MAPIC Italy. Ceetrus: one year after the revolution beyond retail.
A mix of destinations, experiences and social impact.
Milan, May 7th 2019 – Ceetrus Italy will soon be at MAPIC Italy, the retail and real estate event taking place on may 8th and 9th in Milan, nearly one year after its change of name from Gallerie Commerciali Italia – the symbol of a transformation that has been ongoing for a few years. The transition from a commercial real estate business to an incubator of innovative 360° retail development.
The company will be stationed at the G02 stand.
In following their 2030 Vision, which focuses on creating links between citizens by creating smart, sustainable and enjoyable spaces, the challenge isn’t only revitailizing the buildings and giving them a polyvalent purpose, but aso creating a real new mix of uses and experiences for a renewed relation with clients and the local ecosystem. The aim: a positive impact on the territory and local social system.
“Open Innovation” and “Vision 2030” are the keywords behind many Ceetrus projects like “Beyond Retail Change”: an international call for ideas that destined a 250.000 euro award to 5 innovative start-up projects. The past year, the winners were: Sous Les Fraises (a pioneer in the production of organic food in urban areas), Merito (a platform that matches retailers to qualified personnel), Hapik (freeclimbing), MEA (Museum of Experiential Art: immersive art in shopping centers), and Vooter, an app for direct consultation of citizens with governance.
Standing out among the innovations, Ceetrus’ “Human Project” is a welfare program that was renewed this year with the approval of a new integrative contract that includes smart working, a “baby week”, a paid leave hour donation fund, anti-discrimination policies and a focus on training, which was awarded by the ‘Associazione Italiana per la Direzione del Personale’ (the Italian association dedicated to HR).
Ceetrus in numbers: 295 shopping centers around the world, 47 centers and 5 retail parks managed in Italy, 185 million visitors in the galleries, 630.000sqm in retail areas. Ceetrus has started to build living spaces that integrate shops, homes, offices and infrastructure, and buildings dedicated to free time, entertainment, culture and healthcare.
In Italy, the concept of tailor-made restauration and “emotional food” first arrived in Mestre and Fano, with the ‘Officine Italia’ and ‘DeguStazione’ projects that took place during the renovations of the centers. DeguStazione made the finals of the MAPIC Awards. Among active projects, MILANORD2 is a unique and new destination that LSGI Italy and Ceetrus are developing in Cinisello Balsamo, at the doors of the metropolis, and will open in 2022. Ceetrus will take care of construction, SCCI of communication.
The distinctive element of Milanord2 will be its Sky Plaza: a 41.000sqm space dedicated to open air activities transforming as seasons pass and featuring games, sports, attractions and cultural events and activities – mostly free. Sky Plaza will be a place for all ages, perfect for a leisurly stroll, time with family or friends, observing-participating-experimenting with the different activities. A formula that favors family involvement and will project Milanord2 towards the population, creating a strong and active integrated relationship with the local territory. Aiming to satisfy everyone’s diverse expectations, on top of Sky Plaza, Milanord2 will include a Multiplex Cinema, cultural and entertainment activities over 21.500sqm, a varied and welcoming area of 10.000sqm dedicated to Food and Beverage – partly on the Sky Plaza – and a 98.500sqm area with a complete Retail offering, designed to improve the comfort in each visitor’s shopping experience, and a Fresh Market, inspired by traditional food markets and dedicated to organic and local products.
The project is developed to be extremely eco-friendly, noy only through easy access to the center with public and ‘soft mobility’, but also through the adoption of innovative green solutions, the optimisation of waste and production of renewable energy from photovoltaic panels covering a surface of over 50.000sqm.
Belpò – San Rocco al Porto (LO):
The Center, formally found in Lodi, but located at the border of Piacenza, in San Rocco al Porto, is undergoing an extension that will result in a doubling of the gallery. A 24 million euro investment that will open the center to innovation, making it the perfect location for events and shared moments. The Shopping center will become a ‘double mall’, with one part dedicated to innovative services (which are being studied now, but might include a coworking and a kindergarden) on the first floor, and the other allocated to retail. The architecture is insipred by traditional buildings and farmsteads in the surrounding countryside. A completely renewed food court will be built to include an area for events. The gallery, which was knows as Centro Commerciale Auchan San Rocco al Porto, will change its name to reflect the area’s nature. ‘Belpò’ was chosen with help from clients and locals who participated in a Facebook Poll.
At the end of May, the inauguration of the new outdoors retail park will open the doors of Scarpe&Scarpe, Euronics, Maison du Monde and, in July, Happy Casa. The food court will, too, open in July, and in September the Center will be complete with all of its news.
Porte dei Laghi – Rescaldina (MI):
The Rescaldina Shopping Center, already a vanguard in the company’s range of galleries, is undergoing a complete renovation. Following the interior restyling, the second step of the program is a complete renewal of the building’s exterior which is expected to be finilized in the first half of 2019. The inauguration of the full extended park will take place in 2020. The Center will grow to include 25.000sqm of GLA with a total of 155 shops – 10 of which will be new Medie Superfici: a 90 million euro investment. The architectural project’s scenographic effect is inspired by local natural elements, displayed in thematic areas (air, water, forest, mountain). A state of the art new food court will be created, alongside many other innovative services in the leisure and entertainment area built to fit the needs of clients and citizens. An Urban Farm on the roof is being studied today, with a 4000sqm greenhouse for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables with aquaponics, but also to breed sweetwater fish. In a virtuous cycle, each element will be supported by the others, contributing to limiting waste and providing the concrete example of a circular, virtuous economy.
Cagliari Marconi (CA):
The Center is poised to become the ‘parlor’ of the city of Cagliari. It will undergo an extension that will increase the total surface from 27.000sqm to 39.000sqm and lead to a redistribution of spaces from two to three floors. An extension of the parking space outside of the Shopping Center’s main entrance is also in the making: the new second floor of the parking increasing the total capacity from 1.650 to 2.000 cars. The whole Shopping Center will go through a restyling focusing on the Galleria Commerciale’s building’s exterior and the mall’s interiors, with the inclusion of skylights, aeration slots, and a large-scale Food Court. The result will be a revolution of the area’s commercial status and will lead the Center to becoming leader in the catchment area.
