Center Management
Next Level Entertainment
Georg Burgstaller, MA
In order to attract customers to shopping centers, entertainment and leisure offerings must be further developed. With innovative concepts, stationary retail can stand up to online competition.
Head of Asset Management EHL Gewerbeimmobilien GmbH
It has become an obvious fact that a successful tenant mix and broad product offering are no longer sufficient and shopping centres must now also rely on entertainment. But it is also evident that simply passing the time between shops is not enough to keep pace with the online competition. Many products – from clothing to electronics and food – are now often ordered from home and brick and mortar retail is losing customer frequency as a result. The undisputed efficiency benefits of online – time savings, product variety, comparability of offers etc. – must therefore be compensated or, in the best case, more than just compensated by the added
emotional benefits of physical shopping. Products alone no longer attract consumers into shopping centres, experiences, inspi- ration and recreational value have become important factors. A visit to a shopping centre should be fun, spark emotions and make social interaction possible. Bouncy castles and evergreens from the Hammon organ are definitely no longer enough, the focus has turned to creative, target group oriented and continuously updated offerings. Families with children and young people, in particular, are more likely to visit a shopping centre when it has more to offer than just shopping. Entertain- ment offers make a centre attractive for broader target groups and create emotional
ties to the location. That increases the time spent and, indirectly, also the turnover of the remaining retailers and gastronomy. The wide variety of international trends that are only beginning to take hold in Austria is impressive: Successful entertainment con- cepts include, for example, movie theatres, escape rooms, virtual reality zones, gaming areas, indoor playgrounds, climbing or tram- poline halls, temporary children’s gymnastic studios, cultural events, concerts, theatre performances, workshops, pop-up stands or art installations. Entertainment was once an additional offering but has now become a strategic core element of centre manage- ment and will remain so in the future.
Reference projects: Center management
Arena Mattersburg
A successful concept was implemented in the Arena Mat- tersburg with the help of EHL Center Management. The former P2 disco area was converted into an indoor recre- ation area and outfitted with a football cage concept. Indoor football court in the Arena
The Arena Mattersburg with 18,000 sqm of retail space in 30 outlets is the district’s most im- portant shopping centre. EHL has been responsible for manage- ment since 2021.
Total space Customer
18,000 sqm
LLB Immo KAG
Austria | 2025/26
19
Powered by FlippingBook