Retail excellence honoured at the seventh annual EuropaProperty CEE Retail Real Estate Awards Gala – EuropaProperty

Honouring the region’s ever-changing commercial retail real estate market, and reflecting its evolving nature, EuropaProperty’s seventh annual CEE Retail Real Estate Awards once again highlighted the continued enthusiasm for retail real estate in CEE by recognising the best of the retail industry for their continued market success.

The awards, held at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel Warsaw, brought together some 450 top real estate professionals from the major retail market sectors in the CEE region and were selected by an international academy of jurors, comprised of senior industry professionals, who presided and deliberated over the eventual winners, representing some of the best commercial retail real estate companies, retailers, projects and people operating in the CEE region for 2014. The 48-strong independent jury panel of the CEE Retail Real Estate Awards casted their votes for one winner in each category.

Apsys Group and the Multi-brand fashion retailer LPP shone the brightest on the evening picking up three awards a piece. LPP walked off with three major prizes including Fashion Retailer of the Year under 500 sqm for Mohito and a double for their Reserved brand in the Fashion Retailer of the Year over 500 sqm category and the coveted Overall Retailer of the Year.

The Apsys Group received three awards for Property Management Firm of the Year, highlighting the growing importance of good asset management, as well as the Developer of the Year. Further emphasising their success in 2014 the jurors also voted Apsys’ Managing Director for Poland Fabrice Bansay as this year’s Professional of the Year.

Other major accolades were given to Atrium European Real Estate, which was recognised by the jurors for its investment success in the region. Through 2014 the company has continued its high profile investment strategy of seeking investment opportunities in existing assets and development projects, for example the acquisition of Focus Mall shopping centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The scheme was purchased from Aviva Investors for €122 million. The company won two awards, including Overall Company of the Year as well as Investor of the Year.

Master Management also received two awards as well as high praise and recognition for their Brama Mazur shopping center project. The center won the Retail Project of the Year in the medium category as well as the coveted Overall Project of the Year award.

Paul Kusmierz, Managing Director of Master Management Group, said: “I would like to thank the jury for recognizing our considerable achievements on this project. It was a challenging task for us, but finally we delivered.”

2014 was a big year for retail development in Poland and the project award winners reflected the changing dynamics of the country’s retail development market. Many of this year’s nominees formed extensions, refurbishments, mixed-use and retail park projects.

PKP’s Kraków Główny (Krakow’s main train station) won two prominent retail project prizes, Retail Project of the Year in the small category and Mixed-use Development of the Year. Extended/Refurbished Project of the Year went to Unibail Rodamco’s Galeria Mokotow and Immofinanz’s successful regional STOP.SHOP chain won the Retail Park of the Year award.

CBRE Global Investors won the inaugural Leasing Specialist of the Year award and another new category, which proved very popular this year was the Shopping Center Director of the Year award, which was won by Blue City’s Yoram Reshef.

Global consultants CBRE picked up the Agency of the Year award. Additional company awards were presented to Dentons, one of the world’s biggest law firms, which received the Law Firm of the Year award. Tax and Financial Adviser of the Year went to TPA Horwath and Professional Service Provider of the Year went to RegioPlan Consulting.

Gleeds again followed up last year’s success by collecting the Project Management Firm of the Year award. Chapman Taylor once again picked up Architectural Firm of the Year. Deutsche pfandbriefbank was voted Bank of the Year.

Accentuating the strength and interest in the region’s retail sector, 11 key retailers were awarded on the night. Overall Retailer of the Year went to Reserved, (part of the wider LPP group), which was recognised for their continued expansion and confidence in the CEE region throughout 2014 and the Newcomer of the Year award was received by Desigual. Other major winners for the retailer specific awards included: Costa Coffee, Pure Jatomi Fitness, RTV-Euro, Auchan, Inglot, Pandora, Toys’R’US, CCC, and Mohito.

AWARD WINNERS FOR 2014

• Fitness Club of the Year – Pure Jatomi Fitness

• Multi-Media Retailer of the Year – RTV Euro

• Supermarket Chain of the Year – Auchan

• Specialty Retailer of the Year – Costa Coffee

• Toy Retailer of the Year– Toys’R’Us