NEINVER has reopened all 21 of its centres in six European countries after six months of partial or total closures due to COVID-19 restrictions. The last centres still affected by the restrictions – Montabaur The Style Outlets and Halle Leipzig The Style Outlets, both in Germany – resumed normal operations the last week of May, completing the company’s two-month reopening process. The centres’ post-reopening results have shown very positive trends, in some cases recording triple-digit sales increases compared to 2019. These figures confirm the resilience of the company’s outlet centres and signal a trend towards early, rapid recovery as restrictions are lifted.
“The full reopening of our portfolio is a major milestone for the company. Despite the complexity and uncertainty of the current environment, the sales recovery is very encouraging and once again shows the company’s resilience and agility, and the brands’ commitment to continue growing with us”, said Daniel Losantos, CEO of NEINVER. “A strong investment in digital services and close cooperation with tenants, along with our centres’ attractiveness to consumers, have successfully mitigated the pandemic’s impact on our industry.”
Visitors’ average spending at the centres in April and May increased by 15% compared to the same period in 2019, confirming that visits are becoming more productive than before the health crisis. Shoppers now plan their visits, which are shorter, and they buy more in each visit. Sporting goods and the housewares and home decor category, two types of products bolstered during the pandemic, remain in high demand. To meet consumers’ new needs related to the pandemic and to let tenants operate as normally as possible, the company has launched several services such as virtual shopping, shopping by appointment and a click & reserve service at the centres.
NEINVER has continued to expand its commercial offer by adding major brands to the various centres, demonstrating the brands’ interest in establishing or broadening their presence in the outlet channel as a market for their accumulated stock. In Spain, for instance, the Official Real Madrid Store with outlet offer opened at San Sebastián de los Reyes The Style Outlets, near Madrid, as did the fashion label Roberto Verino. Amsterdam The Style Outlets has added the Italian sportswear brand Boxeur des Rues, and in the coming weeks, the German toy brand Ravensburger and the Swedish fashion company NA-KD will open new outlets there.
Meanwhile, the Polish brand Kazar Studio, which specialised in leather footwear and accessories, has opened a pop-up shop at FACTORY Annopol in Warsaw and CHANGE Lingerie has debuted at FACTORY Krakow. In Germany, brands such as Haribo and Roy Robson are coming to Halle Leipzig. Additionally, Nike has expanded its outlet at Roppenheim The Style Outlets and renovated all its shops at the company’s centres in Poland.
