
Manager of IKEA Germany
Successor to Dennis Balslev to start in October
development of services and
fulfilment, a new shopping experience
was created at IKEA
Germany.
Walter Kadnar is the new IKEA Country Retail Manager and CSO
IKEA Germany.
Photo: Géraldine Aresteanu
French luxury department
stores‘ reportedly
to open in two
German cities
Balenciaga is opening new stores
in two German cities. The fashion
house, which belongs to
the French luxury goods group
Kering SA, is reportedly planning
to open shops in Düsseldorf and
Stuttgart. The company is currently
looking for staff for this
on FashionUnited. In Düsseldorf,
positions for store management
and sales staff are to be filled by
the end of August and in Stuttgart
by the beginning of December,
which could indicate a possible
opening period for each. Further
details about the new locations
are not yet known.
CENTRAL GROUP
and SIGNA complete
takeover of Selfridges
Following the announcement in
December 2021, Central Group
and SIGNA have now completed
the acquisition of luxury department
store group Selfridges
Group from the Weston family.
The transaction creates one
of the world‘s leading luxury
department store groups, with
a presence in eight European
countries and flagship stores in
the most iconic locations, including
now the iconic Selfridges
Oxford Street - the number one
shopping destination in the heart
of London, occupying an entire
city block. The Selfridges Group
portfolio comprises 18 luxury
department stores under four
brand names in three countries,
namely Selfridges in England,
Brown Thomas & Arnotts in
Ireland and De Bijenkorf in the
Netherlands.
Forum Steglitz nears
completion after
repositioning
The completion and repositioning
of the „Forum Steglitz“
centre in Berlin reaches another
important milestone with the
opening of the EDEKA Center
No1. and is thus close to successful
completion. On 25 August,
EDEKA Minden-Hannover
opened one of the most innovative
storeeds in its business area.
Shopping, gastronomy and experience
merge into a coherent
overall concept. Real I.S. AG,
in cooperation with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield,
has created a
modern mixed-use centre.

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Page 9 T O M
NEWS August 2022
Green concept:
KII receives top rating
Platinum from the German Society for Sustainability
The KII in Düsseldorf has already
won the award for best
new building in Germany,
and now it has also been certified
for its sustainability: For
its combination of ecology,
economy, innovation and sustainability,
the building received
the highest possible certification,
DGNB Platinum.
Basketball fans take note:
NBA and Fanatics are opening
the first store in Germany
at The Playce in Berlin.
The store, managed by
US sports retailer Lids, will
be part of the destination at
Potsdamer Platz.
After shops in London, Milan
and Paris, this will be the
fourth and largest NBA store
in Europe. Almost 1000 square
metres of space will feature a
wide range of official NBA
and WNBA merchandise and
souvenirs, including jerseys,
sportswear and merchandise,
as well as toys and collectibles
from well-known brands such
as Nike, Mitchell & Ness, New
Era and Wilson.
KII has received the DGNB Platinum certification.
Photo: CENTRUM Group / HGEsch
The German Sustainable Building
Council awarded the project
an overall rating of 93.2 percent.
This is the highest rating
ever achieved by the DGNB in
the area of newly built commercial
buildings.
The green façade was an essential
component of the KII from
the very beginning. More than
30,000 hornbeams with a length
of eight kilometres stand on the
sloping facades and on the roof
of the building. It is Europe‘s
largest green façade. In this way,
CENTRUM Group and B&L
Group are not only providing
fresh greenery and better air
around the KII, but at the same
time setting a new climate standard
for buildings in inner cities.
In addition to binding fine dust
via the leaf surfaces, the plants
absorb CO2 and produce oxygen.
At the same time, the leaves
release moisture, creating
a cooling effect in the area surrounding
the KII. The ecological
benefit of the hornbeam hedge is
equivalent to that of around 80
mature deciduous trees.
