|
contents | europe | ||||
| Mapic, the International Market for Retail Real Estate Mapic, the International Market for Retail Real Estate, is giving pride of place to international retailers for its thirteenth edition to be held from 14 to 16 November 2007. Brands like Uniqlo (Japan), Abercrombie & Fitch (US), Starbucks Coffee (Netherlands), Emilio Pucci (Italy), Gamestop (Sweden), Marks & Spencer (UK) or Fressnapf (Germany) emerge among the 1,500 retailing companies expected this year and the 2,250 retailers who will represent them. The seven new countries represented by retail exhibitors reflect a growth dynamic covering several continents: Europe, with Sweden (Gamestop) and Ireland (Zumo Juice & Smoothy Bars), North Africa and the Middle East, with Morocco (Alamine), Saudi Arabia (Arabian Oud) and Kuwait (Alshaya), and the United States (Subway). Among retailer attendees, there are a number of examples of master franchises in the emerging countries of Eastern Europe. They include the catering firm American Restaurant System developing in Romania; the Serbian company Delta Sport Group, which covers Nike and Mexx franchises and which is developing in the Balkans (Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Albania); and the ready-to-wear clothes group Arts Region expanding in the Russian Federation. Also noteworthy are master franchises from the Middle East and North Africa such as Alshaya in Kuwait which is teaming up with the US brand Starbucks to expand venues in Egypt, and the Al Amine Investissement group which is developing in Morocco and which brings together the franchises Nesk Investment (Mango, Stradivarius, Promod, La Vie en Rose) and Aksal Group (Zara, Massimo Dutti, La Senza) to launch a shopping centre in Casablanca. Mr. Fathallah Sijilmassi, the Moroccan Ambassador to France, will be meeting this project's key actors at MAPIC. In an environment that fosters international visibility for new retailers, department stores, which act as brand federators and retail outlets, are growing strongly in Europe. The market's leaders are coming to MAPIC to develop their location strategies, including Pinault Printemps Redoute and Les Galeries Lafayette from France, Cortefiel and El Corte Ingles from Spain, Maxeda Group from Belgium, La Rinascente from Italy, and Debenhams from the United Kingdom. In addition to this European expansion, there is also considerable interest in retail real estate sites in North Africa, as seen in the presence of the Swiss department store Jelmoli which is working with retail brands and developers to set up shopping centres in Algeria. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Exhibition News :: home page |