ANAND REMTOLLA, NEW CCO – CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER: A COMMERCIAL AND RETAIL SERVICES STRATEGY WITH A TRIPLE POSITIVE IMPACT (PEOPLE, PLANET, PROFIT)
F&B, Sport and Leisure are the drivers of a new urban retail model that Nhood is developing in major Italian cities. Lots of new brand names in Nhood shopping centres. From the food sector with Fresco&Cimmino, Flower Burger and Kebhouze, to the lifestyle sector with Colmar, Dixie and Levi’s: retail sites are becoming living spaces
29 November – 1 December 2022
Stand R7 – L1
Cannes, 29 November 2022 | From November 29th to December 1st , in the elegant setting of Stand R7 – L1 facing the terrace of the Palais des Festival in Cannes, Nhood Italy, an international real estate services company specialised in urban redevelopment and retail, will be presenting the evolution of its retail projects in the presence of its new CCO – Chief Commercial Officer, Anand Remtolla.
Over the last few years Nhood has undergone major expansion, further consolidating its reputation as one of the top players in the urban retail sector thanks to its unique mission: to promote sustainable urban diversity and create real places of social and cultural life, prioritising services designed for people and their wellbeing. Taking advantage of the value of drivers such as Food & Beverage, Sport, and, more generally, Leisure, Nhood has leveraged its best skills and expertise to present the market with a client-oriented commercialization strategy with a transversal tenant mix, created to satisfy every type of visitor, in which new brands to Italy, traditionally high street chains and leading local brands, converge in a single triple-P (People, Planet, Profit) value system.
Anand Remtolla, newly appointed CCO of Nhood Italy, explains: “Improving people’s lives and making the places where they live healthier, more functional and happier has a triple positive impact: on people, on the planet and on profits. This is what retail innovation means for us”.
This is what is happening at Merlata Bloom Milano, an innovative lifestyle centre whose last mile of commercialisation, as well as all the news on the forthcoming retail formats, will be announced by Nhood at MAPIC Cannes 2022.
Following the arrival of Esselunga and Decathlon, there is lots of news from the Centre, which has already signed over more than 80% of its retail spaces a year before opening (second half of 2023).
With the Merlata Bloom Milan project, Nhood adds the final piece of the jigsaw to a next generation neighbourhood. The services provided – such as Retail, Leisure and Sustainability – have been designed to benefit the entire area, including the innovation district (MIND) and the residential area (Uptown by EuroMilano), of which Merlata Bloom Milano represents the physical bridge and beating heart.
The Colmar brand enters a shopping centre for the first time, choosing Merlata Bloom Milano alongside other major fashion labels such as Antony Morato, Calvin Klein, Dixie, Imperial, Levi´s, Napapijri, Suite Benedict, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger and OVS (Italy’s leading brand of clothing for men, women, and kids, with over 1,200 stores in Italy and abroad. OVS is about contemporary, essential Italian style at excellent value for money and with a good deal of attention to sustainability in the choice of materials and production processes). At the same time, JD Sports joins the winning team of brands for lovers of streetwear and sportswear, whose wellbeing and practicality will be catered for by Decathlon, which will be bringing new retail formats and its own offices to Merlata Bloom Milano.
Moreover, Fresco & Cimmino continues its expansion strategy from the centre of Milan to Merlata Bloom Milano and enriches the mall’s array of 43 restaurant units, all of which naturally lit by large windows.
Also part of the rich Food & Beverage offer is Old Wild West, the Cigierre burger & steak house popular with Italian families and inspired by the atmosphere and style of the Far West which, in line with the lifestyle centre concept, makes experiences and entertainment a crucial aspect of its catering offer.
Also present in the mall are BUN BURGERS, the fast-growing next-generation hamburger restaurant, and CioccolatiItaliani, the fine food brand enjoying continuous international expansion, both of which are part of the portfolio of the Gioia Group, the food retail basket company of which Vincenzo Ferrieri is CEO.
Not forgetting Ichi Station, Macha Cafè and other well-known international brands which, together with local brands and other prestigious restaurants hitherto present only in the heart of Milan, maximise and diversify the product offer and cater for all types of visitor, at all times of the day, with particular focus on the evenings.
Haili Zhou, Leasing Manager Nhood: “The watchwords of our retail scouting project were originality, creativity, with a focus both on local and international excellences. We have worked alongside brands with innovative products such as Kebhouze, the chain of kebabs invested in by Gianluca Vacchi and already a household name in Italy for this particular type of street food with over 20 stores opened in 2022; we chose Flower Burger, the world’s leading vegan fast food chain in terms of number of stores, which has continued to expand since 2015, winning people over with its famous plant-based rainbow burgers; Mistertea, a much-loved brand in the centre of Milan for its bubble teas; and Ham Holy Burger, whose Piedmontese fassona beef is a perfect example of showcasing excellent Italian products that are appreciated all over the world. Brands such as these fully correspond with our vision of a lifestyle centre as a place to experience and marry with our business and service strategy”.