„The certification with the highest
level DGNB Platinum is a
special success for us, of which
NBA with first German
fan store in The Playce
„The NBA Store in Berlin will
offer fans in Germany a unique
NBA shopping experience
with the largest selection of
customisable items from their
favourite teams and players in
all of Europe,“ said Steve Griffiths,
NBA EME Senior Director,
Global Partnerships.
we are very proud. In addition to
the urban planning and archi
tectural quality of our buildings,
the topics of sustainability, energy
efficiency, economical use
of resources and protection of
the climate and environment are
essential core elements of our
corporate philosophy. With KII,
we have developed a vision for
the city of the future and made
it a reality,“ says Peter Knopf,
Managing Director of the CEN-
TRUM Group.
American professional basketball league soon to be present in Berlin
An NBA store has been announced at The Playce in Berlin.
Visualisation: NBA Store Berlin / concept render
The concept fits perfectly with
the new orientation of the arcades
revitalised by Brookfield
Properties and ECE and the
motto „Discover, Experience
and Experience“. The opening
is scheduled for autumn.
DEFAMA acquires
specialist store portfolio
in Baden-Württemberg
and Bavaria
Deutsche Fachmarkt AG has
concluded a purchase agreement
for four properties in Bavaria
and Baden-Württemberg.
The properties in question
are locations in Albstadt, Bad
Ditzenbach, Graben-Neudorf
and Pfaffenhofen that are let
to AWG Mode on a long-term
basis, whereby AWG still has
subtenants in some cases.
The total purchase price is 5.25
million euros, with initial net
rents of around 430,000 euros.
All leases include value retention
clauses. The four locations
are situated in strong retail agglomerations,
each of which
is home to several other wellknown
retailers - such as Kaufland,
LIDL, ALDI, DM, Müller
Drogerie, Deichmann, Takko
or KiK. After completion of
all transactions and conversion
measures, the annualised FFO
increases to over 9.6 million
euros, corresponding to a good
2.01 euros per share. The portfolio
now comprises 62 locations
with 250,000 sqm of floor
space, 95% of which is let.
Andreas Siebert new
Head of Retail Investment
at Cushman &
Wakefield
Andreas Siebert is the new
Head of Retail Investment Germany
at the international real
estate consultancy Cushman
& Wakefield. In this position,
he will be responsible for the
acquisition and sales business
of this division in Germany
from Düsseldorf. The 53-year-old
will report to Alexander
Kropf, Head of Capital Markets
Germany. Andreas Siebert succeeds
Nicole Römer, who has
left the company. Siebert joins
C&W from Jones Lang LaSalle
SE. He had been working there
since 2009, most recently
as Senior Team Leader Retail
Investment NRW. JLL integrated
Kemper‘s in 2009, where
Andreas Siebert had been employed
since 1999 and had been
Managing Director in Düsseldorf
since 2007. Other stations
of the real estate economist and
banker include HSBC Trinkaus
& Burkhardt and the former
Dresdner Bank.

Page 11 T O M
NEWS August 2022
Trade gastronomy
on the upswing
At the same time, many challenges await
The trade gastronomy sector
suffered greatly from the
restrictions of the Covid 19
pandemic, but has been on a
good path to recovery since
the restrictions expired. On
average, retailers only expect
a drop in sales of around ten
per cent this year compared to
2019, according to one of the
findings of the EHI study „Retail
Gastronomy in Germany
2022“.
„After two difficult years, retail
gastronomy in Germany is
on the upswing again. Many
gastronomy managers in retail
have mastered the pandemic
situation relatively well with
concept adjustments and new
ideas. However, with rising
energy and raw material prices
as well as the existing lack of
personnel, new challenges are
coming up for gastronomy in
retail“, explains Olaf Hohmann,
head of the research area retail
gastronomy at EHI.
The German Retail Association
(Handelsverband Deutschland)
assesses the measures of
the Federal Cabinet on energy
saving as positive on the
whole - especially the rules for
lowering the minimum room
temperatures at workplaces
provided for therein.
