Inside Europe’s Retail Property Boom: Ian Sandford on Debt Markets, Placemaking & F&B Trends

Recorded live at MAPIC 2025 in Cannes, this episode features a rare deep-dive with Ian Sandford, President of Eurofund Group, one of Europe’s most influential retail property operators. With more than €2B in assets across Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the UK, Eurofund sits at the centre of the sector’s biggest shifts.

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⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Running a shopping centre is harder than people think
00:27 Recording live from MAPIC 2025 in Cannes
00:53 Eurofund Group scale & portfolio overview
01:39 What trends are shaping European retail real estate?
01:58 Debt market dynamics & competitive leverage
02:23 Global capital flows reshaping asset valuations
02:41 US startups & new entrants to Europe
03:03 Why retail is growing again
03:28 Expansion advice: why Berlin leads Europe
03:50 Hamburg & Munich property strengths
04:18 Experience, placemaking & guest-centric design
04:40 From “clients” to “guests”: linguistic and strategic shifts
05:13 Toilets, car parks & what they reveal about landlords
05:46 F&B’s rising share and its role in dwell time
06:23 “Get them and keep them”: the only rule
06:44 The question property executives always ask
07:06 Understanding retailer performance inside your centres
07:30 Are your retailers making money?
07:47 Retail media: clean environments vs screen overload
08:06 The biggest screen in Southern Europe (Lisbon)
08:27 Digital vs calmness: what consumers want
08:45 Closing thanks
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