Need to know: Ten mixed use projects in Europe
Retail-led development around Europe includes a wide range of new schemes from traditional malls to outlet centres, the remodelling of a city centre piazza to the creation of an enlarged luxury district in Scandinavia.
Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, Hamburg, Germany
On 8 April 2025, the much-anticipated Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier shopping centre opened within one of Europe’s biggest urban regeneration sites. The retail offer has slightly led the other elements, which also include dining and leisure, apartments, offices, three hotels and a new cruise terminal, connected to the city via its own metro station. The mall is 95% let and one third of the circa 130 retailers are entirely new to the city, with a further 40 F&B units. Sat within the wider HafenCity District, an established residential and office location, URW has developed a two-level mall with an architecturally striking roof and an emphasis on natural light.
Cotswold Designer Outlet, Tewkesbury, UK
Cotswolds Designer Outlet will be 98% let on opening later this year, with 44 brands including Boss, Marks & Spencer, Adidas and Levi’s. Investor Robert Hitchins and Multi-Realm have completed phase 1 of a long-term holistic plan to deliver investment for the region, centred on the curation of a new place and community with circa 24,000 sq m of retail, F&B and leisure across Cotswolds Designer Outlet and the Dobbies Garden Centre. Phase 2 will extend the outlet by a further circa 4,600 sq m, while housebuilders Persimmon, Charles Church, Barratt Homes and Vistry are currently delivering more than 1,500 new homes within the 250-acre development site.
Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Brookfield Property Partners’ Potsdamer Platz had originally been redeveloped as a largely office-led scheme, plus the Arkaden shopping centre. After Brookfield’s acquisition it has completed a phased redevelopment of the offices, public realm, and pedestrian walkways and introduced more bars, cafés and differentiated retail offers. Arkaden, managed by ECE, has been rebranded The Playce and includes a largely new array of tenants including the first European NBA store, an eco Peek & Cloppenburg department store, Dutch-based games operator Game State, café EL&N, UK cocktail bar The Alchemist, Prague-based food hall Manifesto Market, UK bowling concept Lane7 and Amsterdam-based leisure attraction Upside Down.
Promenaden Fashion District, Oslo, Norway
Oslo’s city centre fashion district, owned and managed by Promenaden, has been created around the historic Steen & Strøm department store, which has been completely revamped in phases starting with the ground floor beauty hall and lower ground food area, completed in 2022, with further phases finished or underway. The most recent addition to Oslo is a watches shopping destination opened on the main retail street by Norwegian watch retailer Bjerke. It also provides a new gateway to the expanding luxury zone as Oslo continues its evolution as a retail and leisure hotspot after the opening of numerous museums and cultural attractions.
Pasing Arcaden, Munich, Germany
Ingka Centres last year signed a purchase agreement with Pasing Arcaden – a subsidiary of URW Germany – to acquire one of Munich’s largest shopping destinations, Pasing Arcaden. The retail-anchored mixed-use development, which has more than 53,000 sq m gross leasable area, offers a mix of flagship retail, residential units, and workspaces. Located in the densely populated Pasing-Obermenzing district, next to Pasing station – which attracts 85,000 commuters per day as Bavaria’s third busiest railway hub – the property is in a prime urban location and Ingka Centres will once again be looking to bring in its stable of new offers, and an IKEA store, to the scheme.
Wilanow Park, Warsaw, Poland
A mixed-use project planned as a new vibrant destination in the southern part of Warsaw, Wilanow Park is in the Wilanow district, one of the most affluent areas of the Polish capital. The project by Ceetrus is located on a 7.7 ha plot in Miasteczko Wilanow next to the southern Warsaw ring road, a modern housing estate designed along the principles of the15-minute city concept. Wilanow Park combines a shopping mall, F&B and leisure destination, plus a 2 ha park and community centre.
Piazza Loreto, Milan, Italy
The Piazza Loreto project is set to transform the current Milanese square Piazza Loreto – a historical and central traffic junction – into a welcoming, inclusive, smart, and sustainable public place full of services, retail and F&B concepts, together with events and temporary exhibits. Developed by Nhood Italy and designed with an integrated approach involving local communities, Piazza Loreto is one of the first examples of the regeneration of an existing square in the middle of a city, completed by a partnership between public and private players. Set to open in 2026, at 8,000 sq m GLA and will feature over 40 retail and F&B units when completed.
Entrecampos, Lisbon, Portugal
Fidelidade Property Europe and Fosun Hive Iberia are developing a 180,000 sq m scheme in Lisbon due to open in 2027. Blending heritage and innovation, Entrecampos is undergoing a major transformation and this mixed-use project covers public spaces of 17,000 sq m, residential (three buildings), offices (seven buildings) and retail (75 stores). Driven by the local community, it is intended as a hub where life, commerce, and work converge around an architectural, urban, and technological landmark.
Austerlitz, Paris, France
Developed by Altarea, Kaufman & Broad, SNCF Gares & Connexions, Indigo and Elogie-Siemp in the heart of Paris, a new area will take shape by 2027, with the Gare d’Austerlitz as its heart. This new living space, combining low-carbon, biodiversity and soft mobility, will include a new mixed-use district, the extension of Marie Curie Square, new shops, services and restaurants, leisure and cultural facilities, social and intermediate housing for families and students, head office and hotels. Opening of the 25,000 sq m scheme is due for 2027, with around 120 stores.
Promenada Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
NEPI Rockcastle is developing a 55,400 sq m extension to a 39,400 sq m scheme, due to open in Q4,2026 with 87 new brands. Promenada Mall, located in Bucharest’s central business district, also involves excavating the deepest building basement in Central and Eastern Europe, at 26m, to accommodate 2,400 car parking spaces over six levels. The concept’s goal is to create an outstanding mixed-use project.