„The retail sector is doing its
part in these difficult times and
is already consciously and effectively
saving energy,“ said
HDE Chief Executive Stefan
Genth. The industry therefore
supports the temperature reduction
to 19°C for indoor office
activities, for example, envisaged
by the Federal Ministry of
Economics and Climate Protection
(BMWK). „The goal must
be to optimally exploit further
energy-saving potential, but
without affecting the health or
The retail gastronomy sector is currently vacillating between hope
and challenge. Symbol image: Unsplash / shawnanggg
The turnover figures in retail
gastronomy indicate a clear
upward trend, even if the EHI
forecast for 2022 does not
come close to the pre-Corona
year 2019. Whereas in the first
pandemic year of 2020 sales of
7.55 billion euros were achieved,
which is 2.45 billion euros
less than in 2019, sales in 2021
reached 7.72 billion euros, a
Trade supports
energy-saving plans
HDE: Industry is already making its contribution
slight increase. For 2022, the
retailers surveyed are optimistic
and expect total turnover for retail
gastronomy to be just under
nine billion euros.
In 84 percent of the branches,
the retailers have rethought
their food concepts and adapted
them to the pandemic situation
as well as the changed consumer
behaviour.
Illuminated shop windows are not likely to be seen this autumnwinter
season. Symbol image: Pixabay / Albrecht Fietz
performance of employees,“
Genth emphasises. Against this
background, it might even make
sense for the legislator to lower
the minimum room temperatures
for workplaces a little further.
„Every degree less saves
six percent in energy when heating“,
Genth continues.
Heating period longer than February
In the HDE‘s view, it is incomprehensible
why the leeway
for lowering temperatures for
private employers is less than
in the public sector. „Private
employers have to guarantee
minimum temperatures, while
public employers have the same
temperatures as maximum temperatures.
This allows public
employers to save significantly
more energy because they have
to heat less,“ says Genth.
WISAG looks back
on a successful 2021
financial year
WISAG Facility Service Holding
GmbH looks back on a
successful business performance
in 2021. Sustainable and stable
growth - WISAG Facility Service
Holding achieved this goal
in 2021: the company increased
its turnover by 4.0 percent to approximately
1.223 billion euros.
This organic growth is supported
by a positive sales development
in almost all service areas.
„The fact that we have achieved
overall growth of 4.0 per cent
despite the continuing effects of
the Corona crisis, particularly in
the Catering segment, gives us
cause for satisfaction. This success
was only possible thanks
to a strong team performance
that convinced our customers,“
says Michael Moritz, Managing
Director of WISAG Facility Service
Holding.
Metaverse not yet an
issue in food retailing
The Metaverse, a digital space
in which, for example, people
can gather as avatars and work
together on projects, also offers
exciting application possibilities
for retail. However, 57 percent
of the respondents rated the user
potential of Metaverse for food
retailing as low.
LIST sells Neutor
Arkaden to
VK Immobilien
The project developer LIST
Develop Commercial has developed
a city quarter of almost
10,000 sqm on the site of a former
department store in the centre
of Emden. The completed
property is now being transferred
to VK GmbH & Co. 039 Emden
KG, a property company of the
VK Immobilien Group, for an
amount in the double-digit millions.
With the Neutor Arkaden,
the Dortmund-based investment
group is expanding its real estate
portfolio of more than 40 commercial
properties. The retailers
Müller and Combi as well as the
B&B Hotel already opened their
doors last year. „In the meantime,
Stadtwerke Emden and VGH
Versicherungen have moved into
the office space as tenants. This
means that more than 90 per cent
of the space is let on a long-term
basis,“ Michael Garstka, managing
partner of LIST Develop
Commercial, explains the attractiveness
of the property.

