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| Mapic 2006 broke all-time records Mapic, the International Market for Retail Real Estate, which was held on 15-17 November, 2006 in Palais des Festivals, Cannes (France), beat all-time attendance records this year with 8,698 attendees, 1,946 of them retail developers. The exhibition area showcased 899 increasingly international companies, with particularly strong growth from the Russian Federation, Italy, Germany, and Spain and for the first time a remarkable level of participation from Turkey, India, Romania and Bulgaria. Romania showcased building projects for shopping centres including Esplanada City Center, with 400 shops, and Liberty Center, planned for 2008 in Bucharest. India, with the Bansal Group's ambitious projects, and Turkey, which had its own Pavilion, attracted considerable interest from investors and retail developers due to the enormous growth potential in these markets. Conferences were also held on these two countries, enabling them to enlighten retailers and investors on how their markets operate and how to do business in them successfully. Russia boosted its presence this year, with a massive increase in the number of exhibiting firms (up 111%). Among them were developers such as the Ten Group of Companies, Macromir 000, Adwill Partners, and LVN Development, together with the investor Sberbank. Germany made its mark with a 33% increase in exhibiting companies over last year. Major German developers and investors attended, including ECE Projektmanagement, Aareal Bank and AIG Lincoln Germany, alongside retailers such as Deichman Group, Inter-Triumph, Douglas Holding and Media Saturn. Italy had the second largest country presence at Mapic in terms of exhibitors and participants, increasing attendance by 16% over last year. It was supported by a 'Destination Italy' stand that grouped over 30 projects from local authorities such as Sviluppo Lazio, the Province of Cosenza, the city of Genoa, Porto Turistico Marina di Ragusa and AgeCC. Among Italian developers and investors, Gruppo Leonardo Caltagirone, AEDES, Costruzioni Margheri and Essediesse were particularly noteworthy. With 198 exhibiting companies, France remain a representative real estate market and showcased for the first time two majors - Nexity and Icade. The U.S. also made a strong showing with the second largest American investor General Growth Properties, as well as developer Forest City, a first-timer at Mapic. Spain's exhibiting companies leaped by 45% this year, with such newcomers as the Puerto Venecia leisure centres, Factory SG factory outlets, and the developers Acciona Inmobiliaria and Chamartin Ocio Y Deporte. For the first time, Howard Holding and Peel Holdings, two British developers will showcase their projects at Mapic. A UK pavillon brought together around 30 companies and major developers such as Hammerson or Grosvenor were present in the exhibition hall. 1,946 retail developers attended Mapic, compared to 1,588 last year, an increase of 23%. The wellness, relaxation and healthy eating sector was well represented this year with such new participants as the Atelier des Chefs, Planétalis, Il Esthétique pour Homme, Build a Bear and The Foodmaker. Another noticeable trend was the presence of retailers from new countries such as Japan with Daiso, South Africa with Mr Price Group, Estonia with Baltika, Russia with Sela and Turkey with Smartplay and Koton. An increasing number of luxury retailers also attended, including Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Zadig et Voltaire, Bonpoint, Cacharel, Gucci, and Valentino, attracted by Mapic's global spread and the presence of many local authorities. Representatives from local authorities constitute Mapic's third major constituency, alongside retail real estate professionals and retail decision-makers. There were 442 such representatives this year, up 34% compared to last year, demonstrating the importance of shopping as a key to regenerating city centres. Among cities attending were Madrid, Belfast, Moscow, Manchester, Newport, Geneva, Sviluppolazio, Agglo of Rouen Haute Normandie and the Community of towns around Greater Toulouse. The 17 Property Talks conferences at Mapic 2006 enabled participants to find out about the latest trends on the retail property market through the four core themes of retailers, cities, geographies and investment. The Mapic Awards 2006 ceremony rewarded 6 retailers for their dynamism and international growth: Jack & Jones (Clothing Fashion and Accessories), The White Company (Household & Electrical Goods), Smyk (Leisure), Burger King (Catering Outlets), Fortis-Credit4me (Services), The Body Shop (Health & Beauty). Mapic 2007 will be held at the Palais des Festivals de Cannes from 14 to 16 November. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Construction News :: home page |