On the tech front, Merlata Bloom Milano’s team of premium brands is joined by Juice, the Apple Premium Reseller chain store with the largest footprint in the country and provider of unparalleled Apple retail services and assistance in Italy.
With “Sustainability” as its watchword, Nhood is working to obtain important green certification at Merlata Bloom Milano and to launch an employment hub to support vulnerable categories that will include the entire supply chain of the Centre. Meanwhile, its edutainment will be overseen by leading figures from the world of Culture, who are already supporting Nhood in the realisation of a Centre that is also a public square and a bridge for a neighbourhood undergoing a process of rebirth and development.
Merlata Bloom Milano has recently won an Honorable Mention in the category “Innovation & Design” after having been selected as a finalist in The Plan Real Estate Awards 2022.
A big new project to discover at the Nhood stand at MAPIC Cannes 2022 is in the former Palazzetto dello Sport – Waterfront Mall in Genoa.
Another diamond in the crown of this urban regeneration and service strategy in which Nhood is investing to create retail and vibrant social spaces strong on entertainment and culture, is the former Palazzetto dello Sport – Waterfront Mall in Genoa, already included in the ‘Waterfront di Levante’ masterplan, of which Nhood will be announcing the leasing plan in co-agency with the Realia company during MAPIC Cannes 2022.
The opening of the circular seafront complex is scheduled for the end of 2023. Once again, Sport and Leisure are the drivers of development.
The commercialisation strategy prioritises the inclusion of high-profile international and Italian premium brands, focusing particularly on the local area. In fact, the presence of Genoese and Ligurian brands symbolises the growing importance of the local and zero mile supply chains. The retail offer will be broad, rich and diverse, ranging from fast fashion to branded products, and supplemented with a food court where there will plenty of space for both local specialities and ethnic fusions.
The project begins with the redevelopment and regeneration of the asset, with the inclusion of services and commercial units in a three-storey retail space, with three distinct integrated offers on each floor and premium brands from the first floor upwards. The top floor will also include spaces dedicated to leisure and fitness. The two inner rings of shops will be built around a 7,000-square-metre events and show area and two floors of underground parking.
A commercial strategy co-devised by Nhood, which fits perfectly into the broader urban regeneration project. In fact, the new shopping mall is located within the confines of a charming green promenade designed to provide a chill-out area not only for shoppers but also for residents and passing tourists.
The 3P sustainability of the Nhood business plan
Nhood’s commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability issues can be seen in the Breeam certification it holds for many of its existing assets; in its signing of agreements to disseminate and promote the professional integration of vulnerable people; in the reorganisation of the company, which also involves the standardisation of externally certified and, for this reason, transparent, safe and high quality processes; as well as in its complete range of services relating to every aspect of property management: Asset Management, Property Management, Leasing Management, Project Management, Asset Services and Special Expertise, including Food Strategy, Data Analysis & Intelligence, E-Procurement and much more.
To supplement this global company approach, on Tuesday 29 November, from 14.00 to 15.30, Marco Balducci, CEO of the Nhood Group, will be speaking in the session “Sustainability workshop”.
Further information, renderings and details are available on request.
More details on Nhood and its projects can be found at: www.nhood.it.
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Nhood Italy is one of the leading real estate players in Italy as well as an established presence in the commercial sector, specialised in the real estate services, development and urban regeneration. In all of its projects Nhood strives to impact positively on people, the planet and prosperity. Nhood is part of the AFM (Association Familiale Mulliez), to which some 200 companies in 52 countries belong, including Decathlon, Leroy Merlin, Brico, Norauto, Midas, Kiabi and others. Worldwide, Nhood has 1000 employees in 10 countries and a portfolio of more than 400 assets, with a global asset value of approximately €10 billion. In Italy, where its head office is located in Milan, it manages 37 commercial assets of a total real estate value of €2 billion and is involved in numerous urban regeneration projects, including the redevelopment of Piazzale Loreto in Milan, the construction of the new Urban Smart Mall Merlata Bloom Milano, and the regeneration of 10,000 m2 of the Magazzini Raccordati at Stazione Centrale in Milan with the “Dropcity – Architecture and Design” project. www.nhood.it
PRESS CONTACTS
PR – Media Relations Manager Nhood Services Italy
Paola Perfetti pperfetti@nhood.com mob. +39 349 6616964
Press office – NIC PR
Via Cino del Duca 2, Milan, tel. +39 02 3653 5859
Adele Olivieri adele.olivieri@nicpr.it mob. +39 320 119 9338
Clara Zambetti clara.zambetti@nicpr.it mob. +39 339 799 7522
Paola Nicolai paola.nicolai@nicpr.it mob. +39 335 8056 962