Page 13 T O M
ANALYSIS August 2022
Despite bottlenecks:
Germans like to buy sustainably
GfK study: Currently, however, more likely to buy at discounters than at the organic market
According to GfK, consumers
in Germany are still buying
sustainably - despite inflation
and the looming energy crisis.
Nevertheless, changes in consumer
behaviour can be observed,
especially in the food
sector.
Sustainability remains important
to German consumers despite
current world events, as
the current GfK Sustainability
Index for July shows. It stands
at 39.2 compared to 39.7 in
April. This value shows that
consumers continue to pay attention
to sustainability in their
purchases. Despite the stable
value, current events, such as
the looming energy crisis and
inflation, have a varying impact
on purchasing behaviour in different
categories.
Less sustainable
than neighbours
Inflation is the new number
one concern of Germans - in
2021 it was still worries about
the Corona pandemic. Climate
change remains stable in second
place among Germans‘ biggest
worries. 71 percent currently
consider climate change to be
a serious problem, which is two
percentage points more than last
year. In a European comparison,
however, the Germans are lagging
behind in terms of sustainability.
Comparative data from
GfK in Italy and France show
that sustainable purchasing is
significantly more important
for the European neighbours: In
Italy the index is 58.0, in France
52.1.
Germans
plan ahead
The proportion of people who
have made major purchases with
sustainability in mind in the past
twelve months fell slightly from
30 to 26 percent from April to
July 2022. At the same time, the
proportion of people planning
to do so within a year has increased
from 24 to 27 per cent.
The willingness to pay more
money for sustainable products
According to GfK, sustainable purchasing is deeply anchored in the values of Germans.
Symbol image: Depositphotos / Vitalik Radko
remains almost constant despite
inflation: 68 percent of consumers
planning major purchases
agree. One reason for this development
could be the sharply
rising energy costs. „People are
increasingly planning to switch
to solar energy and heat pumps
to save on energy costs and do
something for the environment
at the same time,“ comments
Petra Süptitz, Sustainability and
Consumer Insights Expert at
GfK. „Presumably, consumers
are now also paying more attention
to buying energy-efficient
appliances to save electricity.“
In the case of household appliances,
there is a clear trend
towards energy-efficient appliances.
However, there are
differences between consumer
groups with different values,
attitudes or tech affinity. Especially
the so-called trend surfers
and tech-savvy alphas are planning
more sustainable purchases.
For them, sustainability is a
lifestyle and status symbol that
they like to combine with product
innovations or premium
features.
Reluctance among
low income groups
Clearer changes can be seen in
the case of products for daily
use: Here, the share of people
who have bought with sustainability
in mind in the last month
has dropped from 72 to 66 percent.
Organic products are still
in vogue. While sales in the
overall FMCG market declined
by 2.8 percent in the first half of
2022, sales of organic products
were stable compared to the
previous year. Currently, consumers
prefer to buy organic products
cheaper at discounters or
from private labels. The share of
consumers who plan to buy sustainably
in the next four weeks
is slightly down from 68 to 64
percent. „People with low incomes
in particular tend to hold
back here. This was already
observed in the previous month
and is less surprising under the
current circumstances,“ informs
Petra Süptitz.
The willingness to pay more
money for sustainable products
also remains almost constant
and is similarly high as for
larger purchases with 69 percent
of consumers. Especially
the consumer groups Idealists
and Care-takers plan to continue
buying sustainable products
for daily use. For these people,
sustainability is deeply rooted
in their personal values. These
people are not only active when
shopping, but also save more
than others on electricity or water,
for example.
Although inflation and rising
prices dominate the headlines,
these developments affect different
population groups to different
degrees.
About fifty percent of Germans
are considered crisis-resistant.
These are mainly people with
higher incomes who do not fear
for their jobs. They are currently
less worried, for example,
about high inflation. On the other
hand, people with lower incomes
in particular have to cut
back.
Half of Germans
are crisis-resistant
„Sustainability is deeply anchored
in the values of Germans.
