We are committed to constantly increasing the attractiveness of our shopping centres in order to make them more and more “Spaces to be lived in”, capable of playing an important role in the visitors’ leisure time, by offering shopping opportunities as well as being places in which to meet up with others.
The pandemic brought about new and difficult challenges in the retail sector and it acted as an accelerant for others already present. For this reason, in IGD we are continuously studying
innovative commercial and technological solutions that enable us to deal with the contingent situation in the best way but which also ensure that we are ready to act, with attractive assets as the crisis draws to a close.
Laura Poggi
Director of Leasing, Marketing and CSR
Material issues
Enhancement of the portfolio
Spaces to be lived in
Innovation
Targets
UP TO 2024:
Carry out restyling/refurbishment projects in 4 shopping centers with energy improvements
Organisation of initiatives aimed at preventing the digital divide in at least 50% of the Italian shopping center
At least 1 social or environmental initiative each year in 100% of the shopping centers
Organize a transversal CSR initiative that involves at least 50% of the shopping centers
UP TO 2030:
Carry out restyling which reduces the environmental impact of another 10 shopping centers by 2030 (baseline 2021)
Define initiatives designed to improve the wellbeing of shoppers at 100% of the shopping centers
new restyling opened in La Favorita shopping center in Mantua
531
on-site events organized in the shopping centers
Enhancement of the portfolio
In order to be constantly competitive, the shopping centres need to be continuously adapted. For this reason we plan actions aimed at enhancing our portfolio and sustainability takes on an increasingly important role in the planning and construction of a new centre, as well as during any restyling and extension work in existing centres.
Since 2014, IGD has carried out extensions, restyling or remodelling work in 12 Shopping Centres, with an overall investment equal to more than 90 million euros. Whilst carrying out this work, the opportunity was taken to improve energy efficiency.
In 2022 the restyling work in LaFavorita Shopping Center in Mantua was inaugurated, which included, amongst other things, the creation of new green areas and pedestrian areas and the installation of a new highly energy-efficient LED lighting system; remodeling activities also continued both in the areas left free by the hypermarket in Portogrande Shopping Center in San Benedetto Del Tronto as well as on the second floor of Casilino Shopping Center in Rome.
A render of the new food court of Porto Grande Shopping Center
An image of the new shopping mall of La Favorita Shopping Center
To ensure the quality of the retail offer available, we make sure we continuously update the merchandising mix and tenant mix in our shopping centers, in order to meet the visitors’ needs and new consumer trends. To do this, we carefully manage our existing tenant portfolio and scout for new brands.
Scouting activities for new brands in 2022 were focused on the necessity to adapt the merchandising mix to satisfy the new needs of the visitors and resulted in 35 new brands being introduced, bearing witness to the interest shown by operators in the sector to open new stors in the shopping centers in the post-pandemic scenario.
New brands introduce each year in Italy
In Romania, in 2022 work continued to identify brands capable of guaranteeing the attractiveness of all the floors in the Winmark Shopping Centers. With this in mind, the use of upper floors in 3 malls was maximised with the opening of three new fitness centers with gyms and wellness areas.
We sees our shopping centers as out and out “Spaces to be lived in”, where the visitors can enjoy both the retail offer and to opportunity of being able to meet up with others. Events represent the most important moment for social gatherings within the Shopping Centres. With regard to the latter, our aim is to identify a wide range of events capabel of attracting and involving a variety of target groups and individuals from the catchment area.
Following the visitors’ renewed interest in social activities, in 2022 the overall number of events organized in our Italian Shopping Centers, equal to 531, returned to pre-pandemic level with an average of 23 events per shopping center. Particular attention was placed both on local events, which represented 30% of the total, and on those aimed at loyalty, especially in terms of the omnichannel approach.
We work continuously to innovate the spaces and the services offered to visitors, so as to be constantly in line with the evolution of trends, as provided for the United Nations with the sustainable development goals. In 2015, our commitment towards innovation became a solid reality with the launch of our “Innovation Project”, the aim of which was to innovate the visitors’ experience within the shopping centres with the support of technology, by means of a multichannel strategy of action.
To manage Innovation we use a matrix approach: the one shown below, referring to 2022, cross-references the 4 areas which we have decided to work on (technological, social-environmental, service and digital innovation) with the PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT approach.
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
SERVICE INNOVATION
DIGITAL INNOVATION
PLANNING
Artificial intellingence sensors to monitor enrgey consumption
IMPLEMENTATION
- 30 Led walls installed in 13 shopping centers in 2021 and 135 either Totems or Infopads in 2022
- DAS systems (infrastructure for the distribution of wireless signal) installed in 7 shopping centers
- Social Borgo
- Waste to Value
- AND Project
-74 EV charging stations in 21 shopping centers
- Amazon Lockers in 23 shopping centers
- Use of Area Plus defined, one of the 5 touchpoints connected to the Customer Relationship Management system
MONITORING
E-bike charging station connected to the photovoltaic system in Clodì Retail Park
E-bike and mobile phone charging points in 17 Shopping Centres:
constant monitoring of performance
Analysis of results of lead generation activities, with the aim of adapting the tools of the Digital Plan
FINE TUNING
Periodic review of the Digital Plan taking into account both the results obtained and the new opportunities for development
