About 80% of customers returned to shopping centers in September
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The number of customers in shopping centers in September reached approximately 80 percent of last year's footfall. This means that every fifth customer did not return to stationary purchases, which is a direct consequence of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. The decrease in the number of customers translates into lower turnover of shopping centers, which in 2019 increased by 3.5 percent. Moreover, last year, restaurants and cafes recorded a significant dynamic of sales growth, according to the CBRE report "Analysis of the results of shopping centers". Current data indicate that this year shopping centers will close with a decline in turnover, and the just eateries.
“The coronavirus epidemic has hit shopping centers, which were closed in the initial phase of the restrictions. Customers could go grocery shopping, pharmacy or drugstore, but the rest of the shops and services were unavailable. This of course translates into very good results a year ago. Our report shows that in 2019 such categories as entertainment, fashion, cafes and restaurants as well as home furnishings recorded systematic increases in turnover. On the other hand, the vacancy rate remained fairly stable at around 4 percent. It is true that we do not see any drastic changes in the number of empty premises, but this may still change by the end of the year,” Magdalena Frątczak, head of the commercial sector at CBRE, said.
CBRE analyzed 13 shopping centers with a total area of approx. 460,000 sqm, located in regional cities. The report shows that in 2019 the dominant tenant category in shopping centers was fashion, which occupied 35 percent of the space in buildings. Despite the trend towards smaller food formats, as much as 17 percent is still in the food industry. The next places are specialized trade (including drugstores, multimedia) and entertainment.
(WBJ)