Many consumers are currently
looking for creative alternative
strategies, especially for everyday
products, in order to be
able to shop sustainably while
saving money at the same time,“
explains Petra Süptitz. „Nevertheless,
there are consumer
groups such as the Trend Surfers
or the Alphas who continue
to rely on brand-name products
and see sustainability as a lifestyle
aspect that they associate
with quality, enjoyment and
aesthetics. Companies should
make sure that their offer meets
these different needs.“

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Page 15 T O M
GUEST CONTRIBUTION August 2022
ALDI SÜD in search of project partners
Development of food-anchored mixed-use properties is becoming increasingly significant
Who doesn‘t know us? With
almost 2000 ALDI SÜD shops,
we are omnipresent in the
communities and cities of western
and southern Germany.
Here we have been part of
everyday life for many millions
of people for decades. You
can reach us quickly and easily
via short routes. But what
is true for our customers was
not always self-evident in our
cooperation with partners and
stakeholders from the real estate
sector. Especially when it
came to joint project developments,
it was often difficult for
them to find the right contact
person in their region. But
we have solved this problem:
through the restructuring and
expansion of the Real Estate
business unit, we are now closer
than ever to potential stakeholders
and partners.
That was a year ago now. Since
then, we have turned around the
previously decentralised branch
development. We have set up a
new contact point for supra-regional
cooperations, which I
head. We have also opened our
own real estate offices for the
hotspots Cologne, Frankfurt am
Main, Stuttgart and Munich, our
„Local Offices“. Our colleagues
are specialised in the framework
conditions and requirements of
the respective metropolises.
Their contact details and those
of all regional contacts can be
found quickly and easily via our
new website by postcode.
As a committed team player,
it is important to us to implement
projects together with our
partners. In the Bilderstöckchen
district of Cologne, for example,
we are currently planning to
build more than 50 flats, a daycare
centre and an underground
car park on the site of a onestorey
branch. In Düsseldorf‘s
Zoo district, we want to further
develop an existing location
and have recently involved the
neighbourhood in the design of
the „Zooterrassen“ as part of a
public participation process. Public
spaces with a high quality
of stay, areas for offices, flats,
gastronomy and retail as well
as infrastructure for additional
mobility offers and a neighbourhood
garage are to be created. In
Frankfurt am Main, we recently
Jan Riemann is the central contact person at ALDI SÜD for cooperations in the real estate sector.
Photo: ALDI SÜD
acquired the seven-storey office
and commercial building in Oskar-Sommer-Straße.
We want to
revitalise it and use it for new
purposes, including housing.
We are also very active outside
the metropolises. In Landau in
the Palatinate, for example, we
have created living space for
65 students in cooperation with
the Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz
- above a branch that was
demolished and rebuilt for this
purpose. Now, in this cooperation,
student flats with almost
200 beds are to be built at another
location by mid-2025. In
Waldbronn, just outside Karlsruhe,
we are building a residential
and commercial complex on
a 12,000 square metre site. The
buildings will provide space for
a new, larger branch, a drugstore
and 115 flats.
For those who want to get to
know us personally, we are
now not only easier to find, we
are also looking for ourselves.
That‘s why we‘re already looking
forward to October, when
we‘ll be back at EXPO REAL
in Munich. This year we will be
there with a total of six stands -
more than ever before. The broad
participation as co-exhibitors
is intended to underline the solidarity
of our real estate teams
with their regional partners. Together
with them, projects are to
be developed, locations strengthened,
infrastructure improved
and, in the end, a profit generated
for all parties involved. We
are ready to secure local supply
in rural regions and to close
gaps in the city centres as a
frequency provider, but we are
also subtenants, general tenants
as well as project developers of
mixed-use properties in urban
quarters. We will be happy to
explain this in more detail at the
EXPO in Munich - but of course
not only there.
Guest article by Jan Riemann,
responsible for Real Estate expansion
by ALDI SÜD.

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