Wereldhave sees strong leasing activity during Q4

Wereldhave is seeing a strong revival in leasing activity during the last quarter of this year – a clear sign of growing confidence among tenants in the company’s Full Service Center concept. For Q4, Wereldhave has extended existing leases with several key tenants, and signed up new Food & Beverage (F&B) and other mixed-use tenants in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The company has also taken on new tenants under its up-and-coming UpNext and Every.Deli labels.

Long-term lease extensions and new store agreed with C&A
Wereldhave and C&A have agreed to extend existing leases on six locations for a further ten years and signed a letter of intent for a new store, further strengthening collaboration between the two companies. The lease extensions relate to C&A stores in Kronenburg and Presikhaaf in Arnhem, Vier Meren in Hoofddorp, de Roselaar in Roosendaal, Middenwaard in Heerhugowaard and De Koperwiek in Capelle aan den IJssel.

Every.Deli expanded with addition of new ‘HEMA kitchen’
HEMA will open its ‘HEMA kitchen’ concept at Wereldhave’s De Koperwiek center in Capelle aan den IJssel before the end of this year. The restaurant will be part of Every.Deli, the center’s new fresh food experience zone. Fresh and healthy food is central to the 'HEMA kitchen' concept. The restaurant has a completely new look with counters where salads, healthy sandwiches, smoothies, juices and fresh soups are prepared. The dishes contain 100% natural ingredients and have been developed entirely according to HEMA’s own recipes.
In opening the restaurant, HEMA is responding to increased demand for healthy eating, making HEMA kitchen an excellent fit for Every.Deli. At De Koperwiek, in addition to a Jumbo supermarket, there are also specialty shops including a baker’s, cheesemonger’s, poulterer’s, fishmonger’s and a florist. Overall, Every.Deli offers a range of fresh products, all in one street, with various places for visitors to sit and chat, or just watch the world go by. Every.Deli adds to De Koperwiek’s attractions, which already include the Basic Fit fitness center, signed recently.

F&B offer further strengthened in the Netherlands, Belgium and France
In future, eating out will be a bigger part of people’s lives – mostly during Q4, we continued to expand our F&B offering at centers in the Netherlands, Belgium and France as part of our Full Service Center strategy.
• In the Netherlands, we have signed a letter of intent for a package deal with national F&B operator Albron. As part of the deal, Albron will open new outlets at our centers in the Netherlands. In Tilburg, we will be welcoming brands including Anne&Max, Frites Affairs, Strada and CoffeeCompany.
• Additionally, we have signed contracts this year with Starbucks and Robuust at Cityplaza, Burger Me at Sterrenburg and I Love Sushi at Middenwaard.
• In Belgium, meanwhile, we signed new leases in Q4 with four F&B operators: KFC at Courtrai Ring, Pitaya at Nivelles, Asie a Tik at Belle-Île and Black & White Burger at Les Bastions – all part of our Full Service Center transformations.
• In France, we are creating a new lunch & dining area at our Mériadeck shopping center in Bordeaux. The area will occupy previously empty units, which we are redeveloping specially for the purpose. The project is expected to have positive impact on the disposal process of the center.
At Côté Seine in Argenteuil, meanwhile, we are in advanced talks to sign up a new 1,600 m² fitness center. The addition will further strengthen Côté Seine after its already successful transformation into a convenience center in recent years.

Wereldhave pop-up label UpNext signs new contracts with NIX & NIX
NIX & NIX has agreed to open three new branches under Wereldhave’s UpNext rental label; the new branches – NIX & NIX’s second, third and fourth branches, respectively – opened in Heerhugowaard, Nieuwegein and Leiderdorp in November and December ahead of the end-of-year holidays and Dry January. NIX & NIX is the Netherlands’ first non-alcoholic liquor store.
UpNext is a full-service rental label, specifically aimed at pop-up stores. UpNext helps aspiring entrepreneurs, retailers and brands reach thousands of consumers a day quickly and easily. In addition to retail space, UpNext will also supply shop fittings for NIX & NIX, help the branches recruit personnel and support marketing of NIX & NIX’s new formula.

Wereldhave CEO Matthijs Storm said: “I am very happy to see that our strategy of transforming locations into Full Service Centers is now really starting to bear fruit in the leasing market. We were convinced that it would be only a matter of time before improved customer satisfaction from visitors to our centers resulted in new leases and tenants. And this quarter has clearly shown us the evidence of that. I am confident this trend will also have positive implications for our property values.”

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